Camping in Croatia: Reviews of My Favorite Campgrounds

Croatia has easily become one of our favorite countries since living in Europe. There’s something for everyone – beaches, waterfalls, forests, hiking routes, fresh seafood, and fine wines. On top of it all, campgrounds in Croatia take camping to a whole new level. You can take your pick from secluded forest campgrounds along the river to a spot overlooking the sea with a front seat view for Croatian sunsets.

To be frank, I had never tent camped prior to moving to Europe. I grew up “camping” in an RV, motorhome, fifth-wheel…basically anything besides a tent. I was pretty hesitant when Stephen wanted to take a road trip last summer and camp most of the way, but I’m always up for an adventure and in the end, I preferred the campgrounds to most of the hotels in Croatia!

Related post: Camping the New River

Below you’ll find a round-up of my favorite campgrounds in Croatia, from the north to the south – all tested by yours truly (+Stephen and little Presley). All campgrounds are, therefore, dog friendly!

Note that the currency in Croatia is the Croatian Kuna (kn), and is about 7.5 to 1 € .

Table of Contents

Map of the Campgrounds

Camp Oštro

The first campground on the list is Camping Oštro in Kraljevica, just south of Rijeka. It’s a large campground with everything from camping pitches to cottage rentals. On site, they have a restaurant, beach, playground, coffee bar, and a mini shop. The campground is divided into three zones – A, B and C with zone A being closest to the water. As we were on a budget and only staying for one night, we pitched our tent in zone C and while we didn’t have a view of the water, it wasn’t a far walk down to the beach. The camping sites have electricity and tap water. There are 3 bathroom areas along with laundry and dishwashing areas.

After we checked in with reception and were given our site number, we set up our tent and then quickly changed into our bathing suits to catch the last few rays of sun. Bringing our towels and snorkeling gear, we scurried down to the beach and found a secluded spot off to the side to wade in and test the waters. Although it was a little chilly at first, we finally acclimated enough to snorkel a bit and view the sea life in the area. We enjoyed viewing life underwater, but as our stomachs began to rumble, we knew it was time to grab some food. The campground restaurant overlooked the water and we sipped on tropical drinks as we gazed at the sun setting over the sea. The food was delicious – I chose a fresh Greek salad! It rained the entire night, but our tent held up nicely and we woke in the morning ready to conquer a new day.

Camping in Croatia, Camp Oštro — Water shoes are suggested for swimming here!

Address: Oštro 16, 51262 Kraljevica, Croatia (link will take you to Google Maps)
Cost for one night: 30,07 € (222 kn)
Website: http://www.jadran-hoteli.hr/ostro-en (reservations made in advance online)

Camp Barinica

We sort of just happened upon Camp Barinica after browsing Google Maps and looking for a good spot to stay between where we currently were at the time – Krka National Park – and our next destination – Split. Right off the highway was a little turn to get to this campground. It had great reviews online, which led us to take a chance and ride by to see if they had any spots available. To our luck, they had a cancellation and one tent pitch area was open.

There was only room for around 20 tents, but it wasn’t long until I realized that I preferred the smaller campgrounds. The best part about this place was the private beach access. The opaque emerald sea lay just a few steps from our tent and we had one hell of a view. Snorkeling was fantastic here and the sea life included everything from starfish to sea urchins and cucumbers. The sunset at this campground was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Sitting by the sea with my feet hanging over the side with my little family, sipping on a glass of Croatian schnapps, is a fantastic memory ingrained in my head.

They have electricity, restrooms and shower facilities, and you can purchase fresh bread and other bakery products in the morning for breakfast.

Address: Šparadići 1P, D8 1P, 22010, Grebaštica, Croatia
Cost for one night: 20 € (145 kn)
Website: www.camp-barinica.com

Camp Stine

We spent Memorial Day Weekend at this little slice of heaven in Starigrad, Croatia. It was the only place we could find in Europe at the time that didn’t have rain in the forecast, so the 6.5-hour drive from Vicenza was totally worth it. With our tent set up overlooking the ocean, we enjoyed watching the fishermen come in and out of the cove each morning and night. The sunsets from the bank of the camp were to die for. And the best part of all was the kindness that the camp owners showed to their guests. They were full of suggestions for things to do and places to eat in the area!

We spent our time during this weekend snorkeling, cooking delicious meals on our favorite cookware set, and hiking around National Park Paklenica (recommended to us by the owners!). The campsite has many spots for tent camping or RV/vans with access to electricity, excellent wifi, great showers & restrooms, laundry, and dishwashing area. We tremendously enjoyed our stay here.

camping in Croatia, Camp Stine, Starigrad Croatia

Address: D8 9, 23244, Starigrad, Croatia (click for Google Maps)
Cost for two nights: 32 € (240 kn)
Website: http://campstine.com/en/
Email for reservations: campstine1@gmail.com

Related Post: Memorial Day Weekend in Croatia

Kamp Rogac

We chose the town of Slano, Croatia to stay in because of the perfect blue water and plentiful beach shores that we could just barely spot on our drive north from Dubrovnik. This wasn’t my favorite campground, mainly because it was the bare minimum – but sometimes that’s okay. We set up our tent mid-afternoon in the shade of the olive trees and had the rest of the day to explore. The perks of this small campground were the outdoor shelter and kitchen area that held a wood burning stove. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to use it as the other campers weren’t very friendly and willing to share space with us.

We took that opportunity to snorkel (although there wasn’t much sea life), lay on the beach, and then grab a drink in town. This place is an easy campground to reach off Highway 8 between Dubrovnik and Split and is good for a one-night stay.

Address: Grgurici 34, 20232, Slano, Croatia
Cost for one night: 15 € (110 kn)
Website: http://camp-rogac.com/en/

Kamp Slapić

I’ve chosen to save the best for last and for this one, I give Stephen all the credit in doing the research. This is one of my top campgrounds of all time for many reasons – activities, amenities, amount of room, and just all-around friendliness of the staff. Kamp (Camp) Slapić lie along the river of Mrežnica in Duga Resa. It wasn’t long after we set up the tent that we started exploring the grounds. We quickly discovered the canoes available to rent, hopped in with little P, and rowed down to find the most beautiful waterfalls. I carried my camera with me and snapped a few shots, but after we arrived at the waterfalls, we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and just enjoying cooling off in the clear blue river water. It felt like being in an enchanted forest.

Their restaurant includes an indoor and outdoor seating area and on this specific night, we chose to sit outside under the trees by the river. Their Croatian dishes are phenomenal. The campground provides plenty of bathroom facilities at both ends, and for an extra level of added privacy, you’re given a key to a shower room to be able to lock/unlock the door. You’ll also find a dish rinsing area as well as a dog shower. If tent camping doesn’t sound like your thing, they have bungalows available to rent as well.

Mid-July temperatures can wreak havoc on you in a tent but being near the river helped a lot and we slept like babies that night. I highly recommend checking out this campground haven in Croatia!

Address: Mrežnicki Brig bb, 47250, Duga Resa
Cost for one night: 41 € (302 kn)
Website: http://www.campslapic.hr/en/

I hope you’ve enjoyed this short round up of camping sites in Croatia. As we discover more, I will update and add to the list! As always, if you loved any of these places or visited them after reading the blog, please let me know. I love to provide these short reviews in hopes of someone else enjoying a stay there!