Croatia with dogs: all you need to know to travel with your dogs

If you don’t like leaving your dogs behind, here is the ultimate guide for traveling to Croatia with your dogs! 

We found Croatia to be generally very pet-friendly, with accommodations and restaurants welcoming our dogs, as well as them being able to visit beaches and a lot of the must-see attractions in Croatia. Here is all you need to know to travel in Croatia with your pets!

Entering Croatia with a pet

However you enter Croatia, be it air, water or land, you need to present an EU Pet Passport. If you don’t have one, you need an EU veterinary health certificate. This certificate must have your information, your dog’s information, microchip, and rabies vaccine. Croatia requires that your dog be treated against the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.

Not every EU country requires this treatment, so if Croatia was not your port of entry you might not have treated them. Check country specific information here.

The EU vet certificate cannot be more than 10 days old from the day of arrival to the EU. After arrival, it can be used for 4 months from issuance or until rabies vax expires, whichever happens first.

In addition, you should also complete and attach a written declaration that states your pet is traveling for non-commercial reasons. This is required for travel to the EU.

Even if coming from another Schengen country, you need these documents for travel. Our ferry from Venice to Pula required a Pet Passport!

Remember to always prepare your dog for travel!

How to Travel with pets around Croatia

Train with dogs in Croatia

On trains you can transport small animals that fit on your lap and in a carrier for free. Larger pets incur a fee— 50% of the ticket cost— and must have leash and muzzle. In sleeping cars, you must book the whole car.

The problem with trains in Croatia is that lines are not as robust as they are in other European cities and so getting from one city to another is better by bus. This is one of the main reasons why we decided to do a roadtrip around Croatia with our dogs.

Dogs on Buses in Croatia

Buses are generally pet-friendly for small dogs, but there is no set policy as it is up to the discretion of each bus driver. You could find yourself with very animal loving drivers, or some that will reject you. And there is no way to know in advance so you would have to be very flexible if you opt for traveling around Croatia with your dog on buses. 

We did take a local bus in Split to go to the beach in Kašjuni and had no issues. Our dogs were not in a carrier but they were on a leash.

Car travel in Croatia with dogs

My husband and I opted to rent a car and drive around Croatia making a roadtrip a very pet-friendly way to explore Croatia. Because we had a car, we were able to find accommodations outside of city centers with a yard for our dogs.

This also gave us a lot more freedom to choose our schedule, change our itinerary and find little hidden gems like Bale or Trsat Castle. We were able to be spontaneous as we were not constrained to a tour’s specific times or bus/train schedules.

Find a car for your trip

Pets on a Ferry in Croatia

On ferries, all pets are allowed. Formally, they are only allowed on deck. In practice, animals can sit with their owners inside if not crowded. Our ferry from Venice to Pula and back didn’t allow dogs inside the cabin. Even though it was still high-season, no one told us to go to the deck as our two dogs were well-behaved and on my lap. 

We did book in advance our dogs’ tickets from Venice-Pula-Venice. It cost us €10 per dog on Adriatic Lines. They required advance booking/declaration if you didn’t want to incur a surcharge. Within Croatia, it is usually free of charge to transport pets on ferries. That said, always check with the specific ferry line.

Where to eat with dogs in Croatia

Most restaurants have an outdoor area or a courtyard where dogs are allowed. We found restaurants in Croatia to be very pet friendly as, even in fine-dining restaurants, we were never turned away.

Before visiting, I was prepared to be turned away from restaurants or be forced to sit outside in the heat, but that wasn’t the case. For someone like me, sitting outside can mean a host of symptoms and reactions that end the fun for a day or two. I was very grateful when restaurants in old city of Split allowed us to eat inside with our dogs. This was true especially if they didn’t have an outdoor seating area, but also if they did. For example, Zinfandel accommodated us and Fig sat us inside when their outdoor tables were full. In Zadar, when I was craving sushi, ANTIQUUS sat us inside to escape the heat. 

Our dogs are small, but they are also extremely well behaved. Most restaurants brought out water for our puppies which made us feel like Croatia is very dog friendly. 

Where to stay in Croatia with dogs

We mostly stayed in rental properties as it gave us the best, and cheaper, options for places with yards so our dogs could run around in the mornings or at night. Even if places are listed as “no pets”, you can always ask if they’ll accept your pet. Many label their properties as non-pet friendly to avoid certain breeds (or certain irresponsible owners). Send a photo of your dog and a little explanation, they might rent their property out!

If you are renting a car, we recommend staying on the outskirts of cities, facilitating travel to beaches, other cities, or parks. 

There are also multiple pet-friendly accommodations ranging from luxurious 5-star hotels to premium camping sites— that have cabins, too! Some of these camping sites even have dog specific amenities and are in prime locations to enjoy Croatian beaches.

Look at my recommendations above. These are hotels with great locations, luxurious vibes, and all around worth it! We loved Lone Hotel, it felt so peaceful and a true five star experience!

Pet-friendly beaches in Croatia

You will of course want to go to one of the amazing beaches that Croatia has to offer. There are multiple beaches that are dog friendly in Croatia where you and your pet can beat the heat in the idyllic Adriatic Sea. 

There are other beaches where your dog is not allowed to swim, but can accompany you on the beach! When we weren’t sure if they were pet-friendly, we kept them cool inside our beach tent with a portable fan and lots of water! In our experience, our dogs were never kicked out.

Swimming with dogs in BLUE FLAG beaches is prohibited! 

Pet-friendly beaches in Istria

If you’re in South Istria— around Pula — check out the South Istria website that has up-to date pet friendly beaches and other activities in the region. Pet-friendly beaches include Verudela, Hidrobaza, Bi Dog, and Stinjanska Uvala (where we spent a day at Lost Beach). Cape Kamenjak Nature Reserve is also pet-friendly and has one of the best beaches we visited near Safari Bar. 

For North Istria their official tourism website lists some beaches like Park Umag, Finida, Kanegra, Stella Maris, Savudrija, Vrsar, San Polo, Colone, Lone, Cuvi, Cisterna, and Škaraba.

Dog beaches in Kvarner Gulf

We stopped in this area on our way to Zadar, but we found Rijeka with its Trsat Castle and Crikvenica with dog-friendly beaches a worthwhile stop.

This are has multiple dog friendly beaches such as Brajdica, Mikulova Kava, Mala Draga Cove, and the fully equipped beach Monty’s Dog Beach and Bar. 

The islands of KrK, Cres, and Lošinj have multiple dog beaches. The Kvarner official website has a list of beaches here. 

Pet-friendly beaches in Dalmatia

Kašjuni Beach and Duilovo Beach in Split are pet friendly and easily accessible via public transportation. In Kašjuni look for the exclusive area for dog swimming with no amenities, while in Duilovo there are tents for pups and showers. Do be aware it was very busy and crowded on the bus. 

Near Zadar, Vecka Kula Beach in Starigrad has some bushes and lots of places to park, and Privlaka is easily accessible with some amenities. Privlaka is a sandy beach unlike most beaches which are pebbled or rocks. 

In Dubrovnik, Mandrač Beach is a small pebbled beach with calm waters perfect for your dog. Or go to Kupari or Slano Beaches outside Dubrovnik. 

Dog Friendly Activities in Croatia

There are a lot of things you can do in Croatia with dogs! Most activities are outdoors, but a lot of museums and historical sites allow dogs! This guide on the best cities to visit in Croatia with dogs has more activities by city.

Plitvice Lakes National Park and Krka National Park are both dog friendly! All dogs must be on leashes at all times and always stick to the paths. They are also allowed on the boat and buses in Plitvice. 

In Pula, the Pula Arena, or Pula Amphitheatre, is dog friendly. You can visit the whole area with your pet. The Pula Citadel is also pet friendly. Check out this guide on Pula with dogs for more information.

Visit Brijuni Islands as the national park is pet friendly. Go on a trail walk, see the remains of a Roman villa, or discover old dinosaur footprints. Dogs are only allowed on a leash and in designated areas.

Vižula Archeological park is pet-friendly and has the largest Roman imperial villas on the eastern Adriatic coast. While in Medulin, visit the Medulin Riviera with lots of hiking trails. 

Cape Kamenjak is another national park with trails and beaches you can enjoy with your dog. It was beautiful and felt remote even though you can find some local beach bars. We also saw one of the most incredible sunsets from the Bunker in Kamenjak. 

In Split, Diocletian’s Palace is pet friendly as most of it is open and free. You can also take a walk on the Riva promenade or hike Marjan hill. 

In Dubrovnik, you can do the Dubrovnik City Walls with your dog. Go on this 1,940 m walk all around the city, and don’t forget to keep your dog on a leash.

You can also go on a boat tour, rent a private boat, or take a ferry to go to the different islands around Croatia. Or go to a winery or go olive oil tasting. We went to Chiavalon and loved it, but always check if a specific place is dog friendly.

Vet Clinics

It’s better to be prepared and not need this information. But just in case:

Here is a list of registered vet clinics — you can reference the prices from the University of Zagreb’s animal care center. 

General Considerations

There might be no-dogs allowed signs in parks, ferry sitting areas, and other places. People generally ignore them. They are mostly enforced during the high-season, and most people won’t say anything if your dog is well-behaved and you clean up after them. We sat inside on our ferry and took our dogs to public beaches without incident.

Be careful of wild animals and stray cats. There is a poisonous snake, and if out in some areas, you can encounter wild boar. Be careful of the pine processionary moth caterpillar as it can cause a reaction on your dog’s skin. Be also wary of country dogs as they might be protecting property. Always err on the side of caution. 

Don’t forget to bring their Pet Passport or veterinary certificate, enough food, treats and poop bags, as well as their bowls, toys, and any medicine they need. 

Croatia was not as dog friendly as other Western European countries that are more pet friendly, like Italy, but we enjoyed traveling around Croatia with our dogs. I hope this guide helps you travel Croatia with your dog.

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