Is November too late in the season to visit Croatia?

October in Croatia was bursting hot and packed. When I'm able to go again it would be in November and 5 nights to a week in Korcula would be perfect. If I remember correctly there were only 3 ferries a day between Dubrovnik and Korcula so you may need to spend your last night close to the airport and/or look into bus schedules. Have a wonderful trip. J

As in Greece, by mid-October the season does begin winding down on coastal Croatia because the restaurants and accommodations are used to seeing travelers on the Dalmatian coast who are interested in beaches.

So, with fewer tourists many restaurants, bars and some accommodations begin closing down.

The wet and windy weather that normally arrives by November just isn’t conducive to trips to the beach. (The ocean temperature is around F50 degrees).
Korcula is a lot quieter than other islands— I would think in November that your dining and entertainment options will be quite limited. Hvar might be a better choice.

I am concerned, obviously, about running into crowds in Prague,
Budapest, and Vienna in September. Thank you in advance for sharing
your experiences.

If you can do September / October I think you will get more out of it. If you can do the Balkans first, you will get yet more out of it.

Prague is always busy. Just a fact of life. You can mitigate it by finding some good advice of things to see and do out of Old Town., But, then, Old Town is the what people want to see. Vienna, not so bad in September and October and November. Budapest is never particullarly bad. Not that the tourists are not here, its that the city is so large and the sites so spread out that there are only a few places with any tourism density. For instance, the lower part of District V along Vaci utca and the area in front of the Basilica. Otherwise even in July it isnt bad.

To show the difference in scale between the three:
here is a map of Old Town Prague that receives about 7 million tourists a year. About 600 acres if I remember correctly. https://maps-prague.com/img/0/old-town-square-prague-map.jpg (the yellow portion).
Here is a mapy of the tourist zone of Vienna that receives about 4 million tourists a year https://www.city-walks.info/Wien/bilder/Vienna-Map-City-Center.jpg (maybe 4 times the size of Pragues tourist zone)
and Here is a map of the tourist zone of Budapest that receives about 5 million tourists a year https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7b/5f/82/7b5f826ff953bb5327e4746907134c75.jpg (everything you see, maybe 5 times the size of Vienna's tourist zone)

In general terms October is a pretty sweet time to be in Central Europe; especially the 10th through the 20th, then the temps start dipping a bit. Not particullarly wet in November though in Central Europe.

For Croatia, so much of what is great about Croatia is dependent on warmer weather. I just wouldnt go after the second week in October as you will miss so much of why to go. Croatia has become a bit of a tourist magnet so if you want some of the same type of things with fewer tourists, head a bit further south and do Montenegro. Cheaper, less tourists and very interesting. Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Budva, Stari Bar and Ulcinj are a great tour.

November is the wettest month of the year in Split, Dubrovnik and Hvar Town, according to Wikipedia. I couldn't immediately find comparable statistics for Korcula.

The rain on the coast is maybe another good reason to delay that trip or spend more time in Central Europe where November is among the drier months in Prague and about average in Budapest. And if November works better and you can be in Central Europe after about the the 16th then you get the Christmas festivities and markets and theater and ...... Nice time to be here.

Then do the coast in May next year...... May and June are very good. I try and be in Montenegro or Bosnia that time of the year.

And since you have two months..... dont forget about Sarajevo......

I would move up the itinerary. Crowds in the major cities are always going to be an issue at some level, but can be mitigated with planning around sights and such (buying tickets ahead, going early/late in the day, etc.) But I think you’d regret seeing the coast when the weather is a risk, and the tourist industry is winding down. Part of the attraction of the area is the energy that comes with the tourists. As someone who usually travels in shoulder season, I found the biggest surprise wasn’t the crowds (late June), but how well all these places seemed to accommodate them. The tourism industry contracts sure, but it also expands admirably to the task. As crowded as Dubrovnik was for instance, I never really felt like it subtracted for the experience. I had no trouble doing what I wanted, or grabbing a meal. I found the overall experience of being in such a tourist heavy environment to be kind of fun actually! When you’re surrounded by people thoroughly enjoying themselves it can be quite contagious. So, counter to our programming perhaps, but I would not sweat the crowds as much.

Thank you everyone for your prompt input. Looks like I am definitely moving our trip up to mid-August to early-October. This is our first trip to Central Europe and the Adriatic Coast. I expect the crowds I am eager to avoid are not quite the volume of England, France, Italy, or Germany (but I could be very wrong here). Based on Accuweather’s forecast today, it is looks like it is still in the mid-70’s this week in Dubrovnik, (and in the low 70’s last year) so if we hit Croatia by early October, we should be okay for restaurants and beaches (but cutting it close, I know).

We left Dubrovnik October 7, 2023 and the weather was beautiful. We had been to Split and Korčula a few days before. Everything was open and all tours were running.

Based on Accuweather’s forecast today, it is looks like it is still in
the mid-70’s this week in Dubrovnik, (and in the low 70’s last year)
so if we hit Croatia by early October, we should be okay for
restaurants and beaches (but cutting it close, I know).

The weather is unpredictable. I live Budapest and it is now 27 October and I fully expect to sit outside with a glass of wine this evening. Other years, impossible.

My husband and I were just in Croatia (Oct. 6 - 18). We started in Zagreb, then Plitvice Lakes, then Split, Hvar, Korcula and Dubrovnik. Perfect weather throughout -- not too crowded, less expensive than summer. This seemed like the perfect time to go.

Here's some info about Korcula in particular. We were there Oct. 13 and 14, and many shopkeepers told us that would be their last week to be open full-time; afterwards, it would be sporadic / on weekends. (Already some shops were closed.) As of November, the restaurant at our hotel (Aminess Korcula Heritage Hotel) was going to be only one of three restaurants open in the old town. Local people told us things are VERY quiet from late October - late March. This might be just what you like, but it's good to know in advance.

It can get pretty wet in Croatia when the fall weather pattern moves in. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing exactly when that will happen.