The Absolute Need to Escape: Why I Picked November
You know how it goes. You hit that massive deadline, the one that makes you eat instant noodles for three weeks straight and only sleep about four hours a night? That was me, right at the tail end of October. My brain felt like a dry sponge, and my bank account was screaming because I’d just paid off some unexpected house repairs.
I needed out. Immediately. But where do you go when every travel blogger is telling you to hit the Caribbean for $5,000, and your budget looks more like $500? I threw open my laptop and just started plugging dates into Skyscanner. Every place that looked remotely interesting was expensive until I saw it: Croatia. Specifically, November.
I had always heard about the insane crowds in Split and Dubrovnik during the summer—people packed shoulder-to-shoulder, prices doubled, the whole tourist circus. But the flights into Zadar in the second week of November? They were dirt cheap. I mean, ridiculously cheap. I snatched those tickets up before I even checked the weather forecast. My thinking was simple: bad weather beats being broke and stuck at home.
The Nitty-Gritty: Tracking the Costs
The first thing I did after booking the flights was look at accommodation. This is where November absolutely saves your skin. I skipped the big hotels. Why pay peak season prices for a slightly fancier bed when half the city is empty? I started aggressively searching on Airbnb for apartments near the centers of Split and Dubrovnik. The owners who usually charge €150-€200 a night in August were practically begging for bookings at €45-€60. I booked two places for a total of twelve nights. It felt like I was stealing them.
Next up was transportation. I knew relying on buses in the off-season was risky, and I wanted the freedom to stop wherever I wanted along the coast. I rented a small manual car. Guess what? No line at the rental counter. The guy handed me the keys faster than I could sign the paperwork. The total cost for the car for the entire trip, including the highest level of insurance, was less than what a three-day rental would cost in July. That was my biggest win right there.
Here’s the breakdown of the major items I tracked, which really hammered home the difference:
- Flights: Saved about 60% compared to shoulder season (Sept).
- Accommodation: Saved around 70%—I stayed in places that were totally out of my league normally.
- Food: This one is tricky, but fewer tourists meant the local restaurants weren’t slammed. I ate more true, honest-to-god Croatian food in small family-run places because the big tourist traps were either closed or empty. Prices were stable, maybe slightly cheaper, but the quality went way up because they weren’t rushing.
- Entrance Fees: Plitvice Lakes National Park was discounted slightly, and I walked right in. No ticket queues, no bus lines inside.
Driving the Coast and Walking Alone
People told me I was insane. “It’s going to be cold, it’s going to rain, everything will be closed.” And they weren’t entirely wrong. Yes, I had two full days of miserable drizzle. But the rest of the time? It was just cool and crisp. I wore layers, carried a decent jacket, and felt great.
The real pay-off was the crowds, or lack thereof. I drove the coastal road south from Zadar toward Split. It was beautiful, slightly moody, and completely empty. There were times I didn’t see another car for ten minutes straight. I could pull over, grab my camera, and just stand there without worrying about traffic or people ruining the shot.
When I finally got to Dubrovnik, that’s when it hit me. Everyone talks about the massive cruise ship crowds clogging the city walls. I walked the walls at 9 AM, and I swear I could count the other tourists on two hands. I was practically alone. I spent hours just wandering the streets, taking pictures of the moss growing on the ancient stone, hearing the local residents talking instead of a million different languages being shouted around me. It was surreal.
I specifically remember sitting down for coffee inside the walls of Dubrovnik. The waiter was relaxed, we chatted for ten minutes about the weather and football, and he gave me recommendations for places only locals go. That interaction would have been impossible in July when he’d be busting his butt serving tables of impatient tourists.
The Verdict: Was it Worth the Gamble?
Let’s be honest, if you want to swim in the Adriatic Sea, November is definitely not your month. The water is freezing, and half the beach bars are boarded up. If your vacation goal is non-stop sunbathing and nightlife, skip it. But if you are like me—burnt out, looking to travel on a tight budget, and absolutely despise wading through crowds of people—then November in Croatia is a hidden gem.
I got to experience the history and the beauty of those coastal towns without the noise and the fuss. I saved a ton of money on the big-ticket items like flights and lodging, which allowed me to spend a little more on good food and wine, supporting the local economy during the quiet season. I came back refreshed, my wallet was only slightly bruised, and I have pictures of iconic locations that don’t have a hundred strangers photobombing them. Absolutely worth it. Book the trip.