Croatia for kids

One of the early requests we have had is information on Croatia for kids. If your children love to swim, the Adriatic Sea is one of the best swimming pools out there. And free! But what does Croatia offer in terms of activities and facilities for children. Where are the best child friendly beaches and where can one find babysitting services while on holiday.

This page is a work in progress, and we are hoping that, with your help, we can build a Croatia for kids resource for all to give people with kids better information for their visit to Croatia. Pleaase add your tips, photos and experiences on the contact form below. In order to get the ball rolling, we have a very honest list of things to do from a British mother who lived near Split for four years with her husband and two sons (aged one and two when they arrived, five and six when they left). While it may not be the most exciting list of activities, it does reflect the reality of bringing up children here, and Total Croatia is committed to painting a realistic rather than idealistic picture of life in Croatia.

Before getting to that list, we also have some interesting and positive submissions on a great softplay area in Split, various softplay areas in Zagreb, a foreign Dad's thoughts on the kindergarten experience in Croatia, the Interntional Children's Festival in Sibenik and an unusual and outstanding Croatian farm holiday run by a committed British couple near Karlovac, including ex-British police horses and an array of goats, chickens and a sheep called Bimbo! There is also a very interesting Mexican lady in Split who blogs about raising her child, and she posts about normal family days out to a cafe with trampolines. But back to that list...

Croatia for kids - a view from Kastela

We arrived in Dalmatia when our children were aged 1 & 2 and left when they were 5 & 6. We did try to find things for them to do but there is very little. It was so bad that we considered starting our own soft play business (which I am glad to hear now exists).

This is a list of everything we found:-

1. playing in the street with the other local children

2. Going to the beach in summer (no sand castles though)

3. Playing on their bikes/ scooters/ ride-ons

4. Playing on the PCs in the office - Cbeebies has an excellent site

5. watching satellite TV - get Nick Jr!

6. Reading books (that we brought over from England) / drawing / colouring in/ playing with play doh

7. Helping me to cook

8. Playing with water in the garden

9. Playing with toys - there is a better range and higher quality for a lower cost in the UK (so empty suitcases out, full ones back)

10. Swing park in Split

11. Walks / throwing stones in the sea

12. Playing in the snow in the mountains above Makarska

13. ice creams in the summer - luckily they are cheap

14. going to kindergarten (but hardly any toys there - just stuff like baby stacking rings and broken remote controls)

15. Overnight trips to Zagreb for the zoo, some Thai food for the adults and looking at the engine yard for the Thomas-The-Tank-Engine fans

16. Overnight trips to the swimming pools in Slovenia - either that resort next to the border or the really amazing place in the out of town shopping zone in Ljubljana.

17. Skiing in Bosnia was a possibility, but we never got round to it.

18. See the stalagmites and stalactites at the caves outside Split

19. Cinema in the Joker centre - v. cheap and good quality. Often there is a children's english language film on.

20. trips to McDonalds

21. teaching to read, write and basic numeracy at home

22. visiting friends who kept animals

That's it. There would have been access to sport etc if we'd stayed longer and the children had reached school age but until then, Dalmatian children are typically cared for by their grandmothers and just go where they go/ stay where they stay. Croatia for kids is definitely a business opportunity.

Help build a resource for info about Croatia for kids!

Do you know about a great softplay area? A resort with kids facilities? A car rental company with quality car seats? Or a family beach where the kids can entertain themselves? Please submit your photos, experiences and tips to help give parents looking to visit Croatia the best possible info.

What Other Visitors Have Said

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