Why Croatia?

Croatia is a country of stunning and diverse landscapes, warm and friendly locals and a rich, unique history and culture. Whether you want to spend your holiday island hopping around the Adriatic Sea, hiking through the mountains and lakes of some of the eight national parks or immersing yourself in some of its famous medieval walled cities, you’ll find plenty of things to do in Croatia.

Fortunately, as more and more people are choosing to head to Croatia on holiday, new hotels and apartments are springing up in every part of the country, ranging from budget hostels to luxury villa rentals. No matter which part of the country you decide to visit, you can rest assured that there’ll be plenty of accommodation options to suit your travel style.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice Lakes is one of the most beautiful national parks in Europe so it’s definitely worth spending at least a day exploring the area. The park is spread out over almost 300 square kilometres and features a series of sixteen turquoise lakes and hundreds of waterfalls cascading between them. Divided into the Upper and Lower Lakes there are dozens of different hiking trails to choose from, taking you past caves, through forests and around waterfalls.

Dubrovnik

Located in the very south of the country and known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Croatia. The beautiful Old Town, surrounded by medieval walls, is full of history and architecture with many cathedrals and churches to explore. Be sure to make time to walk the city walls for some fantastic photo opportunities of the terracotta roofs from above. With a couple of rocky beaches outside the Old Town and lots of day trips to nearby islands available, there are several opportunities to explore outside the city too. Although slightly more expensive than other parts of Croatia, it is still possible to find budget accommodation within the Old Town.

Zagreb

While the beaches of Croatia are mostly packed full of sun-seeking tourists, the capital city Zagreb remains relatively undiscovered. The compact and walkable Old City gives off a small-town feel while still offering plenty of things to do. With its bustling café culture, Zagreb is the perfect place to spend a week getting lost wandering around cobbled alleyways lined with coffee shops and bars. While there are lots of cathedrals to explore and dozens of parks to relax in, Zagreb also has more museums per square foot than any other city in the world so there will always be something to keep you busy.

Zadar

When Alfred Hitchcock visited Zadar in 1964, he claimed that the sunsets were the most beautiful in the world. With most visitors to Zadar wanting to witness the famous sunset for themselves, the seafront can get extremely busy of an evening. Luckily, Zadar’s two most famous attractions are located nearby. The Sea Organ and Sun Salutation opened in 2005 and were designed to bring a bit of life to the otherwise dull seafront. The Sea Organ is a musical instrument that generates music via the movement of the ocean waves and the Sun Salutation uses solar power to generate a light show as soon as the sun sets.

Brac

Take a short twenty minute ferry ride from the coastal town of Split and you can find yourself on the beautiful island of Brac. Brac is one of the largest islands in Croatia but still manages to remain less crowded and much cheaper than nearby Hvar. Brac is the island of watersports, with windsurfing being the most popular activity. However, if you prefer to spend your holidays relaxing then Brac has some excellent beaches to explore, including the famous Zlatni Rat beach, which stretches half a kilometre out into the Adriatic Sea and is often featured on postcards of Croatia.