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Croatia
City Guide
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Croatia Travel Guide
Practical Information
Official name: Croatia
Capital: Zagreb
Language: Croatian (official), Serbian, Italian, Slovene, Slovak and German.
Currency: Kuna
Religion: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Islam
Croatia Sights and Museums
What to see:
Zagreb: Croatia’s economic, cultural and administrative heart sits on the north bank of the river Sava. Its historic nuclei, Gradec and Kaptol, in Gornji Grad (Upper Town), were founded in the Middle Ages. Here, a labyrinth of peaceful cobbled streets links the city’s oldest and finest monuments: the Cathedral, St Mark’s Church (noted for its red, white and blue tiled roof) and the Sabor (seat of the Croatian Parliament). At the foot of the Upper Town lie Trg Bana Jelacic, the main square, and Dolac, the colorful open-air market. The main square links the Upper Town to Donji Grad (Lower Town), the commercial center of modern-day Zagreb, with theaters, shops, cinemas, museums and cafes. A number of important 19th-century public buildings are located here, including Glavni Kolodvor (main train station), the imposing neo-Baroque Croatian National Theater and the Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Museum of Arts and Crafts traces Croatian craftsmanship from the Renaissance up to the present day, while the Mimara Museum presents a rich collection of painting, sculpture and ceramics from abroad. Also worth visiting are the Museum of Zagreb, the Archaeological Museum and the Gallery of Naďve Art. The city boasts one of Europe’s very first planned parks: Maksimir, a magnificent feat of landscaping, with lakes, pavilions and sculptures, dating back to 1794.
Dubrovnik: Unanimously considered the jewel of Croatia, Dubrovnik is best known for its well-preserved historic center contained within 13th-century city walls, its terracotta rooftops, and a stunning location overlooking the Adriatic. Today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city was a wealthy independent republic up until 1808. The finest monuments date back to those golden years: the 16th-century Rector’s Palace, the Franciscan Monastery (home to Europe’s oldest pharmacy), and a number of delightful baroque churches, including the Cathedral, St Blaise’s Church and the Jesuit Church. Also worth visiting is the Maritime Museum, which highlights Dubrovnik’s former importance as a world naval power. Each summer, from mid-July to late August, the city hosts the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, featuring various cultural events plus open-air evening performances of theater, jazz and classical music.
Split: The city of Split was founded in the third century AD by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Today, the traffic-free historic center lies within the imposing walls of Diocletian’s Palace, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A vibrant cafe scene focuses on the Roman Peristil, presided over by the majestic Cathedral with its 13th-century Romanesque bell tower. The Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments displays early Croatian religious art, while the Meštrovic Gallery celebrates the country’s best-known 20th-century sculptor. On the hill above town, Marjan, an extensive nature reserve planted with pine woods and fragrant Mediterranean shrubs, affords stunning views over the Adriatic. During the Split Summer Festival, held annually from mid-July to mid-August, the city becomes an open-air stage with nighttime opera and concerts.
Croatia Entertainment
Events:
Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day is a public holiday in Croatia which is held as a memorial to that country's War of Independence. It is celebrated on August 5. On that date in 1995 the Croatian Army liberated the occupied city of Knin as part of Operation Storm.
Statehood Day is a holiday that occurs every year on June 25 in Croatia to commemorate the country's 1991 declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. The Statehood Day is an official holiday, a day off work in Croatia.
Anti-fascist struggle day on June 22. This day commemorates that in 1941 was the first croatian anti-fascist armed unit (Partisans) founded near Sisak, Croatia.
Independence Day on October 8. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the end of World War II (1945) until it disintegrated in the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. It was a socialist state that comprised the area of the present-day independent states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
Croatia Transports
Transports:
Buses run between Zagreb and several cities in Hungary and Germany, as well as to Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Brussels (Belgium).
Trains connect Zagreb to Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Slovenia and Serbia-Montengegro, while many ferries link Croatia to Italy.
Travellers with their own vehicle can use four border crossings between Hungary and Croatia, 29 between Slovenia and Croatia, 23 between Bosnia-Hercegovina and Croatia and seven between Yugoslavia and Croatia.
All the usual car rental chains are represented in Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik and most Istrian towns. Drive on the right side of the road. The spectacular Adriatic highway from Italy to Albania runs along the steep slopes of Croatia's coastal range, and is one of the most exciting drives in the world.
If you can get where you're going by ferry, then do it - cruising among the islands of the Adriatic certainly beats sitting on a bus, no matter how cheap or fast it is. Jadrolinija coastal ferries ply the waters between Dubrovnik and Rijeka, stopping at Split and Korcula.
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