Croatia in March or April

I’m sure folks can advise on travel in these months, but having visited Croatia in the summer I think summer is probably when it’s best. It’s a destination that thrives on its natural beauty, and in order to get the best of that you need good weather. It runs counter to the standard philosophy, but you want it to be a little busy. The tourism infrastructure really ramps up around this, and shrinks in response. Ferry schedules, excursions, bars, restaurants, all this flexes on to accommodate the extra tourists and does it pretty well.

Even in the first week of July, the locals would tell me “it’s not in season yet” while things were quite busy. I think the main thing is to avoid the REALLY crowded month of August and a couple weeks in either direction. Dubrovnik was the only place where you could really see it get swamped, as the old town gets smashed with day trippers. But that just gives you a good opportunity to take an excursion during the day. Somehow (mostly by making every storefront into a cafe/bar/restaurant) they manage to handle the crowd and keep it fun. And crowded Dubrovnik is a lot different from crowded Florence. There’s no Uffizi gallery to wait hours in line for. In Croatia, your longest wait is usually for a cocktail.

I agree. The coast is just waking up in April. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit.
This July might be a little less crowded due to people going to Paris for the Oplympics july 26-August 11, and the Germans staying home due to the European ćup being played in Germany June 14- July 14.

I suppose it might depend on what you plan on seeing, but I agree with the general drift. Late May would better allow you to take in the natural beauty with ideal weather and without summer crowds, but fairly lively.