Croatia The Day Sail bookings for season 2023 just opened!

We just opened bookings for summer 2023. Check it out what we have prepared for next year and book your spot on time as summer 2022 was really crowded and extra spot was on fire. 😉

Season 2022 – bookings are open

Hey The Day Sailors. We just opened bookings for summer 2022. We will sail in Hvar, Dubrovnik, Zadar and Rovinj in 2022. Check it out what we have prepared and book your spot on time.

Season 2021 just finished, what a summer ;)

This season The Day Sail in Croatia 2021 was amazing. We started a bit later the usual but fullfill all out expectations. First we started in Zadar from begining of June, Hvar started from July and Dubrovnik mid of July. We also opened Mali LoĹĄinj and Rovinj this summer. As the winter is getting closer, we are slosing The Day Sail season 2021 in Croatia. Even there was 2nd year of COVID-19 global pandemic, our sailing season was awsome. Thank you all for sailing with us.

Again, our majority guests were from USA, Canada, UK, Sweden, Finland and Norway. Still there were a lot of from Europe, especialy from Germany. For some of you who did not have a chance to sail with us for a day, we will have even bigger plans for sailing Croatia 2022. Come, sail with us!

Tourism, staying and sailing in COVID-19 times in Croatia 2021

Here you can see the basic rules regarding entry in Croatia in summer 2021 as of December 1st, 2020 (updated on April 1st, 2021). Travellers arriving from the “Green List” countries, who can prove that they haven’t spent any time outside of Green List regions while travelling to Croatia, have no symptoms or have not had close contacts with infected persons are allowed to enter Croatia without a test.

Sailing Croatia 2020 just finished

The Day Sail season 2020 in Croatia just finished. Even there was COVID-19 global pandemic, our sailing season was good. We were fully booked in Zadar through July and August. In Hvar and Dubrovnik, as they are flight destinations, and flights were mostly cancelled, we operated in slow mode. Thank you all for sailing with us.

Few days ago we closed the season 2020. Our majority guests are from USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Sweden, Finland and Norway, and this pandemic summer changed profile and we had most of guests from Europe, especialy from Germany. For some of you who did not have a chance to sail with us for a day, we will have even bigger plans for season 2021!

Summer in Croatia – day sail trip as a safe way regarding COVID-19

Here you can find information and travel advice that should be helpful if you have already booked a holiday in Croatia or are considering a holiday for later this year. Croatia has a low incidence of COVID-19. Only 79 deaths at 3 May. Croatia locked down and closed it borders to foreign travellers in March. Croatia hopes to be open its borders for tourists later in the summer and this post will be updated to reflect the latest news.

Croatia currently has a low incidence of COVID-19. As at 3 May 2020, 2096 confirmed cases and 79 deaths.  The impact has been less than in the other principal European Mediterranean destinations such as Spain, France, Italy, Turkey or Greece. Croatia closed its borders to foreign travellers and restricted internal movement at an early stage but now, from 28 April, has started a stepped reduction in lockdown restrictions.  Government officials have given indications that its borders could be opened to foreign travellers later in the year.

Latest Updates to this post:

3/5/20: latest national staistics
1/5/20: reports that Croatia hopes to open its border with Slovenia before the end on May.
1/5/20: incidence of COVID 19 by region

TRAVEL ADVICE FROM THE UK FOREIGN AND  COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

The UK Foreign and  Commonwealth Office (FCO) issed a COVID-19 Exceptional Travel Advisory Notice on 17 March advising British nationals against all but esssential overseas travel. The FCO noted that any country or area might restrict travel without notice.  The latest FCO advice on travel restrictions to Croatia due to coronavirus can be found on this webpage: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/croatia/health.

Additional information and advice can be found on the TravelHealthPro website which comprises the travel health resources of the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) set up by the Department of Health in 2002 with the broad aim of Protecting the Health of British Travellers. Its website is: https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/country/59/croatia#CIoutBreaks

CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT

The Croatian website https://www.hzjz.hr/priopcenja-mediji/koronavirus-najnoviji-podatci/
has a daily update on Coronavirus in Croatia and a useful summary of the situation within Europe and worldwide. It is written in Croatian.

The report for 3 May is:
Number of patients in Croatia: 2096
Number of deaths in Croatia: 79

Incidence of COVID-19 by region

(data as at 1 May 2020)

The heaviest incidence of the virus has been in the capital city Zagreb where there have been 466 cases and 20 deaths and in Split, Croatia’s second city.

The coastal regions and most of the main holiday resorts (with the exception of Split) have had very low exposures to the virus.
Istria county (includes the coastal resorts of Pula, Rovinj and Porec):  90 cases and 2 deaths
Primorsko-Goranska County (incudes the city of Rijeka and the coastal resort towns of Opatija and Lovran and the islands of Rab and Krk): 82 cases and 1 death.
Licko-Senjska County (includes much of the coastline between Rijeka to Zadar and the Plitvice Lakes National Park): 20 cases and zero deaths.
Zadarska County (Zadar City and surrounding coastal towns): 85 cases and 1 death.
Sibensko-Kninska County (includes Sibenik and Primosten on the coast and the Krk National Park): 86 cases and 1 death.
Splitsko Dalmatinska County (includes Split and Makarska and the central Dalmatian islands): 488 cases and 28 deaths.
Dubrovacko-Neretvaska County (includes Dubrovnik, Cavtat, the Peljesac peninsula and the Neretva delta): 108 cases and 7 deaths.
Source:https://www.koronavirus.hr/

RELAXATION OF LOCKDOWN IN CROATIA

The Croatian government has announced an initial three step relaxation of lockdown measures. With effect from 28 April small shops have been permitted to open and public transport is once again in operation. From 5 May it is intended that other service providers, such as hairdressers, will be permitted to open. The third step intended to come into force from 11 May will allow shopping centres, kindergartens, national parks and nature parks to open. Meeting of up to 10 persons will be permitted and cafes and restaurants will be allowed to operate if customers are served outside.

Free movement of people within Istia county and within Dubrovacko-Neretvaska county is now permitted. Previously offcial permits were required to move between towns and villages.  These permits are still required in other parts of the country.

Internal flights between Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Split restarted on 2 May and flights from Zagreb to Pula will restart on 11 May.

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON ENTRY TO CROATIA – WHEN WILL THE BORDERS OPEN?

Croatia has closed its borders to foreign tourists. Foreigners who exceptionally are permitted to enter Croatia may be required to go into 14 day quarantine and if that is the case they will be responsible for covering their own costs in the quarantine facility they are sent to. The only external flight operating is one flight a day on the Zagreb/Frankfurt route.

Croatia’s economy is highly dependant on tourism and it will certainly wish to capture some of the 2020 summer season. A goverment offcial has been reported in the German press as saying “”We expect that a tourist season is still possible in the summer, i.e. in the high season, since there are many accommodation options in Croatia where it is practicable to keep the distances between guests,” It is expected that at the end of May Croatia will publish updated travel regulations that will allow borders to be opened to at least some foreign tourists. It is possible that entry will be restricted to citizens of countries that have sucessfully limited the spread of the virus or to individuals who have been granted a permit. The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak,  stated recently that in view of the coronavirus pandemic, special measures for hotels and tourists would be introduced for this year’s tourist season. He said, “If the situation in other countries changes, foreign tourists may be allowed to come to Croatia this summer”,

Travel from Germany

The German foreign minister has recently explained Germany’s position as to whether it will advise its citizens to travel abroad as follows:
“We will have to decide after talks with European countries and travel destinations how the situation in the summer will be. Only then can it be decided whether summer holidays are possible or not. We might possibly have to differentiate between individual countries, depending on how the situation in the country is.”

Germany has extended its global travel warning to its citizens until June 14 and advised its citizens if they travel to a destination that is subject to a travel warning they may not be able to re-enter Germany.

Slovenia

The border with Slovenia may be one of the first to open. The Croatian government is currently considering opening the Croatian borders with Slovenia in the middle of May. More specifically on May 18, 2020.  Croatian minister of tourism, Gari Cappelli, has said that Croatia  “would strive to reach an agreement with Slovenia in the next two weeks”. He stressed that by the end of May it was hoped that the borders with Slovenia would be open but all would depend on the agreement of the epidemiologists.

Reciprocal or bilateral arrangements

While the EU will be seeking to put in place rules and procudures to enable cross border movement for EU citizens many countries, including Croatia, are conducting bilateral discussions to find a way to safely open their border to some tourists. It seems that we may be heading towards a gradual opening of borders with reciprocal arrangements made between countries where the virus is under control.  In this way a country allows its citizens to travel to a destination where the low risk of being infected will enable the citizen to return to their home country and the destination will be prepared to receive tourists from that country as they will be considered to carry a low risk of bringing the virus into the destination.   Another possibility is the pre testing of travellers before departure and if they are virus free allowing then to travel by specified ‘safe’ routes.

So far there is no official information yet available on the dates when Croatia’s borders might reopen even on a limited basis.

EUROPEAN HEALTH INSURANCE CARD

Before travelling to Croatia UK citizens should obtain a European Heath Insurance Card (EHIC). But note that after 31 December 2020, a UK-issued EHIC might not be valid. The card entitles you to free health treatment while holidaying in Croatia under a reciprocal agreement with the UK. If you are in Croatia  and you have lost your EHIC or do not have it with you, you can contact the Department of Health Overseas Healthcare Team (+44 191 218 1999) to get a Provisional Replacement Certificate.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

We always advise taking out travel insurance at the time you book your flights or accommodation.  It is all the more important now to check the small print of your policy to be sure what cover you have in case you have to cancel your holiday due to coronavirus.  Many but not all policies will cover you for the cost of your accommodation if you cancel because the FCO (in the case of British citizens travelling from the UK) or other official bodies in other countries, have issued advice not to travel to Croatia other than for essential reasons.  Your travel insurance will need to have been purchased before the advice was issued.   If no such advice has been issued by the FCO but you are disinclined to travel you will not be covered for cancellation costs unless you have a policy that specifically provides cover for these circumstances. On 17 March the FCO issued an Exceptional Travel Advisory Notice advising British nationals against all but esssential travel to Croatia and to all other overseas destinations.

Su Crown, a spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers, has been quoted as saying “In general, cancellation or travel disruption cover will activate when the FCO advises against all travel or all but essential travel to an area. Travel insurance is not designed to cover ‘disinclination to travel’ where the FCO advice has not changed to advise against travel.”

Since the World Health Organisation declared coronavirus a worldwide pandemic on 11 March 2020 many travel insurance companies have withdrawn cover for any claims relating to coronavirus on any new policies that they write.  If you have taken out insurance before that date most policies will still cover you for cancellation if the FCO have advised that you should only travel to Croatia for essential purposes. Check your policy terms.

PLAN AHEAD FOR A HOLIDAY ONCE THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS IS OVER.

If travel restrictions are relaxed later in the year Croatia will be a popular destination given its low incidence of COVID-19 particulary in the coastal regions.  Furthermore for Germans and many other central Europeans it is the closest warm water coastline that can be reached by car.  Some people have already cancelled their 2020 bookings for July and August but these dates are likely to be snapped up quckly if the borders open.  It will certainly be necessary to book very early for a 2021 holiday.  If the virus has been defeated and it is safe to travel we expect there to be a shortage of accommodation. Croatia will be promoting itself as a low risk destination as far as COVID-19 is concerned.

Now this may sound crazy but you can spend your vacation with your family or friends, traveling between destinations all the time, stopping at every turquoise beach you see, eating in restaurants and taverns without ever being confined to a close space or in touch with people you don’t know. The best way to discover the Croatian coastline, just got better because of Corona, and to us, it seems like absolutely the best way to spend vacations this year. You can experience all this with almost zero contact – let us explain.

Besides showing your ID at the border, which is safe and necessary almost anywhere you travel these days, your next encounter with people will be at the charter company, where you usually have to do a lot of paperwork. Working with several charter companies, almost all of them are reducing this and switching online, so that contact will be reduced to a bare minimum or may even be avoided. Check in is usually done by someone from the charter, but there are companies that work with charters that give you detailed video instructions on how to operate the boat and what is where. The boats are cleaned very well, but this year they will certainly be disinfected. Food delivery to boats was introduced years ago, and now they work flawlessly, and you can skip the supermarket entirely. If you really want to eat out in the restaurants, you are in luck. 90% of the summer restaurants are out in the open anyway, and most of them don’t have rooftops at all. They will all have to conform to recommendations of authorities regarding minimum space between tables, but having no walls will certainly help. Outside dining goes with good weather, of which Croatia has plenty of, Hvar for instance has more than 2.700 hours of sunshine a year, putting it in top 5 in Europe. You can avoid people entirely by staying at the anchors all of the time, but if you need to dock, you can reserve and pay ports and marinas through Porthop application and avoid human contact entirely. On Porthop, you can even book restaurants with 3-4 buoys and as many tables in secluded bays. They are family owned restaurants, and there are plenty of them to choose from.

While sailing, you can swim, sail, sunbathe, relax, explore more or less remote locations, visit ancient towns, and explore the unseen or untouched by tourism. You can be kind to our environment and use sails to get to your new destination, you can be in contact with yourself and nature. You can do all that by protecting yourself and others, by staying on your boat, your little home away from home.

Boats for rent these days are spacious, and accommodate from 2 (mini) to 12 people – perfect for two families. Prices vary, but the average price point is almost certainly below the price of 4 star hotels. The prices will certainly drop because demand will drop as well. Wind and seas in Croatia are a playground, we rarely get wind stronger than 20kts, and all bad weather is rare.

We know sailing is great, because we are doing it all the time, but being in a situation like this, we realized that it’s even more awesome now. I cannot imagine a place, as beautiful, as safe, as isolated as being on a boat in some secluded bay in Croatia. I hope we gave you some hope and some good ideas. If you never considered a boat holiday, then this would be the time 🙂

An update regarding COVID-19

It’s been a challenging few months. As the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we’ve witnessed the declaration of a pandemic, government restrictions on travel and gatherings, and growing concern from you dear guests about your health and safety.
Our politics is that the well-being of our community is our priority, and we must take action to support this belief.
We can understand your concern about your travel and your booked experiences. At the moment you do not need to take any action as we believe all this situation will calm down and we will all get back to normal lifestyle. And hopefully you will come to our country and experience all the beauties we can offer. 😉
We would like to share with you information that if you or we will need to cancel your trip you due to coronavirus, we will make you a full refund. No special explanation needed.

Here are your options:

• Move your booking to later this summer. We will be offering flexibility on dates and destinations so that you can move to a any date later in the summer.

• Move your booking to 2021 or 2022. You can change your booking to summer 2021 or 2022, contact our Customer Support Team for details on days we will be sailing.

• Keep your booking as it is. If you want to keep your booking as it is, you don’t have to do anything.

• We’re here for you. If you are concerned about your trip to Croatia and would like to discuss your options, please email us on welcome@thedaysail.com and we’ll be happy to help you.

If your day sail trip is postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, you will of course be given the option move your day sail again or you will be offered a refund credit note to use on any The Day Sail trip in the future.

We remain, as ever, committed to you, our guests, and our community. Our thoughts are with you and your families as we all navigate these challenging times. I will be back in touch very soon as we have more to share.
Stay at home with positive thoughts. 😉

The Day Sail reviews: what our guests say about us

The Day Sail reviews: what our guests say about us

“Private sailing experience“…. “We would book this trip again!”… “We had a great time!”…. “A very unique boat trip” – but don’t just take our word for it. Take a look at these reviews of The Day Sail to get the inside scoop on this summer’s most unforgettable experience.
Dorothea (Germany), November 2019
Me and my partner booked this experience and it was one of the best things we did while we were in Croatia. It is one of the days when nobody is pushing you and you are with yourself, with one that you love and fully connected with the nature. We sailed almost all the time and used engine only when mooring. And when we were sailing, you can hear only sounds of ropes and sails, wind and waves. We also actively particilated in sailing and had a chance to steer the yacht. I will do this trip again next year as I am planning to come to Croatia again.
Glen (United Kingdom), October 2019
Do this!!! We had a day we will never forget. Josh got us actively involved with sailing. Shared his memories. Really made our day.
JennaJenna (Minnesota, U.S.), September 2019
If you’re in Hvar and want to enjoy the water and visit beautiful coves & beaches, this is the experience for you. David & Tibor have an amazing staff of skippers, and we were lucky to be paired with Josh. He was friendly from the moment we met, and hosted us on a once in a lifetime day of sailing the Adriatic Sea. He allowed us to participate in sailing and skippering. He brought us to beautiful, secluded spots that we would not have found on our own. Josh was an experienced Navy sailor and we felt totally safe and comfortable all day long. We hope to do this again when we return someday, and plan to keep in touch with Josh. Book this experience – you won’t regret it!
Dana (Australia), September 2019
Fantastic sailing experience that was really hands on, and as the weather is cooling down in Croatia, we spent more time learning how to sail than swimming. Josh is friendly, has great banter and made the experience fun.
Adam
Tony (Sweden), August 2019
We just loved this day and we have booked double tours, afternoon sailing and sunset tour. It was an amazing day that we will never forget. Our skipper David was very competent and he told us many nice stories about the region around and about Zadar. We had a amazing sunset, good wine and good snacks with good winds and we will remember this day a long time forwards. Extra plus that David dropped us off at the Pier at Zadar old Town in the evening. If you visit zadar then this tour is a must, we realy recommend this tour very much
Sarah (Germany), August 2019
Our sailing tour with Luka was fantastic and we definitely recommend it to others. It’s a perfect way to get to know the city from the waterside and discover the surrounding islands. Luka is super nice and told us a lot about Zadar and Croatia in general. We were lucky to be the only guests and enjoyed our „private sailing experience“. We would book this trip again!
Mickael (France), August 2019
We had a great experience with Luka! We managed to go on this boat trip with only another couple. We really enjoyed our time, learning about sailing, relaxing in front of the boat, drinking a bottle of wine… The spot we went to snorkeling was great and we were able to swim and jump from the boat! Thanks again to Luka for his expertise and sharing a bit of his passion, this made our trip to Zadar even more enjoyable!
Erin (United Kingdom), July 2019
A very unique boat trip. Luka was inspiring with personal stories and recommendations all over Zadar. As well as this we had the option to participate in sailing. We got to jump off the front of the boat or get the ladder off the back. The scuba masks provided were also really useful. The island that we were taken to was also beautiful and easy to swim around.
Jimi (Kansas City, U.S.), July 2019
This couldn’t have been a better experience. We were greeted with a smile and a sense of calm warm welcoming way. David and Petra were both easy going(like the Croatian way of life) but still full of life and knowledge. It felt as if we were visiting friends somehow even though we’ve never met. They were so open and had great knowledge about Zadar, from history to advice on all the questions we asked. We didn’t feel rushed and didn’t feel uncomfortable at any time. It was private due to it being my boyfriend and best friend attending and it was very cosy. The view out into the ocean was as promised spectacular from the initial sunset to after the sun set and the clouds lit up in other colours. We gained knowledge of the islands as well that we were so curious about. We would recommend this above and beyond and can’t wait to return to Zadar and see the bigger boat next time 😉
Kandra
Alicia (New York, U.S.), July 2019
Our group of four had a wonderful time on this sailing experience. The group was small, which I appreciated, only 4 other people on the boat. David, our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. We learned a ton about Croatia from his life perspective as a young man who had grown up there. He was also an expert sailor which was my main priority! We were fortunate to get a beautiful sunset!
Cameron (San Francisco, U.S.), July 2019
We went out with skipper Luka for a sunset cruise. We were provided plenty of local wine & snacks, and it genuinely felt like we were out boating with a good friend. Luka is super personable, and will customize the sailing trip however you want. He had a lot of great cultural knowledge about Zadar, and is super experienced on the sea. Highly recommend!

CarolineCaroline (Norway), June 2019

We were seven girls and we had an amazing day. The skipper Filip and his girlfriend Mina were so kind and helpful. They had bought a lot of drinks so we wouldnt get thirsty or dehydrated. We sailed to some amazing places and saw a lot of different things. I can truly recommend this experience!

summer 2020 – bookings open

As season 2019 finished we started with preparing the next season. We just opened bookings for summer 2020. Check it out what we have prepared for you for next year and feel free to book your spot

Season 2019 just finished

The Day Sail season 2019 in Croatia just finished. We doubled number of guests since 2018 and sailed in Zadar, Dubrovnik and Hvar. Thank you all for such a great summer.

Few days ago we closed the season 2018. We had more than 300 bookings in Zadar, around 250 bookings in Dubrovnik, around 110 in Hvar. You guys came from more then 50 countries worldwide, mostly from USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Sweden, Finland and Norway. For some of you who did not have a chance to sail with us for a day, we will have even bigger plans for season 2020!

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