Croatia's abandoned hotel landscape is unique in Europe — the direct consequence of a single event that emptied functioning resorts overnight. When the Croatian War of Independence broke out in 1991, the Yugoslav People's Army's holiday complex at Kupari near Dubrovnik (7 hotels, 4,500 capacity) was shelled and abandoned within weeks. The Hotel Belvedere in Dubrovnik, the Haludovo Palace on Krk island, and the Children's Maritime Resort in Krvavica were all functioning in the summer of 1991 and derelict by the following year. No other tourist nation in Europe has a concentration of war-abandoned resort hotels to match it. Discover the 5 best abandoned hotels in Croatia, selected from our Croatia Urbex Map — 400+ verified GPS locations.
Why Croatia Has Europe's Most Dramatic Abandoned Hotel Landscape
The 1991 war froze Croatia's tourism infrastructure at a specific moment in time — the late-Yugoslav resort aesthetic of modernist concrete, indoor pools, and Adriatic terracing preserved intact inside derelict shells. No slow decline, no gradual closure: these hotels were serving guests in summer 1991 and were bullet-scarred ruins by 1992. Three decades of institutional paralysis over ownership and investment have preserved the abandonment.
1. Kupari Hotel Complex – Župa Bay, 10km from Dubrovnik — 7 Hotels, Grand Hotel 1923, JNA Military Resort, Shelled During Siege of Dubrovnik 1991, Bay of Abandoned Hotels (Known Location)
The Grand Hotel at Kupari was the first hotel built in the Dubrovnik area, constructed in 1923 by Czech entrepreneurs. After the war, it became a military retreat for the Yugoslav People's Army. By the 1970s, the complex included nine hotels capable of hosting 4,500 guests — a secluded haven for military personnel. Hotel Pelegrin was shelled a particularly high number of times during the Siege of Dubrovnik; each floor was completely gutted. The complex has been abandoned since 1991, with reconstruction works beginning in 2025. As of 2024, it is still fully accessible from the beach. Bus 11 from Dubrovnik Pile Gate (35 minutes).
🔗 Sources: Kathmandu and Beyond – Bay of Abandoned Hotels Kupari | Wikipedia – Kupari
2. Haludovo Palace Hotel – Malinska, Krk Island — Built 1971 by Boris Magaš, Penthouse Casino $45M by Bob Guccione, Refugees 1991–95, Last Guests 2001, MoMA Featured 2019 (Known Location)
The Haludovo Palace Hotel was built in 1971 by Croatian architect Boris Magaš with $45 million invested by Penthouse founder Bob Guccione, who added the Penthouse Adriatic Club Casino in 1972. Olof Palme, Saddam Hussein and Silvio Berlusconi were among its guests. The casino went bankrupt in 1973; the hotel continued until the Yugoslav Wars, when it sheltered refugees. It hosted its last guests in 2001. The hotel was featured in the MoMA Concrete Utopia exhibition in 2019. Accessible by car or bus from Malinska ferry terminal on Krk island.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Abandoned Places in Croatia →
3. Hotel Belvedere – Dubrovnik — Abandoned Since 1991, Game of Thrones Filming Location (Oberyn vs Mountain), Croatian War of Independence, Sea Cliff Setting
The Hotel Belvedere in Dubrovnik — abandoned since the Croatian War of Independence in 1991 and described by Pipeaway as "abandoned for three decades despite Dubrovnik's tourism boom" — briefly gained global exposure when HBO filmed the fight between Oberyn Martell and the Mountain on its grounds for Game of Thrones. The extraordinary setting — a cliff-side hotel directly above the Adriatic outside the Dubrovnik old town walls — and the 30-year abandonment despite being surrounded by the most visited city in Croatia creates an urbex paradox unique in Europe. All GPS coordinates in our Croatia Urbex Map.
4. Derelict Yugoslav-Era Hotel – Kvarner or Dalmatia Interior — 1960s–70s Concrete Resort, Closed Post-1991, Overgrown Pool, Mountain or Sea Setting (On Our Map Only)
Beyond the well-known Kupari and Haludovo, Croatia holds dozens of smaller Yugoslav-era resort hotels from the 1960s–70s construction boom that were closed in 1991 and never reopened: concrete modernist buildings in the Kvarner bay hinterland, along the Dalmatian coastal road and in the island interiors, their outdoor pools overgrown, their lobbies still partially fitted with socialist-era furniture. These anonymous Yugoslav resorts — built for the workers' holiday system (radnička odmarališta) that gave every Yugoslav worker access to subsidised coastal holidays — create a derelict mid-century resort experience of unusual nostalgic intensity. GPS in our Croatia Urbex Map. GPS in our Croatia Urbex Map.
5. Derelict Inter-War Grand Hotel – Dalmatian Coastal Town — 1920s–30s Czech or Austro-Hungarian Capital, Ornate Facade, Abandoned Post-Socialisation, Town Centre Setting (Carte Urbex Exclusive)
The inter-war era (1918–1940) saw Czech, Austrian and Italian capital build a network of grand hotels along the Dalmatian coast — ornate facade constructions in the eclectic or Art Deco style whose post-war nationalisation under Yugoslav socialism left them in institutional ownership that produced progressive dereliction. Several such inter-war grand hotels in Dalmatian coastal towns exist in states of facade-intact but interior-collapsed dereliction: the ornate ground-floor public rooms accessible through collapsed window frames, the upper floors structurally compromised. Mapped exclusively in our Croatia Urbex Map. Mapped exclusively in our Croatia Urbex Map.
Safety Tips
- Kupari war damage: buildings shelled in 1991 have structural compromise that is not always visible — avoid heavily damaged upper floors and never climb unguarded external staircases
- Belvedere cliff setting: the cliff-side location of Hotel Belvedere means any fall from an external terrace has severe consequences — extreme caution near all exterior edges
- Haludovo pool areas: the outdoor pool infrastructure at Haludovo includes cracked and unstable concrete surrounds — do not walk on pool edges
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and share your location
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned hotel in Croatia?
The Kupari hotel complex near Dubrovnik — seven abandoned Yugoslav military hotels in a single Adriatic bay, freely accessible from the beach. Built from 1923, converted to a JNA military resort in the 1950s–70s, shelled during the Siege of Dubrovnik in 1991. The Grand Hotel (1923), the Goričina (1962) and the Pelegrin (1978) are the most atmospheric structures.
Is Haludovo still accessible?
Yes — as of 2024, the Haludovo Palace Hotel on Krk island remains accessible. The interior has been progressively stripped and damaged over two decades of abandonment, but the structural shells and the outdoor pool area remain explorable. Access by car via the Krk island bridge and the road to Malinska.
Will Kupari be demolished?
The Municipal Council of Župa Dubrovačka approved a redevelopment plan in May 2024 to restore the five main hotels into a luxury complex. Reconstruction works began in 2025. The window to explore Kupari in its abandoned state is closing — visit in 2025 before reconstruction fencing restricts access.
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