Croatia is an arc-shaped country in South Central Europe, located at the crossroads of Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Long regarded as one of the most beautiful parts of the continent, it was Lonely Planet’s year 2005 and National Geographic Adventure 2006’s top tourist destination spots. The flourishing tourist industry of the magnificent country by the wonderful Adriatic Sea – interrupted unduly by war in the early 90s – has come back in full force, and visitors are flocking to Croatia’s string of lovely coastal and island resorts.
Croatia is blessed with the Old World’s most glorious coastline, miraculously escaping the route of over-development that has been undertaken by other Mediterranean holiday and vacation destinations. With its stunning 1,777 kilometers coastline, 1,185 islands lying offshore with only 66 of them presently inhabited, picturesque medieval villages and Roman ruins, Croatia is a worthy rival to the mystical Greek islands – captivating and truly enticing.
Aside from the country’s natural beauty and local charms, the people are friendly and hospitable. Throw in the unique combination of accessibility, affordability, wonderful climate, distinctive cuisine, rich culture and a history that dates back to 3,000 years, it is no wonder that a small European country like Croatia is fast becoming a giant of the tourism industry.
Known as the country of a thousand islands, Croatia offers a wide range of activities for nature lovers – camping, mountain biking, hiking, rafting, scuba diving, and skydiving. There are plenty of museums in town for the art lovers, and there are a lot of places by the Croatian coast to go to, like Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Split, or Zadar. Zagreb is the capital of Croatia – it does not attract as much tourist as the abovementioned towns, but it is still worth a visit. There is a special atmosphere pervading on Croatian towns and villages, all of which are built on sites of ancient Greek settlements dating way back the 4th century. Internationally renowned quality hotels and marinas have also been constructed or resurrected in the past few years.
Dubrovnik was the rival of Venice for centuries. It has more than 1001 islands to choose from. Split, and ancient port city with Roman ruins, is famous for its Diocletian palace, and Plitvice is Crotia’s most famous National Park – it has many lakes and waterfalls, and is ideally suited for hiking and trekking.
Unarguably the most prominent feature of Croatia’s tourist industry is its Dalmatian coastline, its shores lined with peninsulas, rocky cliffs, and small inlets. Ciovo Island, a mere 25km from Split, is connected with a bridge to Trogir, a little town under the protection of UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage. Trogir had been visited by famous people and celebrities like Giorgio Armani, Bernie Ecclestione, Albert Grinaldi, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Pula is the biggest town in Austria, known for its Roman amphitheaters. Another important tourist spot is Varaždin; it was Croatia’s former Baroque capital.
Stick to well-trodden trails, as there are still landmine fields left throughout the country.
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Hi!
I really enjoyed your article on Crotia, but it is too bad you did not have any photographs to enchance your words. You have definteily created a desire to visit and I am going to try to next year.
Comment by Shaye Padgham — August 1, 2007 @ 10:23 am