🇭🇷 Bathing water quality in Croatia

Also known as Hrvatska, Chorwacja. 1,039 officially monitored bathing sites, tested all season for sewage bacteria.

1,039monitored sites
97%rated Excellent
4rated Poor
6turned around

Home › Croatia

Excellent: 896Good: 20Sufficient: 6Not classified: 113Poor: 4

⚠️ Rated Poor in Croatia — think twice

A Poor classification means persistent contamination across recent seasons. Authorities must advise against bathing, or ban it, at these sites.

✅ The safest bets in Croatia

Sites that have held the top rating five seasons in a row — not a one-year fluke.

📈 Turned around

These were rated Poor or Sufficient a few seasons ago and are Excellent today.

📍 Destinations in Croatia

Common questions about swimming in Croatia

Is it safe to swim in Croatia?
Mostly yes. 97% of Croatia's 1,039 officially monitored bathing sites hold the top "Excellent" class in the 2025 assessment, but 4 sites are rated Poor — bathing there is advised against or banned all season.
Which beaches in Croatia should I avoid?
The 4 rated Poor: Sava Kupalište Poloj 1, Sava Kupalište Poloj 2, Sava Kupalište Poloj 3, Tehnička Radiona Ploče. Poor means the site failed the minimum standard across four seasons of sampling.
Where is the water cleanest in Croatia?
873 sites have held the top rating five seasons running — a far better signal than a single good year. Around Rijeka, Rovinj, Pula you will find the densest clusters.
How often is water quality tested in Croatia?
Through the whole bathing season. National sanitary authorities sample each official site for E. coli and intestinal enterococci, report to the European Environment Agency, and the published class reflects the last four seasons combined.

Ratings are the official season-long classification, computed from the last four seasons of sampling — not a live reading. After a storm any site can be temporarily worse; local advisories win.