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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

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 ©

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