Dubrovnik

The "Pearl of the Adriactic".

Split

Spilt is Croatia's second largest city with a population more than 200 000. More relaxed than its bigger brother Zagreb thanks to its seaside vibe, the city is filled with history that dates back to the 1st century. Expect Roman architecture, beautiful cobbled streets and a bustling cafe culture.

Built by the Roman emperor Diocletian about 1700 years ago, the Diocletian Palace was constructed out of white limestone from the quarries on the island Brac, and housed everything from temples to private apartments to baths. Many of Split's historical buildings are found within the palace boundaries while about 3000 people live within the palace walls.

Climbing the bell tower, one of the city's finest landmarks, promises an excellent panoramic view of Split. Inside the cathedral there are intricate wooden sculptures of biblical characters, while an eerie crypt is located underneath the building. The Peristyle is a courtyard within Diocletian's Palace. Surrounded by impressive columns, it forms the entrance to the imperial quarters.

For a totally different experience from the busy palace, head out of the centre and skirt around the coastline to the south on a walkway that takes in the pleasure oasis of Bacvice, the tennis courts where Goran Ivansevic learned his trade, and on to the marina at Zenta.

The Riva is Split's lifeblood, a waterfront boulevard awash with palm trees, pavement cafes and model types. Take a pew with your designer shades on and try your best to fit in.

The sporting passions of the Splicani lie firmly with their football team Hajduk Split, which should explain the red, white and blue graffiti around the city.

Eat
Mediterranean dishes such as pizza and pasta, while an antipasto of cured meats and cheeses are a national favourite. Seafood in all forms is usually top quality. At the sprawling Pazar, fruit and vegetables stalls drift into meat and confectionery and up the road  is a fish market, fly-free thanks to the sulphurous spring beneath the city.

Drink
Enjoy a local beer such as Karlovacko and Ozujsko. The white wine is pretty strong and it's not rude to ask to top it up with mineral water.

Shop

Biseri Zemlje is a great little shop within the walls of Diocletian's Palace. Come here to stock up on the likes of salty Pag cheese, prsut ham and a bottle of seriously good but underrated Croatian wine. 

Day trip
Vis. The most remote of the Croatian islands sits on the cusp of Italy but feels far away from just about everywhere. Vis town has great seafood restaurants, while the islet of Komiza offers diving in its Blue Grotto.                                                

Salona. The Romans ruins of Salona were part of an ancient town home to 60 000 people in the 1st century. The ruins include an amphitheatre which held about 20000 people. Salona is 5km from Split and accessible by bus.

Osijek

Croatia is more than just a coat! Don't miss the opportunity to visit charming Osijek and its surrounding, and convince yourself in its warm-hearted people, delicious food, beautiful nature, rich heritage and a wealth of outdoor activities.

Osijek and region abounds with cultural and historical heritage, unique continental architecture, churches, fortresses, castles, thermal springs and health resorts based on thermal mineral waters.

All this are waiting to be explored and if you want to go further is good to know that within an hour from Osijek you can reach Hungary, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Zagreb

The Church of St Mark in Zagreb was built in the 13th century in the Romanesque style and was then redesigned in the Gothic style. Its portal shows Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus as well as the twelve Apostles and the Evangelist St Mark with his symbol, the lion. The varnished tiles on the roof (1880 show the escutcheon of the city of Zagreb (white castle on a red background) and the coat of arms of the kingdoms of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. 

general information

Republic

Capital: Zagreb

Surface area: 56.500 km2

Population: 4,3 millions

Population density/km2: 76

Member of the EU since 2013

National day: June 25

National anthem: Lijepa nasa domovino

• Under Louis XIV, the Croatian regiment wore a scarf, giving us the word cravat (tie), derived from the Croatian word Hrvat/Cravate, followed by cravate (french), Krawatte (german), corbata ( spanish), cravatta (italian), gravata (portughuse), kravat (hungarian), krawat (polish), krawatt (swedish).

• Tourism makes up 25% of GDP.

• Croatia was the last country to continue to use Latin as the official language of parliament.

• Five Roman emperors came from Illyria (modern-day Croatia).

• The Latin words slavus and sclavus, and the words slave and Slavonia, go back to a time when slaves were Slavs from the Balkans and Slavonia.

• The monastery created by a monk named Marinus (from Rab, Croatia) was the basis for the small republic of San Marino (which is not part of the EU).

• Le Sabor, the Croatian parliament, is one of the oldest in Europe.

• The technique of taking fingerprints, or Dactyloscopy, was invented by the Croatian criminologist Ivan Vucetic (1858-1925).

• Croatian soldiers saved Napoleon at the Battle of Berezina.

With over 1100 non-touristy islands, this is a great country to island hop and bop. Back on the mainland check out Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Samobor and Varazdin and if you want to party with the locals, head to the beautiful beach town of Hvar. Croatia has some gorgeous national parks filled with glistening lakes and amazing canyons.

Brac

One of Croatia's 1000+ islands, Brac is a picture-perfect spot where beach life and water sports combine against a backdrop of incredible natural beauty. 

By day, Bol is a picturesque town and home to one of the country's most photographed beaches, Zlatni Rat or Golden Cape. Make sure to walk this spit of land jutting out into the Adriatic, where you can enjoy the clear blue water and white pebble sand. Water sports are incredibly popular, so take advantage of the wind-surfing, kayaking and diving on offer. If you prefer dry land, head up to the mountain Vidova Gora, the highest peak of all the Croatian islands, 778 meters above sea level, for breathtaking views.

By night, in Bol, start with wine-tasting at Stina Winery on the seafront, the perfect place to sample local vintages. For dining with extra wow factor, book in a Restoran Pipo Eko Nautica in Luke Bay, a small restaurant only accessible by boat. Try the lamb, a Brac speciality, and octopus. Want to make a night for it? Island hop to Hvar Town, home to the hippest hotspots.

Zadar

Positioned at the meeting point of several geographical regions, Zadar has a rich past represented by an intriguing trail of churches, temples and ancient forums. The Croatian city's car-free Old Town, covering more than 100 acres, is testament to its once-powerful position as a Roman municipium and stands in happy contrast to the uplifting signs of modernity scattered across the city such as big-brand shopping, a cosmopolitan cafe culture and a much hedonistic night-life than that offered by many of its larger Croatian cousins.

Krka National Park is home to more than 800 species of flora, fauna and reptiles, as well as at least 18 species of bat, the park can be explored on regular boat excursions that give ample time to gasp at its 3 biggest attractions: 2 series of waterfalls, including the Skradinski Buk (a cluster of 17 cascades that range in height and size) and the tiny island of Visovac, on which a 15th century monastery containing ancient artefacts and an original library still stands.

Forget the more famous Dubrovnik or Split. When it comes to urban stars along this stretch of Croatian coastline, Zadar, the ancient capital of Dalmatia, is reclaiming the crown it first cherished when the Romans, and later the Venetians, held sway on this slice of Italy on the other side of the Adriatic.

Bask in what Alfred Hitchcock eulogised as the world's finest sunsets, sample some of Europe's most buzzing nightlife and taste a local cuisine to rival anything in Italy, and you'll soon see why Zadar is picking up a reputation among in-the-know travellers.

Zadar has been inhabited since as early as the 9th century BC, before the Romans started to appreciate its manifold charms and muscle in. The heart of their old city lies on its own peninsula sparkling in the Adriatic, with low hills to one side and a brace of islands beckoning from off the palm-fringed shore on the other.

Over the centuries, Croats, Austrians and the French have all battled for control of this prized asset, but it has been the influence from just across the water that has been mostly keenly felt. The old town's arrow-straight streets re laid out just as they were when designed by planners from Rome.