July is Croatia’s hottest, driest and sunniest month. Split averages a 30.0°C daily maximum, 16.5 days above 30°C, 25.5 mm of rain across 3.3 rain days and 11.2 hours of sun. The sea, at 23.2°C, is still not at its peak.
Every land record belongs to July
Split’s mean daily maximum reaches 30.0°C in July, its mean air temperature 25.7°C, its sunshine 11.2 hours a day and its rainfall falls to 25.5 mm — roughly a quarter of November’s. That 25.5 mm is the lowest monthly total anywhere in the 1971–2000 set, and Hvar’s 2.3 rain days is the lowest count. On the long Split Marjan series the month carries 353.3 hours of sunshine.
353.3 hours
Sunshine at Split Marjan in July, 1948–2024 series. The highest month of the year.
That long series is a separate dataset from the 1971–2000 normals and is not mixed into the tables below; it runs 1948 to 2024 and is cited as such. What both agree on is the shape: July is the top of the curve on land.
| Station | Mean daily max °C | Days ≥30°C | Rain mm | Rain days | Sun h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Split (Marjan) | 30.0 | 16.5 | 25.5 | 3.3 | 11.2 |
| Hvar town | 29.5 | 14.0 | 26.4 | 2.3 | 11.8 |
| Dubrovnik | 28.2 | 7.7 | 28.3 | 3.1 | 11.2 |
| Zadar | 28.2 | 7.0 | 30.4 | 3.6 | 11.3 |
| Mali Lošinj | 28.4 | 9.1 | 30.9 | 3.9 | 11.5 |
| Rovinj | 28.5 | 9.7 | 40.7 | 4.1 | 10.6 |
| Rijeka | 27.9 | 8.4 | 70.1 | 5.9 | 9.6 |
| Pazin (inland Istria) | 28.4 | 10.7 | 65.0 | 6.2 | 8.9 |
The number to read across that table is the days above 30°C. Split takes 16.5 of them, Hvar 14.0, Dubrovnik 7.7, Rijeka 8.4. Southern Dalmatia is hot; central Dalmatia is hotter, because Split sits on a mainland peninsula rather than in the middle of the sea. An island base is measurably cooler than a mainland one in July, which is the opposite of what most itineraries assume.
Days above 30°C at Split by month. July takes 16.5 of them and August 15.7; the other ten months share six. Source: DHMZ (meteo.hr), climate normals 1971–2000.
The sea is a month behind
July’s water is 23.2°C at Split, 22.9°C at Hvar and 22.9°C at Dubrovnik. In August the same three read 23.6°C, 23.5°C and 23.3°C. The sea peaks in August, not July, because water lags air by weeks — the same lag that leaves March colder than November. If the trip is chosen purely on water temperature, July is not the answer; see August.
3 July, not 1 June
The Croatian ferry network reaches its own peak on 3 July, and the date is worth knowing because it is nowhere near the start of the school holidays in most of Europe. On 3 July line 634 between Korčula and Orebić goes to 22 sailings a day. Line 602 to Vis goes from two a day to three, and holds that until 20 September. Line 9807 begins its full route from Ubli through Korčula and Polače to Dubrovnik — the only two months of the year that route exists at all.
The tariff, by contrast, went up on 29 May and will not come down until 28 September. Two different calendars, and the expensive one is much longer than the busy one. The full network and island hopping pages take that apart route by route.
Planning a July walking day at midday
Sixteen and a half days of the month exceed 30°C at Split, and the mean daily maximum is 30.0°C across the whole month. Vidova gora on Brač is 780 m of ascent; the Dubrovnik walls have no shade at all. Both are early-morning propositions in July and unpleasant to dangerous at 14:00.
The countermove is not to avoid them but to reschedule them. July gives 11.2 hours of daylight sunshine at Split, so a 07:00 start costs nothing and returns the whole afternoon to the water. Save the hills for May or October if they are the point of the trip.
What to decide before you book
- You want the hottest, driest weather. July is it: 25.5 mm of rain at Split across 3.3 rain days.
- You want the warmest sea. August, not July: 23.6°C against 23.2°C at Split.
- You are island hopping. After 3 July line 634 runs 22 sailings a day and line 9807’s full route opens.
- You are travelling with a car. Season tariff applies: €40.60 becomes €52.00 to Vis.
Find July flights and hotels
What do you need to work out next?
July is booked. These are the questions that follow.
Where to stay
Is an island base cooler than Split?
Hvar averages 14.0 days above 30°C in July; Split averages 16.5.
Getting around
What opens up on 3 July?
Line 634 goes to 22 sailings a day and line 9807 runs its full route.
When to go
Is August any different?
The sea is warmer, the air is cooler and rainfall nearly doubles.
Planning
Would a shoulder month suit better?
September has 17 days above 25°C on the long Split series; October has one.
Climate data: DHMZ (meteo.hr), climate normals 1971–2000. Climate data: DHMZ (meteo.hr), Split Marjan station, 1948–2024. Ferry data: Agencija za obalni linijski pomorski promet (ZOLPP), 2026 state coastal line register and per-line timetables.