A guide to packing for Croatia in October! When you think of Croatia, you automatically think about warm, sunny summer days. However, we visited in October and had amazing weather!
Our packing guide is focused on the Dalmatia region, Split and Dubrovnik, during October. Check the weather before you go!
Work on Monday Travels is supported by readers and, at no cost to you, may earn commission when you book or purchase using our links. Full disclosure found here.
Essential Items
Most of the time, the weather is mild to hot in the Dalmatia region along the coast. We were in Split and Dubrovnik in October and I never used a jacket. I wore jeans comfortably in Split, but in Dubrovnik I wore shorts and short-sleeves the whole time. We even went swimming at the Blue Lagoon! Even in October, packing for Croatia must include:
- Water-friendly shoes
- Bring a pair of Chacos, Keens or Tevas if you plan to do any water activities. Many of the beaches in Croatia are rocky, especially at the Blue Lagoon if you plan to take a day your there!
- Comfortable walking shoes
- I have been using my reliable white Nike shoes. Liz and Frances went with the Vans that worked for them!
- Swimsuit
- No recommendations here. I just linked one that I thought was cute below 🙂
- Sunscreen
- Don’t forget sunscreen! There are travel-sized sunscreens now, but TSA now approves full-sized bottles of sunscreen if you need more!
- Umbrella or light rain jacket
- Don’t get caught in an unexpected rain shower. We lucked out with all sunny days, but you never know!
- Comfortable shorts or jeans
- Whatever style you like, but I advise wearing them for a full day before your trip to make sure you won’t die and be uncomfortable. If it is going to be warm when you go, you want to make sure you want chafe!
Other Items to pack for Croatia
- Sundress to wear over swimsuit and/or during the day
- I find t-shirt dresses to be so useful while traveling! They look decent and can be dressed up or down or double as a swimsuit cover!
- Compression shorts to wear with sundresses to prevent chaffing and flashing anyone 🙂
- With a dress comes compression shorts for me. I don’t want to a) chafe or b) worry about wind blowing my dress up!
- Comfy sandals to walk in when your feet get hot
- I brought my ol’ reliable Birkenstocks 🙂 )
- Dress for the evening
- Not necessary obviously, but Split has a great nightlife and Dubrovnik is beautiful at night. Sometimes it’s nice to look decent after looking “comfortable” all day 🙃
What you can likely leave behind
The weather will be mild in October. Leave the jacket at home. We experienced only sunshine and didn’t even need a rain jacket or umbrella (although it doesn’t hurt to have an umbrella or light rain just in case).
Luggage
One thing you’ll notice quickly is that there are a LOT of stairs in Dubrovnik. I kind of wish I had kept count of the flights of stairs we climbed in just two days in Dubrovnik. With that being said, USE A BACKPACK. Leave your rolling suitcase at home. They are not friendly with the terrain of Dubrovnik. Our AirBNB was up SEVERAL flights of stairs and we had to park our car nearly a mile from the AirBNB; and this isn’t uncommon.
I’ve linked my backpack on the main Croatia page here.
Packing for Croatia
Luckily packing for Croatia can be pretty straight-forward during most times of the year due to a pretty mild climate along the Adriatic coast. No significant weather changes throughout the day or the week! However, with that being said, if you plan to visit during the winter, BRING WARMER CLOTHES. It WILL cool off in the winter. Check the weather and pack accordingly.
For a full guide to Croatia, click here!
Shop the Look
