Beautiful Croatia
What better place to go if you want to find live entertainment, animation, tunning natural surroundings, spotlessly clean sea and four thousand kilometers of coastline if not Croatia?
The golden rule in Croatia is “Be closer to nature!”. Some people who choose to come here enjoy the stunning environment of the country: the cleanest sea and beaches, where instead of ridiculous parasols you can find pine trees towering over the coast, where waters are transparent, warm and clean. Others choose the healing power of the land and water, as Croatia displays no less than 20 mineral springs and one field of unique mineral oil. But the most “radical” of tourists come to this country to cast off the hypocritical veil of civilization and fully merge with nature at one of the many nudist beaches in the country.
Getting there
“Aeroflot” provides several flights a week from Moscow to Zagreb. From late April to mid-October, there are organized charter flights to Pula, Split and Dubrovnik once a week, and from June to September, there are flights to Pula twice as often. Domestic Flights offered by Croatia Airlines travel from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula. In the summer, you can take a charter to the island of Krk once a week.
From Kiev and Minsk, there are charter flights to the main resort centers in the country: Pula, Dubrovnik and Split.
Croatian trains are comfortable and follow a strict schedule. Railways connect all major cities of the country, with the exception of Dubrovnik (in which case you need to get on a train to Split, and then take a bus to Dubrovnik).
The bus network in Croatia is also quite extensive, with regular departures and at a low cost.
The most comfortable means of transportation inside the country remains, however, the car. So we advise you to book an airport transfer online in advance. This way, after you land in Croatia, there will be a car waiting for you to take you from the main Croatian airports and take you to your destination.
Rent a Car in Croatia
To rent a car in Croatia, you must be at least 21 years, to have the experience of at least three years behind the wheel, credit card, passport and driving license. If you enjoy the pleasure of traveling rapidly and carefree around the country, visiting all the major tourist attractions Croatia has to offer, then employing the services of a car-rental company is definitely the perfect option for you.
The Climate of Croatia
On the coast, Croatia has a Mediterranean climate with hot and very dry summers (air temperature +25 .. +29 ° C) and warm wet winters (+9 .. +15 ° C). The swimming season lasts from early May to mid-October.
Croatian Seaside
In all municipal beaches the admission is free. Rental of sun loungers and umbrellas costs about 2 EUR. Some hotels provide beach equipment free of charge.
The beaches of Istria, with very few exceptions, have artificial concrete platforms, natural stones, a plateau or small pebble lagoons. In Central Dalmatia (Brela, Baska Voda, Tucepi and others) and on the island of Brac, there are beaches of small pebbles. They are considered the best on the coast. Pines grow here just 3-4 meters from the surf line, so no umbrellas are needed. In southern Dalmatia, there are both sandy and rocky beaches, but in the Dubrovnik area you can find the best sandy beaches.
Hotels in Croatia
There are many new, refurbished hotels in Croatia, most of them having three stars, and a few “fours” and “fives”.
Catering represents mainly breakfast or half board. And for breakfast, as a rule, tourists are served “buffet”. Only a few hotels offer “All inclusive” services.
The difference in the cost of the boarding “with dinners” and without them is of an average 4-5 EUR per day, so decide if it is worth it to take half board. Also, it is necessary to specify in advance whether beverages are included in the price: in many hotels, free drinks are included only at breakfast and lunch or dinner, and for the rest of the time, you have to purchase them at an additional, quite substantial, cost.
Turkish oriental five-star pampering is not common in Croatia, so tourists will find themselves unhappy with Croatian standards, with modest, unpretentious rooms. In some places, there is no air conditioning (so check in advance!). Animation is only found in international “chains” of hotels, which in Croatia are very rare.
The voltage is 220 V, 50 Hz, using the standard sockets and plugs with round plugs, but due to the intense reconstruction of a number of hotels under European standards, European-style sockets are becoming increasingly popular.
Banks , exchange offices and gratuities
A bit of history: the name of the national currency in Croatia – “coon” – comes from the animal “marten”, whose skins were formerly used instead of money.
Currency can be exchanged at banks , exchange offices, post offices, travel agencies, ” Croats Tourist” (where you can also exchange traveler’s checks) and hotels, almost everywhere. Some banks make money exchange without commission, but the commission is usually 1-1.5%. Croatian banks are open daily from 8:00 am to 17:00 pm, and on Saturdays until 13:00; Sundays are off.
Credit cards accepted everywhere include MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa.
In hotels, restaurants and for taxis, if the service charge is not included in the bill, the tip is 10%. If the cost of services is included in the bill, then the tourist does not have to pay a tip.
Shopping and shops in Croatia
Shops are open on weekdays from 8:00 to 20:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays until 14:00. On the coast, during the tourist season, they work from 6:00 to 12:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00 (22:00).
The most common local “souvenirs” include beverage, especially wine (usually dry) . If you are in for hard liquor, the most famous are “Travaritsa” ( strong liquor made from herbs), “Slivovitz” (from plums) and “Grushovitsa”. Also you can enjoy the popular cherry liqueur “Maraschino” from Zadar.
Buying more expensive gifts includes jewelery from Rijeka called “morchish” – fine handcrafted brooches, pins, pendants. You can also buy products made from the corals that are found on many islands here (by the way, taking corals from the sea is forbidden and punished very severely).
From the traditional handicrafts of Croatia, it is worth mentioning beautiful lace from the Dolmatskih islands, needlework embroidery, wood carvings and clothes made of wool and leather, carpets, ceramics, costumes and tapestries.
Croatian cuisine and restaurants
In addition to the standard European cuisine, you can find many national Croatian dishes that are definitely worth a try. These are Dalmatian or Istrian prosciutto (raw meats), or pashsky lichsky cheese, sheep cheese, Slavonian Kulen (a kind of sausage) , famous samoborskie or zagorski cheshnovki (sausages as well). In Istria, the main dishes include fish and seafood, as well as pashtitsada (stew) and boiled mutton. Popular Croatian specialties are “chobanats”, stews of different kinds of meat, generously seasoned with paprika ” shtrukli ” – macaroni and cheese, “police” – baked potatoes with bacon. On the coast, you should definitely try the expensive (and delicious) dishes with truffles, as well as the Istrian soup “maneshtra”. Recommended chocolate sweets are “Bayadere” and “griots”.
Croatian national drinks include red wine “Teran”, “Merlot”, “Cabernet”, “Opoplo”, “Plavac”, “Dingač” and “Postup”, the varieties of white wine are “Malvasia”, “Poship”, “Pino” “Kuyundzhusha”, “Zhlahtina” and “Muscat”. Among the most well-known spirits, we can enumerate: “Slivovitz”, “Travaritsa” and “Lozovac”
Cafes and restaurants at various costs and standards are to be found in resort towns at every turn.
The portions are enormous and welcoming. Tourists are welcomed to step in “conoba” (National tavern), where they are offered a warm welcome, especially if they come a second time.
Entertainment, sightseeing and attractions in Croatia
The city of Zadar is impressive, with its perfectly preserved city walls, which defended the city and helped defeat the Turks, and which harbor the first Croatian university and the factory that produces the cherry liqueur “Maraschino”. But the main attractions are centered around the church of St. Martyrs, built on the ruins of the Roman Forum. In the Benedictine monastery, there is a nice museum of religious art, and if you are interested in this type of culture, you are also invited to visit the Cathedral of St. Anastasia, the Franciscan Monastery, the Church of St. Krsevana, St. Peter, St. Simuna and St. Mihovil. Widely known attractions also include the Archaeological Museum of Zadar, a beautiful National Museum, the Maritime Museum and the Ethnological Museum in the old watchtower .
Risnjak is one of the few places in Europe where you can see the wild lynx. There, you can also find bears, deer, wolves, martens, and a lot of trails for trekking, bicycle paths and cliffs suitable for rock climbing.
The Krka National Park is famous for its descending canyon, through which you can see the lake on the twenty-meter waterfall and an abandoned Franciscan monastery in the middle of a desert island. However, far more popular is a trip to the Plitvice Lakes, which are considered among the most beautiful in Europe.
Generally speaking, abandoned cities constitute a special attraction in Croatia. For example, a deserted city is the Naked Island, near the island of Rab. Since 1949, it has been a top-secret concentration camp for political prisoners. Hum is the smallest town in the world; officially there for 17 residents there, including the mayor. Another sight worth seeing is the church with 12th century frescoes and the “Alley glagolistov”, which features ancient stones with inscriptions in Glagolitic. If you take the road from Pula to Porec, then halfway right you can seen the ruins of the ancient city of Dvigrad. It was founded by the Romans , but abandoned after the plague. Another interesting place is the church of St. Mary, one and a half miles from Berama, where you can admire 15th century frescoes.
Across the country many medieval castles are scattered: Bogenshperk near Lithia Valvasora, the ancient castle on Fridrihshteyn Kochevsky mountain, the castle on the Turyaksky lock.
In addition, the country has developed a lot of interesting excursions and routes (many of which are mouth-watering culinary character), such as : “An instructive way to virovitichkogo Bilogora,” the project “Roads traditional cuisine”, “Pearls of Drava Valley” or the trip to the town of hornbeam.
Many discos, bars and clubs are open in almost all resort towns in Croatia. But the most popular is the island of Pag. All life is centered on the beach near the town of Novalja Zrce. There is a giant pool, two huge clubs, Aquarius and Papaya, plus a disco open all throughout summer. In “Aquarius”, there is a house where European Djs play live music. In the “Papaya”, there is a huge jacuzzi.
The country has also developed scuba diving, sailing, windsurfing, trekking, rafting and many other interesting activities. Do not forget about biking and rock climbing, which can be practiced, for example, near the town of Ravna Gora.
Diving in Croatia
The crystal clear waters of the Adriatic Sea, the absence of strong currents and the diversity of the underwater world in Croatia attracts numerous divers from all over the world annually. Local sites offer different levels of complexity. Popular natural diving sites include the island of St. Ivan (ideal for novice divers), the island of Sturag and Banjole, the Galebovy walls (underwater cave). Known racks are Numidia – the largest wreck in the Adriatic Sea, a 120-meter long ship used during the Second World War (with a depth of 40 m); the water around it is transparent throughout the year, Coriolanus – a minesweeper that sank in 1945, with a huge colony of sponges, and Lina – a merchant ship that sank in 1914, during the war.
Events in Croatia
In Zagreb, you can participate in the Music Biennale (April), St. Mark’s Philharmonic Festival (June), Flower Exhibition “Flora-Art ” (June), the International Festival of New Theatre “Evrokaz” (June -July), the Festival of Animation (June) , International Folklore Festival (July), the Zagreb summer Festival (July-August) , the International Puppet Festival (August-September), the International Jazz Days (October) and the Zagreb International Fair
In Dubrovnik, you can enjoy the Carnival (February) , the feast of St. Blaj (February) and the famous International Summer Festival (July-August).
Every year on September 16, in Rovinj, there is a pilgrimage in honor of St. Eufimii which brings together thousands of believers from all over Europe. In August,there is the Rovinj Fair, and in September – the regatta.
In Porec, the annual Folk Festival is held in June, the International Folklore Festival in August, and the Summer Art Exhibition is open all summer. The Music Summer Festival is also open from May to September.
In Split, you can enjoy the colorful festival of the Holy Spirit (7 May) or the Summer Festival (mid July – mid August).
In Zadar there is an annual festival of pirates (September), the City Market of Zadar, the Dalmatian Song Festival (July-August), as well as music evenings held in the church of St. Martyrs (August) and the Choral Festival (October).
On the island of Rab, in May, you can enjoy the traditional crossbow competition.
In Pula, Film festivals are held and also an Opera Music Festival (in summer). In Vodice, there is an International Music Festival (summer). On the island of Korcula, from the end of the XV century, the summer jousting game “Moreška” has been held ( specifically – on Thursdays at 21:00) and “kumpaniya”. In Radoshiche, the “Dalmatian corrida” takes place.
