Dalmatia around Vodice: Croatia twice outside the peak season – and the Krka waterfalls

For us, Dalmatia is the quickest stretch of the Adriatic from Vienna that really feels like a holiday.

From Vienna, northern Dalmatia is the quickest Adriatic coast that feels like a holiday. We have been there twice, both times in the area between Biograd na Moru and Vodice: from 23 to 31 March 2024 and from 19 to 23 June 2025. A few days later, at the end of June 2025, we passed the Krka once more on our Europe road trip.

Getting there from Vienna

Depending on the route about 650 to 750 kilometres, six to eight hours – either via Graz and Maribor or via Zagreb. You need vignettes for Austria and Slovenia (both digital); in Croatia you pay motorway tolls, which are currently being switched to an electronic system. On summer Saturdays the route is packed; leave on a weekday or very early.

March: Croatia to yourself

In March Dalmatia is quiet. Many konobas and beach bars are still closed and the sea is around 14 degrees, but the promenades, old towns and national parks are empty, and accommodation costs a fraction of the summer price. Ideal for hiking, cycling and working with a sea view – just not for swimming.

June: the best time

Mid to late June is the perfect time for us: the water is warm enough and everything is open, but it is not yet full peak season. Vodice has a long promenade with restaurants and is lively in the evening; quieter are the villages on Murter and around Pirovac. From Murter, boats go out to the Kornati, a national park of more than a hundred barren islands – a day trip that is worth it.

Krka National Park

The Krka waterfalls are the best-known sight in the area, half an hour from Vodice. What you need to know:

• Swimming has been banned since 2021 – old photos of people bathing at Skradinski buk no longer apply.
• Buy tickets online – in summer with a time slot and much more expensive than in the off-season.
• Two entrances: Lozovac (shuttle bus to the waterfall) and Skradin (boat up the river – prettier, takes longer).
• Come early. From 10 a.m. the wooden boardwalks get crowded.

Šibenik

Between Vodice and the Krka lies Šibenik, with the Cathedral of St James (UNESCO World Heritage) and an old town that is far less crowded than Split or Dubrovnik. An afternoon there is a must.

Accommodation

Holiday apartments with a terrace are the norm in Dalmatia – very cheap in the off-season, expensive in July and August and booked up early. We usually book through Airbnb; how we go about it is explained in Booking Airbnb the right way.

Money and internet

Croatia has used the euro since 2023, cards work almost everywhere, and it is worth having a few coins for parking meters and small bakeries. EU roaming applies – just keep using your Austrian SIM.

Would we go again?

We definitely will. For a long weekend or a week, northern Dalmatia is hard to beat from Vienna – ideally in June or September.

Photo credits

The photos in this post are not ours but freely licensed (Wikimedia Commons / Openverse): coast near Vodice in Croatia – Michele Sirchi, CC BY-SA 3.0; waterfall in Krka National Park – Kristian Pikner, CC BY-SA 4.0; Krka waterfalls in Croatia – japus, CC BY 2.5; panorama of the Krka waterfalls – ANDREJ NEUHERZ, CC BY-SA 3.0. Our own photos from this trip will follow.

Dalmatia: our conclusion

Our conclusion on Dalmatia: in the off-season it is quieter, cheaper and still warm enough. Krka National Park is also worth visiting early in the morning, because the paths are still empty then. How we continued south is told in our Balkans road trip; background on the region is on Wikipedia.