The Best of Croatia

5 best places to party

10 best beaches

5 best places to enjoy silence

  • Any of the lighthouses
  • Island of Mljet – Mljet is an island in the very south of Croatia and the national park covers approximately half of the Island, so there ar a few houses and the rest is all nature
  • Island of Brijuni – Brijuni is a group of islands that lies close to Istria’s western coast. Its most beautiful part was proclaimed a national park in 1983. The islands are 6 km from Pula and are separated from the mainland by the Fazana channel through which boats from the Fazana harbor to Brijuni operate on a daily basis. The Brijuni Zoo is of the open type, meaning that animals can freely roam the island, and there is also a safari park. Brijuni offers many sporting activities: horseback riding, golf, tennis, sailing, windsurfing, bike and boat rental, diving, while guests have access to numerous sports terrains, fields and other facilities. A holiday on Brijuni is ideal for guests looking for first class accommodation and an excellent variety of additional services.
  • Islands of Kornati – a group of about 130 islands. The islands have no spring water, only rainwater collected in waterholes. The unique feature of the islands lies in their rugged shores with many caves and coves. The landscape of chalk limestone is covered with bushes of rosemary, juniper, lavender, thyme, myrtle and sage. Pathways leading to steep and huge cliffs facing the open sea and others gently decline towards the sea, ending in a small bay with a jetty and one or two fishermen’s cottages surrounded by pine, olives and fig trees…
  • Plitvice lake – Plitvice Lakes are composed of 16 interlinked lakes between the mountains of Mala Kapela and Plješivica in the region of Lika. Climate is alpine. The water temperature in Prošćansko lake and Kozjak reaches even 24°C in summer. The whole region is covered with snow from November till the end of March; the lakes are frozen in December and January offering a magical view on the winter landscape.

5 BAD things to be prepared for in Croatia:

  • Unfinished houses – you see a lot of unfinished houses in Croatia, with people living in them. People often start building a house but have no money to finish it. No law forces them to do that.
  • Waiting in bars – our waiters are sometimes hard to get but be patient. You get your drink in 15 minutes.
  • Expensive cabs and lousy public transportations – we don’t have metro transportation and no culture of driving in cabs. Everybody own at least one car or a motorbike, so be prepared for traffic jams
  • People understand you – don’t talk badly about people because Croatians speak foreign languages and a lot of them understand English, German, Italian, Spanish and French. They don’t speak Chinese or Japanese, though.
  • Teenagers drinking – Although it is prohibited by law to sell drink to those younger than 18, everybody can buy drinks everywhere so there are a lot of drunk people out there.

5 most famous Croatians

  • Nikola Tesla – was an inventor and a mechanical and electrical engineer. Tesla was born in the village of Smiljan near the town of Gospić, in Croatia
  • Janica Kostelic – is a retired champion alpine ski racer. She is considered one of the greatest female skiers of all time
  • Goran Ivanišević – famous tennis player
  • Davor Šuker – famous football player
  • Goran Višnjić – is a Croatian actor who has appeared in American films and television productions. He is best known for his role as Dr. Luka Kovač in the hit television series ER

Food you MUST eat

Drinks you have to try

  • Rakija – Spirit made of honey, rose, blueberry…
  • Vino – red wine from the island of Hvar and white wine form Slavonija (inner Croatia)
  • Prošek – sweet dessert wine of Dalmatia
  • Velebitsko beer – the best beer in Croatia
  • Cedevita – refreshing drink (orange and lemon flavors)

TOP 5 restaurants in Croatia

  • Zagreb – restaurant Mitnica: if you are not a vegetarian, please order “mazalice” and enjoy. It’s spicy and crispy.
  • Split – restaurant Fife: home made food, where a lot of native people eat every day
  • Palmizana – restaurant Meneghello, for those who love fish
  • Livade – restaurant Zigante for those who love truffles and home made food
  • Trilj – restaurant Lovac for those who would like to eat eels, frogs, snails…

Best ways to find accomodation

  • Google is your friend – hit the search for apartmani sobe hrvatska (soba is Croatian for room, Hrvatska is local name of Croatia)
  • Hospitality club – staying for free
  • Local people – upon coming in Dalmatia or Istria, you’ll see a lot of older people carrying boards that says “Zimmer” or “Rooms” – the offer cheap rooms. You’ll find them at main bus stations and ferry stations
  • Houses by the road – while driving along the coast, you’ll see that almost every single house has a sign “Rooms”, so check for availability
  • Travel agencies