Croatia Favorite Tips by dabuwan

Yugo!

Fondest memory: Somehow a symbol of former Yugoslavia, YUGO is the name of the most famous model of car produced by yugoslavian maker Zastava. There are still some amazing old ones around (becoming kind of a cult object, like the Trabant) and some newer models.
The Zastava fab (in Serbia) has been bombed by the NATO in 1999 and Zastava, after partial reconstruction, is trying to come back into the market with some new models.

A solid industry

Fondest memory: Mailnly a heritage from former Yugoslavia, Croatia still has a solid heavy industry. It's a pity that some huge indutrial sites have been built in beautiful places (like along the coast) spoiling the natural scenery. But this is a common problem of many countries, not only from eastern Europe...)

Agricultural countryside

Fondest memory: Far from the dalmatian coast and from the most industrialized cities, Croatia is still a rural country where agriculture plays a big role.

Beautiful historical towns

Fondest memory: Modern Croatia has a very long history going back for many centuries. From the Greeks to the Romans, the Turks, the Venetians to the most recent events, the croatian territory and people have lived both through the flourishing culture and trade of the quiet years and through the many dramatic wars.
It's not a wonder that many croatian cities, towns and villages still have beautiful old historical centers (some of them partially reconstructed) that are delightful and very interesting to visit.

A mountainous country

Fondest memory: Besides the flat region of Slavonia, between the Sava and Drava rivers, most of Croatia is hilly or mountaineous. While the coastal mountains are pretty dry with true mediterranean vegetation, elsewhere they are very green, wild and lush.

The many gravel beaches

Fondest memory: Most of the beaches are made of gravel, not sand. Though you may not be able to build sand castles, gravel is not bad at all and is even more comfortable than sand to lay on.
The nicest beaches are small, secluded, and can be reached only by boat.

The few sandy beaches

Fondest memory: If you look for endless wide beaches with thin sand, don't go to Croatia. No matter what any tourist agent will tell you, there are only very few sandy beaches of reasonable size, and still it's not thin sand. This doesn't mean that most of the croatian beaches (gravel, concrete, artificial) are not OK anyway; but I personally enjoy much more the sea, maybe on a boat, than the beaches.

The transparency of the sea

Fondest memory: Besides its incredible coulours, the sea along the coast in Croatia is generally crystal clear. Maybe because of the many islands protecting the coast from too rough seas and the lack of sandy beaches and big rivers, the vertical visibility usually exceeds 30 meters. You can swim and easily see the sea bottom from the top without a mask.

The colours of the sea

Fondest memory: The postcard-like colours of the dalmatian sea, appearing in most tourist pamphlets, are not a photographer's artifact: they are real! Ranging from deep blue to light turquoise and green, the sea in Croatia is simply wonderful. And this is especially true the southest you are along the dalmatian coast.