Rural tourism is a type of tourism that attracts increasing interest from tourists, as evidenced by the increase in the number of overnight stays in rural areas. Characteristic motives for going on such trips are: escape from crowds and noise, staying and relaxing in nature and getting to know traditional village life. Rural tourism is also present in the Republic of Croatia, and it is the most developed: in Slavonia and Baranja, Međimurje and Istria. Varaždin County does not belong to any of these regions, but rural tourism also takes place in that county, and there are many wineries, family farms, rural households and agrotourism. The potential for its development is seen by all participants in tourism, from entrepreneurs in rural tourism, local residents to the rulers at the county level, for whom one of the goals of the tourism development strategy is the development of this type of tourism. The existence of entrepreneurial incentives makes the path to success easier, but on the other hand, one has to fight with entrepreneurial obstacles. The aim of this paper is to investigate the incentives and obstacles faced by entrepreneurs in rural tourism in the Varaždin County. For this purpose, a exploratory research was conducted using the semi-structured interview method. A total of six entrepreneurs involved in rural tourism in Varaždin County participated. Respondents expressed perceptions related to various aspects of the development of entrepreneurship in tourism in rural areas. Based on the obtained data, recommendations for the development of rural tourism in Varaždin County were given.