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Croatia's hostels are a cheap lodging option for this affordable and popular country on the Eastern side of the Adriatic.

In the break-up of Yugoslavia, Croatia walked away with nearly the whole of the country's coastline and enough of the non-coastal land that the seven national parks within Yugoslavia's borders all ended up within Croatia. It's as if Croatia won the tourism lottery and they've now got a ticket to one of the biggest tourism economies in the Balkans.

With this tourist-driven economy, the hostels in Croatia have become more common and popular. The tourist season in Croatia is highly seasonal, however, and many of the hostels have to balance the summer rush with many tourists abandonment of Croatia during the winter.

Hostels in Croatia also compete with locals who offer the extra rooms in their homes to tourists through the local information offices of their towns. This can be the best way to see the small villages and towns in the countryside, but if you're going to stay in Split or Zagreb or Dubrovnik, the best way to see the city is to stay in its center.

Zagreb hostels allow travelers to keep pace with "the culture capital of Croatia" by being downtown and near the museums, art galleries and concert venues that earned Zagreb that moniker.

Dubrovnik hostels are also centered in the city, but their convenient location allows travelers convenient access to the beaches and historic old town—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—instead of the pubs and clubs of other downtowns.

Split's downtown hostel is located in Diocletian's Palace, the ancient structure built as a vacation and retirement home for Roman Emperor Diocletian. Hostel Dioklecijan, while maybe not quite as luxurious as a custom built stone castle, is located in the old section of town and is full of private rooms, some even with private bathrooms. That kind of luxury might cost you, however, the rooms start at 25 Euros a night.

As Croatia's tourism industry grows, there will most likely be an increase in hostels and available lodging. That growth will be tempered by the highly seasonal business that most hostels get and with the availability of private rooms in most villages, Croatia's hostel industry might never reach the kind of popularity that they enjoy in Italy or Germany, but they remain the best way to see the bigger cities in the country and a viable option for any and all travelers to the region.

Especially if you're traveling in the high tourist season of the summertime, it is a good idea to book a hostel in advance. There is a very real rush of Italian tourists in July and August and hostels can fill up early. Booking online guarantees a room on the day that you want, in the town that you want, so you won't have to search the city or even the surrounding villages for a room for the night. There are almost beds to be found in some form in Croatia, you just might end up paying a premium for them.