"Croatia, the Mediterranean as it used to... " a Croatia Travel Page by vanelic

Three hours away by air from London and Rome, on the Eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, lies Croatia, a former Yugoslav Republic, avoided by the tourists in the early 1990s but coming back in the recent years to take its rightful place on a Mediterranean tourist map.

1990s were extremely tough for the Croats: first the country was driven into bloody war with the Serb rebels and then followed by the years of high unemployment, economy stagnation and inflation during President Tudjman's era who ruled the country with an iron hand. «But those years are behind us», an ordinary Croat will say today. And indeed, Croatia is recovering from its recent wounds and widely opening for the tourist hordes. It is estimated that in a few years time Croatia will be a top destination on the Mediterranean.

You won't find Spanish Costa's here, nor French Riviera but clean sea, friendly people and more than 1000 Adriatic islands, most of them uninhabited. Croatia's aim is to keep old-fashioned type of tourism, without building big seaside resorts and without changing the nature unnecessary. «The Mediterranean as it used to be» is a Croatian National Tourism Organization's moto. But it seems that Croatia doesn't differ too much from already mentioned Spanish Costa's or French Riviera. Mass tourism is putting its roots into Croatian land as well. Each of 4.4 million inhabitants of this small Balkan country (56,538 sq km) lives for tourism during the summer but the rest of the year the coast is virtually empty with most hotels closing their doors. Still, finding acommodation out of season wouldn't be too difficult as there are always hotels in bigger towns along the coast that stay opened the whole year.

Best time to visit Croatia is April/May and September when there are fewer tourists and the weather is sunny and warm. Summer months tend to be overcrowded and too hot, with temperatures oftenly rising above 40°C. The only rescue then is cristally blue Adriatic Sea or one of many Croatian rivers and lakes. If you are a «cultural fan», you'll be surprised with how much of culture this country has to offer. From the ancient times to the modern days the people of this land have been developing their culture. Roman amphitheatre in Pula, Emperor Diocletian's Palace in Split, Dubrovnik's medieval walls are only few of the cultural sights.

I suggest you start your Croatian adventure in the country's capital Zagreb. A city of 770,000 below the Medvednica mountain in Central Croatia offers a high variety of entertainment and cultural sights, although not as beautiful as those on the coast. The major sights include the Zagreb cathedral, St Mark's Church, Maksimir City Park with the City ZOO, one of the most beautiful in this part of Europe, and Cvjetni Trg (the Flower's Square). Do not forget to visit Zagreb's main square Jelacicev Trg or walk down the several kilometers long Ilica, the city's famous shopping street, where you can feel the life of continental Croatia. For those coming in winter, skiing is available on the nearby Sljeme slopes. It isn't as big as someone would expect but if it is good for world alpine ski champion Janica Kostelic, then why wouldn't it work for the others?

From Zagreb, huge number of buses and trains run down to the Adriatic coast. But before getting there, you shouldn't avoid the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Occupied and devastated during the Serb agression, the Lakes are now back in normal and bringing the tourists back each year. 16 beautiful lakes with even more beautiful waterfalls are under UNESCO protection. Don't think twice about spending here several hours.

Buses between Zagreb and Split all pass the Plitvice Lakes so it is easy to hop on one of these and continue to our next destination – Croatia's second largest city, Split. The area where Split now stands was inhabited in the Roman times and the most important witness of that era is emperor Diocletian's palace that ocuppies whole Old City of Split. During the summer the city becomes exciting place to be in thanks to different cultural manifestations with Splitski Festival, the most important Croatian pop festival, being organized there in July. If you can't get enough of this vibrant city, don't exhaust yourself too much as our next stop is the pearl city of the Adriatic – Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik is situated at the very south of Croatia, near the Montenegro border. To get there from Split there are two options. First and the better one is by ship, run by Croatian ship company Jadrolinija. This would be an excellent opportunity to see some of the Croatian islands if you're on a tight schedule and don't have time to stay on some of them for a few days. Or take one of many buses that go for Dubrovnik. If you decide for the later one, keep in mind that you'll pass few kilometers of Bosnian territory, as it divides the Croatian mainland into two, so check for Bosnian visa regulations and don't forget your passport. Dubrovnik is a beautiful gift for every traveler to the southern Croatia. In the middle ages and later until the beginning of the 19th century, the city flourished with the trade as the most important economy being a close rival to the Venetians. Today many monuments are left from the «golden era». Even hundreds of bombs that fell on Dubrovnik during the Civil War didn't manage to destroy them. The city walls, Duke's Palace, the Orlando column are definitely to be visited. A cup of capuchino on Dubrovnik's main walkway Stradun with thoughts of recent Croatian days brings us to the end of this virtual voyage.

After hundreds of kilometers done from Zagreb to Dubrovnik it's time to say goodbye and invite you all to Croatia, the country were Eastern Europe meets Western, the place where the old Mediterranean still lies hidden from the eyes of the world.