Celebrities in Croatia

The A-list celebs who stayed in Croatia

Over the years, the list of stars, celebrities, idols, and other famous people from different business branches who visited Croatia has become almost infinite. A-stars mostly arrive on their mega yachts, attracting attention with the size of imposing vessels wherever they anchor. Cristiano Ronaldo, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Ellen DeGeneres, rapper Sean Combs, and Lars Ulrich (Metallica) and this is just a tiny bit of the famous names who visited Croatia in recent years. Not to mention that tycoon Roman Abramovich and chief executive of Formula One Bernie Ecclestone are regular visitors, while Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich own villas in Istria.

Why celebrities choose Croatia?

Croatia is a small but geographically highly diverse country. It has mountains, a rugged coastline, pebbled beaches, lush forests, and a lot of sunny days. Now add good wine, imposing accommodations, homemade food, and historical monuments. Who wouldn’t love that? On top of it, many small coastline towns in Croatia offer complete anonymity. People here are relaxed, and they usually don’t make a fuss if they see a famous face. If celebrities dress casually, put a sunglasses, and decide to leave the yacht without security, no one will even know that an A-star is walking among them.

Where do celebrities go in Croatia?

Celebrities love the Croatian coast. If you want vacations as the jet set, your itinerary needs to include Dubrovnik and Hvar. By adding to it Split, Vis, Korcula, and some towns in Istria, you will cover 99% of the most prominent Croatian destinations among the celebs.

Hvar island – Croatia’ St. Tropez

If you are looking for an island worth visiting, look no more because you have found one – that’s Hvar. The dream destination, jet-set heaven, or paradise island, there are many flattering titles that Hvar was called. Prince Harry, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and English footballer Jude Bellingham are just some of the A-star celebrities who have spent their vacation here. Not to mention numerous idols and rising stars that visit it without being caught by paparazzi.

What is so special about this island that makes all the celebrities want to come here and relax? First of all, Hvar island is a great combination of unspoiled nature, beaches, and rich history. It consists of many small fisherman’s villages with the vibe of the olden days, while stone houses make you feel like you just came out from the time machine. One of the things that celebrities love about Hvar is its gastronomy. It seems that in recent years one of the favorite places to visit became the seafood restaurant Gariful. On their webpage, you can see lots of photos of different famous people from all branches – from sportsmen like motorcycle world champion Valentino Rossi to British rock and pop singer Rod Stewart. Fresh oysters, scallops, lobster, and first-class grilled fish are some of the authentic foods that celebrities enjoy here.

Lifetime connection between Hvar and the Carters

In 2011. music diva Beyonce Knowles visited Hvar while she was pregnant with her first child. A video of pregnant Beyonce posing in her bikini next to a unique-looking tree very soon got viral. She later reportedly said that her daughter Blue Ivy got her name after that tree. Today Blue Ivy Carter is an honorary citizen of the town of Hvar.

Vis island – a coffee in the royal company

As the farthest inhabited Croatian island, Vis is definitely situated away from the well-worn tourist path. Due to its location at a strategically important point, Vis was always interesting. The Greeks founded their colony here, named Issa, as early as the 4th century BC. Its remains are still visible, giving Vis a unique charm that is hard to describe. As you sip your coffee on the waterfront looking at the palm trees, time on Vis seems to run a little slower. This is an island of superb gastronomy, secluded beaches (Stiniva beach), and a lot of potential, for which many superpowers fought in history.

The best part of Vis is the people. Hospitable and kind-hearted, locals will gladly offer you vugava (one of the best white grape varieties in Croatia) and will not be impressed at all by your status or bank account. Perhaps this is the reason why in the summertime Princess Caroline of Monaco drinks the morning coffee in a small restaurant on Karolina Square among the locals. Just in recent years, the number of famous faces who have found their place in the same restaurant leisurely sitting on the cushions and drinking coffee has suddenly increased. Thanks to the decision to film the sequel to Mamma Mia in Vis, Lily James, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and many others from the cast fit in this small town without the hustle and bustle.

Dubrovnik – celebrities’ favorite

Dubrovnik is not a new destination for celebrity guests. In the ’60s, Elisabeth Taylor and Richard Burton spent their romantic getaway here, while the list filled with new names over the decades. Nowadays, many top chart singers, Hollywood A-liners, royals, world leaders, and others can say that they have walked through Stradun discovering this Adriatic pearl. Some of them are Luka Modric, Novak Djokovic, Chris Rock, Michael Douglas, Catharine Zeta-Jones, Kurt Russell, Richard Gere, Steven Spielberg, Sir Roger Moore, Tina Turner, Italian designer Valentino, and many more.

Welcome to the movie set

The medieval city of Dubrovnik, with its stone walls, is recognized by producers as an outstanding filming location. One of the first big projects that came to town was the shooting of the mega-popular fantasy drama Game of Thrones, which turned Dubrovnik into King’s Landing. The Old Town was filled with famous actors, many of whom later chose Dubrovnik for a private vacation. Besides Game of Thrones, this city on Croatia’s south played Nottingham Castle in Otto Bathurst’s release of Robin Hood, and it was casino city in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The Beckhams

Few things in the Croatian media raised such dust as the arrival of the Beckham family. The British news was filled with headlines: Beckhams now holidaying in Croatia. Their first tour of the Adriatic coast was followed closely by curious reporters. They arrived with the yacht and stayed at the luxury resort on the island of Lopud near Dubrovnik. One of their favorite places was the seafood restaurant Bowa on the small island of Sipan. If you want to know what celebrities’ menus looked like, they ate fresh fish, tuna steak, lobster, mussels, and even tried sea urchins. The idyllic photos of Beckhams’ vacation suggest that Croatia is one of the destinations they will return to. And we are sure that they will not be the only ones. With many offbeat places and small cities that wait to be discovered, Croatia has all that it takes to become celebrities’ next hot destination.