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Comment by ceilingcorner | Hacker News Reader

Yeah, Croatia is already turning into a country-sized tourist trap. It is really a shame considering how beautiful the area is.

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There are still places on the Croatian Adriatic which aren’t over run with tourists. Of course the popular areas are extremely crowded. There are still other beautiful islands which are not so busy.

I’m writing this from a small 20 tent only campsite on a Croatian island. Access is only by ferry. Facilities are limited (no large supermarkets for example). It’s our third summer here and while there have been some changes, it is very slow.

Taking a boat out for a day or two also allows for exploration of other, more remote islands. Some bays still aren’t over crowded with boats anchoring for the day.

Also, later in August and early in the week are quieter times. Yesterday, I was the only person swimming at a nice sandy beach at 14:00.

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Awesome. I've been to Croatia twice. Which area? The islands south of Istrian peninsula? They seem pretty chill.

Yes those islands, but some of them like Krk and Rab are very, very touristy. Other places which require a ferry to reach, like Cres for example, not so bad.

It was turning into tourist trap 20 years ago, the last time I visited. I think places like Italy or Greece offer more for same money (or even less). For balkan experience, Montenegro is a fine less spoiled option (depends on location obviously).

When was the last time you've been to Montenegro ? If you want to talk about wild overdevelopment there is no competition there.

Greece is unique in it's own way - but it's the OG tourist trap in the area.

Coast of Italy isn't really comparable on the Adriatc side (haven't been to Sicily so can't really compare)

The inland towns and more isolated islands are still quite local.

And Montenegro is 100x more overdeveloped and touristy. I’m not sure where exactly you are referring to.

If it's the cheap prices you're after, Albania is the answer. More specifically, anything south of Tirana.

Communicating with locals over 30 is a bit challenging unless you know Albanian or Italian (I know, I was surprised too), but it's worth it for the pretty, not overcrowded beaches.

Croatia is significantly cheaper than Italy or Greece. Every meal you eat will be under $10 USD, good seafood too. The booze is stupidly cheap, bottled beer is like half the price of bottled water iirc and everyone was drinking openly everywhere on the street at all hours. Accommodations at excellent hotels were cheap. Getting around the country was cheap (we took a bus and stopped along dozens of cities along the coast). The most expensive part is airfare, but after that, it's cheaper than probably most of europe and certainly any city in the U.S. in terms of having a vacation. When I visited there were few Americans, but so so many Australians I couldn't understand it. I guess they know about it there moreso than the US.

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