Lonely Planet Croatia Lonely Planet
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Croatia
Contents
PLAN YOUR TRIP
Welcome to Croatia
Croatia’s Top 17
Need to Know
What’s New
If You Like...
Month by Month
Itineraries
Outdoor Activities
Croatia’s Islands
Travel with Children
Eat & Drink Like a Local
Regions at a Glance
ON THE ROAD
ZAGREB Sights
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
INLAND CROATIA
Around Zagreb
Samobor
Mt Medvednica
Zagorje
Klanjec
Krapinske Toplice
Krapina
Varaždin
Međimurje
Slavonia
Ðakovo
Osijek
Baranja
Vukovar
Ilok
ISTRIA
Istria’s West Coast
Pula
Brijuni Islands
Vodnjan
Bale
Rovinj
Poreč
Umag
Central & Eastern Istria
Momjan
Grožnjan
Motovun
Buzet
Roč
Hum
Pazin
Svetvinčenat
Labin & Rabac
KVARNER
Rijeka
Around Rijeka
Risnjak National Park
Volosko
Opatija
Učka Nature Park
Lošinj & Cres Islands
Beli
Cres Town
Valun
Lubenice
Osor
Nerezine
Mali Lošinj
Veli Lošinj
Krk Island
Malinska
Krk Town
Punat
Vrbnik
Baška
East Kvarner Coast
Crikvenica
Senj
Rab Island
Rab Town
Lopar
NORTHERN DALMATIA
Lika
Plitvice Lakes & Around
Gospić
Paklenica National Park
Pag Island
Pag Town
Zrće Beach
Novalja
Nin
Zadar
Dugi Otok
Veli Rat & Punta Bjanca
Božava
Sali
Telašćica Bay
Šibenik-Knin Region
Tisno & Murter Island
Krka National Park
Šibenik
Primošten
Rogoznica
SPLIT & CENTRAL DALMATIA
Split
Around Split
Kaštela
Trogir
Šolta Island
Stobreč & Podstrana
Omiš
Makarska Riviera
Brela
Makarska
Biokovo Nature Park
Brač Island
Supetar
Bol
Hvar Island
Hvar Town
Pakleni Islands
Stari Grad
Jelsa
Vis Island
Vis Town
Komiža
DUBROVNIK & SOUTHERN DALMATIA
Dubrovnik
Around Dubrovnik
Cavtat
Konavle
Elafiti Islands
Mljet Island
Mljet National Park
Okuklje
Saplunara
Pelješac Peninsula
Ston & Mali Ston
Orebić
Korčula Island
Korčula Town
Lumbarda
Vela Luka
Lastovo Island
UNDERSTAND
Croatia Today
History
The Croatian Mindset
Architecture
The Natural Environment
The Arts
SURVIVAL GUIDE
Directory A–Z
Accessible Travel
Accommodation
Discount Cards
Electricity
Health
Internet Access
Legal Matters
LGBT+ Travellers
Maps
Money
Opening Hours
Photography
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Visas
Volunteering
Work
Transport
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Croatia
If your Mediterranean fantasies feature balmy days by sapphire waters in the shade of ancient walled towns, Croatia is the place to turn them into reality.
Coastal Croatia
Croatia’s extraordinary island-speckled coastline is indisputably its main attraction. The first thing that strikes you is the remarkable clarity of the water. When it’s set against a dazzling white pebbly beach, it sparkles with a jewel-like intensity in shades of emerald and sapphire. There are long sandy and shingly stretches too – perfect for lazy days spent lounging and devouring trashy holiday novels. If that all sounds too relaxing, there are myriad water-based activities at hand to lure you off your sun-lounger –snorkelling, diving, kayaking, windsurfing and sailing, just for starters.
The Edge of Empires
Precariously poised between the Balkans and central Europe, this land has been passed between competing kingdoms, empires and republics for millennia. If there’s an upside to this continual dislocation, it’s in the rich cultural legacy that each has left behind. Venetian palazzi snuggle up to Napoleonic forts, Roman columns protrude from early Slavic churches, and Viennese mansions face off with Socialist Realist sculpture. Excellent museums showcase treasures that cover the gamut of European history, from the prehistoric to the post-communist, telling a story that is both fascinating and horrifying.
Beauty on the Inside
Shift your gaze for just a moment from the glittering waters and chances are an almighty mountain will loom into view. The Dinaric Alps, which stretch all the way from Italy to Albania, hug much of the coast. The limestone karst has bequeathed a wonderland of craggy peaks, caverns, river canyons, waterfalls and ridiculously picturesque lakes. Head further inland and things flatten out again into rolling farmland. Active types will find plenty of chances to get among it on the numerous hiking and biking trails, while the more adventurous can have a go at rock climbing, rafting and zip-lining.
Cultural Feast
If you’re lucky enough to cross the tourist/guest barrier and be invited into a local’s home, you’ll soon become acquainted with the refrain ‘Jedi! Jedi! Jedi!’ (Eat! Eat! Eat!). Sharing food and drink plays a big part in the culture here, which speaks both to the nature of Croatian hospitality and to the quality of local produce. Simple home-style cooking is a feature of familyrun taverns, but increasingly a new breed of chefs are bringing a more adventurous approach to the table. Meanwhile, Croatian wines and olive oils are making their mark on the world stage, garnering top awards.
Arch of the Sergii, Pula | JUSTIN FOULKES/LONELY PLANET ©
Why I Love Croatia
By Peter Dragicevich, Writer
I’ll admit, with my grandparents hailing from Croatia, I’m more than a little biased, but this is quite simply my favourite country to visit It offers a unique combination of all the things I love: breathtaking natural beauty, great swimming, summertime sun, oodles of history, interesting architecture, incredible wine, delicious seafood…I could go on. True, Croats don’t always present the sunniest face to complete strangers, but break through that initial reserve and you’ll discover the friendliest, most hospitable people you could hope to meet. Even without a family connection, I’d still adore the place. For more about our writers
Croatia’s Top 17
Majestic Dubrovnik
Croatia’s most popular attraction, the extraordinary walled city of Dubrovnik, is a Unesco World Heritage Site for good reason. Despite being relentlessly shelled in the 1990s during Croatia’s Homeland War, its mighty walls, sturdy towers, medieval monasteries, baroque churches, graceful squares and fascinating residential quarters all look magnificent again. For an unrivalled perspective of this Adriatic pearl, take the cable car up Srđ, the city’s craggy backdrop. For a more intimate glimpse, circle the city walls and peer into hidden gardens and ancient lanes strung with laundry.
Old Town | IHOR PASTERNAK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Plitvice Paradise
A turquoise ribbon of lakes linked by gushing waterfalls (pictured) in the forested heart of continental Croatia, Plitvice Lakes National Park is an awe-inspiring sight. There are dozens of lakes – from 4km-long Kozjak to reed-fringed ponds – their startling colours a product of the karstic terrain. Travertine expanses covered with mossy plants divide the lakes, while boardwalks allow you to easily traverse this exquisite watery world. Follow hiking trails through beech, spruce, fir and pine forest to escape the crowds by the water.
KELLY CHENG TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES ©
Top Experiences
Istria Wining & Dining
La dolce vita reigns supreme in Istria, Croatia’s top foodie destination. The seafood, truffles, wild asparagus and boškarin (an indigenous species of ox) all stand out, as do myriad regional specialities and award-winning olive oils and wines by small local producers. Sample the best the region has to offer in upmarket restaurants by the sea, in traditional family-run taverns in medieval hilltop villages and in farmhouses all over the peninsula’s verdant interior. If you’re not consuming at least one truffle dish a day, you’re not doing it right.
NATALIADERIABINA/GETTY IMAGES ©
Top Experiences
Flashy, Trashy Hvar
Come high summer, there’s no better place to dress up and get your groove on than Hvar Town. Gorgeous tanned people descend from their yachts in droves, rubbing shoulders with up-for-it backpackers at après-beach parties as the sun drops below the horizon. While the cashed-up yachtie types keep the town’s top-notch restaurants and cocktail bars in business, sun-dazed young revellers do the same for the little dance bars that are the mainstay of the scene. Pack beach gear and shoes suitable for dancing on tables and you’ll be sorted.
MICHIEL TON/500PX ©
Top Experiences
Coffee Fix in Zagreb
Elevated to the status of ritual, having coffee in one of Zagreb’s outdoor cafes is a must, involving hours of people-watching, gossiping and soul-searching, unhurried by waiters. To experience the city’s vibrant cafe culture, grab a table on the cobbled car-free Tkalčićeva (pictured), with its endless streetside cafes, or one of the pavement tables on Trg Petra Preradovića or Bogovićeva. Don’t miss the Saturday morning špica, the coffee-drinking and peoplewatching ritual in the city centre that forms the peak of Zagreb’s weekly social calendar.
PIOTRBB/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Unmissable Vis
The most remote of Croatia’s main islands, Vis is also one of its most captivating. A duo of attractive towns adds historic interest to its northern and western coasts, while hidden to the south and east are some of the nation’s most idyllic little coves – some pebbly and some sandy, and all completely irresistible. Scattered around the island in villages, on farms and at isolated beaches are an assortment of excellent traditional taverns, making the most of the island’s organic produce and still thriving fishing traditions.
Stiniva | NINOPAVISIC/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Spectacular Korčula
Like Dubrovnik in miniature, the sweet little seaside town of Korčula has its own set of imposing walls and towers but only a fraction of the tourists of its more famous sibling. The highlight is its extraordinary cathedral, adorned with a downright kooky set of carvings (pictured). You can walk every one of the marbled streets of its compact old town in an hour, leaving plenty of time for lazing on the beach or heading into the hinterland for a memorable meal at a village konoba (tavern).
ZVONIMIR ATLETIC/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Top Experiences
Cracking Krka
There are Roman ruins, historic watermills and two fascinating monasteries (one on an island and one built over ancient catacombs), but the star of this highly scenic national park is the Krka River itself, rushing through canyons, broadening into lakes and splashing over numerous falls and cascades. You can stroll along boardwalks and marvel at the multitude of fish darting through the emerald waters, and then cap off your visit with a dip in a lake at the foot of a mighty waterfall.
Skradinski Buk | ANNA GORIN/GETTY IMAGES ©