Guide to Croatia rock climbing holidays

Croatia offers some impressive rock climbing. With varied but mountainous landscape Croatia rock climbing holidays offer something for everyone – from fun bouldering to some tough traditional and sports climbing routes.

Croatia rock climbing holidays: Top spots

The most famous and popular climbing area in Croatia is Paklenika. The region is near the coastal city of Zadar. It’s a favourite with climbers from across Europe, who travel there to enjoy its craggy limestone karst.

The Paklenika National Park is packed with routes, some bolted, many not. It’s a haven for traditional and sport climbers with plenty to challenge the best, as well as lots of opportunity for beginners to find their climbing feet.

With over half Croatia’s land mass being mountainous, there are plenty of other options for Croatia rock climbing holidays other than Paklenika, which can get crowded. The Istria region has hundreds of routes, and is close to many of Croatia’s major holiday towns, such as Pula and Porec. Istria lies to the west of the country, close to the border with Italy.

If chilling out on some of Croatia’s best beaches after a hard day’s climbing is important to you, then head to the the Split region and its islands. Islands including Hvar, Brac and Vis offer gorgeous white sand beaches, clear blue water and some fantastic climbing.

Many other parts of Croatia offer the chance to climb. With mountains and rocks never far away, and lots of climbers and climbing schools around, it’s easy to find somewhere to climb.

Although the main draw on Croatia rock climbing holidays is the chance to explore this stunning country’s mountains, cliffs and gorges Croatia offers a lot more with many other activities to try. Despite it’s recent history the locals are friendly and welcome visitors. During the summer the weather is hot and mostly dry – what you would expect from a mediterranean climate.