Croatia travel guide : explore Dubrovnik, Dalmatian coast and islands

What you need to know before visiting Croatia

• Official name: Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska)
• Capital: Zagreb
• Population: About 4 million people
• Official language: Croatian
• Currency: Euro (€)
• Area: 56,594 square kilometres

How Croatian history shaped its cultural identity

Croatia's historical journey reflects its position at the crossroads of civilizations, shaped by varied empires and peoples:

Ancient Croatia: from Illyrians to Roman influence

Human presence in Croatia dates back 130,000 years, with Neanderthal fossils discovered at Krapina. The Illyrians established the first known organized societies before Greek colonists founded trading settlements on islands like Hvar and Vis in the 4th century BCE. Roman conquest brought unprecedented development, with Emperor Diocletian constructing his monumental palace in Split around 305 CE—a 31,000-square-metre complex that remains one of the world's best-preserved Roman structures.

Medieval Croatia: between kingdoms and empires

Following Rome's fall, the region saw migrations of Slavic tribes and the establishment of the first Croatian state in the 9th century. Under King Tomislav (910-928), Croatia emerged as a significant power with a territory covering approximately 110,000 square kilometres. The medieval Croatian kingdom flourished until 1102, when it entered a personal union with Hungary. Over subsequent centuries, different regions came under varied influences: Venice controlled much of the coast, the Ottoman Empire pushed into the interior, and the Habsburgs ruled northern regions, creating the multicultural foundations of modern Croatia.

Croatian national identity: from Yugoslavia to independence

The 19th century saw the rise of the Croatian National Revival, a cultural and political movement asserting Croatian identity within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. World War I's conclusion placed Croatia within the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). World War II brought trauma as the fascist Independent State of Croatia collaborated with Nazi Germany, followed by Croatia's incorporation into communist Yugoslavia. When Yugoslavia disintegrated in 1991, Croatia declared independence, but faced a bitter four-year war that damaged over 30% of its industrial capacity and left approximately 20,000 dead.

Modern Croatia: EU membership and tourism development

Since achieving peace in 1995, Croatia has rebuilt and transformed itself into a democratic European nation. Joining NATO in 2009 and the European Union in 2013 marked milestones in the country's integration with Western institutions. Tourism has emerged as a driving economic force, with Croatia welcoming over 20 million visitors annually to a country of just 4 million residents. In 2023, Croatia joined the Eurozone and Schengen Area, further cementing its position in Europe while continuing to develop its distinct national identity that bridges Central European, Mediterranean, and Balkan influences.

Croatian culture: language, cuisine and traditions

A Slavic Language with a Latin Alphabet

Croatian belongs to the South Slavic language group, written in the Latin alphabet unlike many Slavic languages that use Cyrillic. With approximately 5.5 million speakers worldwide, Croatian features distinctive characteristics including three major dialect groups (Čakavian, Kajkavian, and Štokavian) that developed across different historical regions. The language includes sounds not found in many European languages, such as "lj" and "nj," and preserves seven grammatical cases. Croatian's lexical richness is evident in its numerous words for familial relationships—over 30 terms specify exact family connections—reflecting the traditional importance of extended family structures.

Croatian arts: music, architecture and UNESCO heritage

Croatian culture represents a unique fusion of Mediterranean, Central European, and Balkan influences. The country has produced notable figures including inventor Nikola Tesla, sculptor Ivan Meštrović (whose works are displayed in over 50 museums worldwide), and writer Miroslav Krleža. Croatia's musical traditions range from the klapa a cappella singing of the coast, performed by groups of 5-8 singers creating complex harmonies, to the tamburica string ensembles of Slavonia with instruments dating back to the 14th century. The country boasts 17 inscriptions on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List—among the highest per capita in the world—including traditional crafts, festivals, and musical expressions maintained across generations.

Croatian cuisine: what to eat and drink during your visit

Croatian cuisine varies dramatically between its distinct regions:

• Dalmatian cuisine (Mediterranean-influenced with emphasis on seafood, olive oil, and herbs; a typical brodet fish stew contains at least 3 varieties of fish)
• Istrian cuisine (truffle-rich gastronomy, with the record-breaking white truffle found there weighing 1.31 kilograms and valued at €15,000)
• Continental cuisine (hearty dishes from the interior including štrukli, a pastry with a 7-millimetre thin dough stuffed with cottage cheese)
• Peka (a traditional cooking method using a bell-shaped lid covered with hot coals to slow-cook meat and vegetables for 3+ hours)
• Pršut (dry-cured ham from Dalmatia and Istria, traditionally air-dried by the bura wind and aged for at least 12 months)

Croatian viniculture dates back 2,500 years, with 130 indigenous grape varieties grown across 20,000 hectares of vineyards. Notable varieties include Plavac Mali (genetically linked to Zinfandel) cultivated on 45-degree slopes on the Dalmatian coast, and Malvazija Istarska, which thrives in Istria's red soil rich in iron oxide. The country produces approximately 700,000 hectolitres of wine annually, with a renewed focus on quality over quantity.

Croatian lifestyle: coffee culture and local customs

Daily life in Croatia follows distinctive patterns that reveal cultural values. The Mediterranean concept of fjaka—a state of contentment and relaxation, particularly during hot summer afternoons—influences coastal areas. Coffee culture is central to social life, with Croatians spending an average of 1.5 hours daily in cafés, using 5.1 kilograms of coffee per person annually. Family remains the core social unit, with extended families often gathering for Sunday lunch, a 3-4 hour affair. Sports hold tremendous importance, particularly football (soccer) and water polo, with Croatia's second-place finish in the 2018 World Cup remarkable for a nation of just 4 million people. Religious traditions remain strong, with approximately 78% of Croatians identifying as Roman Catholic and villages maintaining unique Easter and Christmas customs dating back centuries.

Where to go in Croatia: top cities and attractions

Dubrovnik: exploring Croatia's iconic walled city

This perfectly preserved medieval city captivates with its limestone grandeur:

• City Walls: A complete 1,940-metre circuit encircling the Old Town, with walls reaching heights of 25 metres and thicknesses up to 6 metres.
• Stradun: The 300-metre-long main street paved with limestone that has been polished to a marble-like shine by millions of footsteps over centuries.
• Rector's Palace: A Gothic-Renaissance masterpiece that housed the elected rector who governed the Dubrovnik Republic for just 30 days at a time.
• Fort Lovrijenac: A dramatic fortress rising 37 metres above the sea on a sheer rock, now famous as a Game of Thrones filming location.
• Mount Srđ: A 412-metre-high mountain accessible by cable car, offering panoramic views across the city's 15-hectare UNESCO-protected Old Town.

Split: discovering Diocletian's palace and historic center

Croatia's second-largest city presents a living museum where 3,000 people reside within Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site originally constructed as a retirement home for a Roman emperor. The palace's 220 buildings connected by narrow marble streets host cafés, shops, and homes, while the Cathedral of St. Domnius, originally Diocletian's mausoleum, features a 57-metre bell tower offering views across the city and to nearby islands.

Zagreb: highlights of Croatia's capital city

The capital blends Austro-Hungarian elegance with Mediterranean spirit across two historical hills. The Upper Town (Gornji Grad) features the iconic St. Mark's Church with its colorful tiled roof displaying the coats of arms of Croatia, Zagreb, and Dalmatia across 45 square metres of tiles. The vibrant Dolac Market covers 6,000 square metres with distinctive red umbrellas sheltering vendors selling produce from farms within a 50-kilometre radius.

Plitvice Lakes: visiting Croatia's most famous national park

Croatia's most visited inland destination showcases 16 terraced lakes connected by 90 waterfalls. The 296-square-kilometre national park features wooden walkways meandering 18 kilometres through forests where lakes shine in shades of azure, emerald, and turquoise due to varying mineral content. The largest waterfall, Veliki Slap, cascades 78 metres down a limestone cliff formed over thousands of years through the deposition of travertine at a rate of approximately 1 centimetre per year.

Hvar: sun-soaked island life on the Dalmatian coast

This 297-square-kilometre island basks in Mediterranean sunshine for an average of 2,724 hours annually—more than anywhere else in Croatia. Renaissance-era Hvar Town centers around St. Stephen's Square, the largest town square in Dalmatia at 4,500 square metres, while the island's interior features UNESCO-protected agricultural plains dating to Greek colonization in the 4th century BCE, with field dimensions unchanged for 24 centuries.

Best natural destinations in Croatia: coast to national parks

• Adriatic Coast: 1,777 kilometres of mainland coastline complemented by 4,058 kilometres of island coastlines, with water transparency reaching 56 metres.
• Kornati Archipelago: A labyrinth of 89 uninhabited islands, islets, and reefs covering 220 square kilometres, described by George Bernard Shaw as "God's tears scattered across the sea."
• Paklenica National Park: Dramatic karst landscape with Velebit mountain's twin canyons measuring 14 kilometres long and up to 700 metres deep.
• Blue Cave (Biševo Island): A sea cave illuminated by an otherworldly blue light created when sunlight reflects through an underwater opening 3-4 metres wide.
• Kopački Rit: One of Europe's largest wetlands covering 177 square kilometres at the confluence of the Drava and Danube rivers, hosting 260 bird species.

Interesting facts about Croatia you might not know

The necktie (cravat) originated in Croatia, with 17th-century Croatian mercenaries wearing distinctive neck cloths that caught Parisian attention during the Thirty Years' War.

Croatia's Dalmatian coast provided the setting for 10 episodes of Game of Thrones, with Dubrovnik serving as King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.

The world's smallest town, according to Guinness World Records, is Hum in Istria, measuring just 100 metres by 30 metres and having 30 residents.

Croatia has 1,244 islands, islets, and reefs, though only 48 are permanently inhabited, with the smallest inhabited island being just 0.15 square kilometres.

The Dalmatian dog breed originated in Croatia's Dalmatia region, where it was historically used as a carriage dog running alongside horse-drawn carriages.

Croatian contributions to global innovation

• The mechanical pencil (invented by Slavoljub Penkala in 1906)
• Alternating current electrical systems (pioneered by Nikola Tesla, born in the Croatian village of Smiljan)
• The parachute (designed by Faust Vrančić in the early 1600s)
• Fingerprint classification system (developed by Ivan Vučetić for criminal identification)
• The torpedo (invented by Giovanni Luppis in Rijeka in 1860)