Croatia Travel Guide

Top Things to See

Zagreb's monuments and museums
In Zagreb (www.zagreb-touristinfo.hr), Croatia's capital, visit the historic monuments of Gornji Grad (Upper Town): the Cathedral, St Mark's Church (noted for its tiled roof) and the Sabor (Croatian parliament). Then check out the museums of 19th-century Donji Grad (Lower Town).

Zagorje
Head for the undulating hills and vineyards of Zagorje (www.tz-zagorje.hr), just north of Zagreb, to explore the historic Veliki Tabor and Trakošćan castles.

Dubrovnik's Old Town
Walk a complete circuit of Dubrovnik's (www.tzdubrovnik.hr) 13th-century city walls, then explore the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town. Check out the Rector's Palace, the Franciscan Monastery (home to Europe's oldest pharmacy) and delightful baroque churches.

Split
Travel back in time to Split (www.visitsplit.com), the capital of Central Dalmatia, which was founded in the third century AD by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Its historic center lies within the walls of Diocletian's Palace - a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Trogir
The tiny medieval city of Trogir (www.tztrogir.hr) was founded by the Greeks in the third century BC. Discover the beautiful Romanesque cathedral and Venetian gothic stone buildings that have earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage site list.

Roman Croatia
In Pula (www.pulainfo.hr), Istria's administrative center and chief port, visitors can see a concert at the fifth-century BC Arena, a well-preserved Roman amphitheater.

Brijuni National Park
Brijuni National Park (www.brijuni.hr) is an archipelago of 14 unspoiled islands located off the west coast of Istria. Stay overnight on the largest island, Veli Brijun, home to a golf course and a safari park.

Poreč
Built on a small peninsula, the Istrian town of Poreč (www.to-porec.com) dates back to Roman times. Climb the tower of its star attraction, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Euphrasius Basilica and admire the Basilica's stunning sixth-century Byzantine mosaics.

Inland Istria
Driving around Inland Istria will reveal romantic hill towns like Motovun (www.tz-motovun.hr), Buje (www.tzg-buje.hr) and Grožnjan (www.tz-groznjan.hr). While here sample the local delicacy, truffles.

Zadar
in the historic center of Zadar (www.tzzadar.hr), the chief city and port in Northern Dalmatia, stroll around its narrow cobbled streets, drink coffee on a ruined Roman Forum and listen to classical recitals in the ninth-century Church of St Donat.

Šibenik
Central Dalmatia's second city, Šibenik (www.sibenik-tourism.hr), is worth visiting for its 15th-century UNESCO-listed Cathedral of St James alone. The Old Town was founded by the Slavs, not the Romans or Venetians.

Krka National Park
The river in Krka National Park (www.npkrka.hr) has sculpted a picturesque canyon, famed for its spectacular Skradinski buk (Skradin Waterfalls) and the islet of Visovac, home to a Franciscan Monastery.

Plitvice Lakes National Park
Plitvice Lakes National Park (www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr) is one of Croatia's premier tourist attractions - a UNESCO-listed tree-shrouded wonderland of 16 turquoise lakes and waterfalls.

Top Things to Do

Zagreb
The Museum of Arts and Crafts (www.muo.hr) traces Croatian craftsmanship through the centuries, and the Mimara Museum exhibits a rich collection of painting, sculpture and ceramics from abroad. Admire Meštrović's dramatic sculptures at the Meštrović Atelier (www.mdc.hr/mestrovic).

Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik's turbulent history can be unearthed at the Rector's Palace, War Photo Limited (www.warphotoltd.com) and the Maritime Museum.

Art and sculpture
See fine examples of early Croatian religious art at the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments (www.mhas-split.hr) in Split. Appreciate more of Meštrović's 20th-century sculptures in the city's Meštrović Gallery (www.mdc.hr/mestrovic).

Dubrovnik Summer Festival
Dubrovnik's Summer Festival (www.dubrovnik-festival.hr) takes place each summer, from mid July to late August, and features open-air evening performances of theater, jazz and classical music in the old town. Zagreb and Split also have summer festivals.

Volosko
Home to some of Croatia's best seafood restaurants, the gastronomic enclave of Volosko is a pretty fishing village just outside the popular resort of Opatija (www.opatija-tourism.hr), while soaking up attractive Adriatic sea views.

Golden Cape
The fine golden shingle of Zlatni Rat (Golden Cape) makes it Croatia's most photographed beach, located just outside the tourist resort of Bol (www.bol.hr) on the island of Brač. It's also one of Croatia's top windsurfing destinations.

Cres
Escape the crowds on the Kvarner Gulf island of Cres (www.tzg-cres.hr), famous for its colony of Griffon Vultures, the historic settlement of Valun and the laid-back Cres Town.

Hiking and climbing
The Risnjak National Park (www.risnjak.hr), located in the mountains of Gorski Kotar and the Velebit Massif of Northern Dalmatia's Paklenica National Park (www.paklenica.hr) are the best spots to hike or climb.

Kornati National Park
The Kornati National Park (www.kornati.hr) is an archipelago of some 90 scattered islands and islets. Virtually uninhabited, the islands display a harsh, rocky landscape practically devoid of vegetation. Several renovated stone cottages provide ‘Robinson Crusoe'-type holiday accommodation.

Hvar
Join the jet set on the increasingly exclusive island of Hvar, renowned for its rugged coastline, excellent wines and lavender fields. Drink coffee or sip cocktails in Hvar Town (www.tzhvar.hr), a Venetian settlement, built around a picturesque harbor presided over by a hilltop fortress.

Diving
Dive in the ethereal Blue Grotto and explore the shipwrecks sunk off the island of Vis (www.tz-vis.hr), Croatia's most remote inhabited island.

Island-hopping
Island hop between the largely traffic-free Elaphite Islands of Koločep, Lopud and Šipan, near Dubrovnik (www.visitdubrovnik.hr), with their secluded and beaches and good-value restaurants.

Korčula
Korčula Town (www.korcula.net) is a marvel of medieval urban planning which has charmed foreign visitors since the first tourists arrived on the eponymous island in the 1920s.

Cycling
A top cycling spot is in Mljet National Park (www.np-mljet.hr), located on the green and unspoiled island of the same name. The park boasts dense forests, two interconnected saltwater lakes and, in the center of the larger lake, the exquisite St Mary's Island and Benedictine Monastery.

Bird-watching
Slavonia's Kopački Rit Nature Park (www.kopacki-rit.com) is a vast expanse of wetland frequented by myriad migrating birds and well away from the tourist crowds.