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Croatia sightseeing. Travel guide - attractions, sights, nature and touristic places

Beautiful nature, hundreds of small islands, dense forests and ancient castles – Croatia is a wonderful country perfect for vacation. The capital of the country, Zagreb, is a beautiful old city with numerous places of interest. The city was founded in the 13th century and many landmarks remind of those times, such as Stone Gate that is decorated with the image of Virgin Mary. There are also several churches and cathedrals in Zagreb. The most famous ones are St. Marcus Church and St. Stephan’s Cathedral built back in the 19th century. PMS-prostor manufakturne slobode is considered the most prestigious cultural centre of the city. It consists of several galleries and exhibition halls. Other sights of Zagreb include Dolac Market, Ban Jelačić Square, Tkalčićeva Street and Banski Dvori Palace.
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Continue your exploration of the country by visiting the resort of Naftalan that has become internationally famous due to healing mineral springs. This balneology resort has become very popular not only with European but also with Russian tourists. Rovinj is a very interesting place from the historic point of view. The town is home to many historic buildings, such as St. Euphemia Cathedral, the height of which estimates 57 metres. This is a wonderful building made in Baroque style. For more than 300 years the building has been the tallest building in Istria. Several important landmarks are located in Amicis Street – the clock tower built in the 18th century, several museums and an old library.
The Croatian city of Porec is home to several landmarks of international level. The Euphrasian Basilica should be mentioned first. This magnificent building was constructed in the 6th century. Other important landmarks include ruins of Roman temples and local History and Economy Museum that is located on Decumanus Street. The ruins of the Neptune Temple are located nearby; this landmark is added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
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The town of Split is another popular tourist destination as there are several interesting sights there, such as the Jupiter Temple and several cathedrals of Renaissance period. Travellers are also recommended to visit the Venetian Town Hall and Tower, the building of which took place in the 15th century. When it comes to nature landmarks, we simply cannot fail to mention Plitvice Lakes. These 16 magnificent lakes are conveniently located among pine woods and bushes. The nature park is home to many species of wild animals and rare birds. Finally, a visit to Krka National Park will leave only positive memories. There are a big canyon, waterfalls and several beautiful islands in the park.

History and Entertainment

The birth of the modern country is the 7th century. Exactly in this period, the Croatian tribes came to the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Then, the Croatian Kingdom was formed here. It had been the strongest and most invincible in the region for 400 years. The beginning of the 12th century was the times of the Hungarian Empire. In the 15th century, the country was under Turkey. Over the next 500 years, the country saw multiple wars and political reorganization. The last political conflict was between Serbs and Croats. After this, Croatia announced the declaration of independence in 1991.
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Besides unique historical attractions, the country is notable for marvelous beach resorts. One of the most beautiful beaches is in Istria. No less enchanting coastal zones are located in Dalmatia. Beach areas of Croatia are notable because most part of the coast is close to picturesque pine forests. Such natural conditions make the climate at local resorts quite healthy. Tourists can combine beach recreation and walks along picturesque places.
Brac In Croatia, you can take part in interesting wine tours, during which you can visit historical wineries of the country and learn a lot of interesting facts about the emergence and development of winery traditions. Fans of the event tourism usually visit the country in February. At that time, the annual carnival is held in Dubrovnik. It lasts for several days, during which costume parades, music concerts and theatrical performances are held in the city streets. In Croatia, most of the festivals are organized in summer. Fans of historical events will definitely like the Knight’s Festival held in Korcula Island.
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Croatia will not disappoint gourmets too, as the country has rich food traditions. It is famous around the world for its dried meat called prcut. Also, special cheeses are produced in Croatia. To acquaint with specialties of local cuisine, do not limit yourself to visiting national restaurants. You should definitely drop in local markets where you can always find meat delicacies and dairy products from local farms.
Croatia guide chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Famous and uniques places in Croatia from our review series

Monument to Victims of Jasenovac Concentration Camp

From the series “The most famous buildings of communism”
One of the world's largest death camps was founded in the village of Jasenovac in Croatia in 1941. About 700,000 people were killed during its existence only by rough estimates. Thousands of Jews, Roma, and Serbs lost their lives in this camp. The symbolic monument recalls the tragic past of these places today. It is called "Stone Flower". This beautiful memorial was abandoned for several years after the breakup of Yugoslavia. The historical museum located next to it was also closed.

The full restoration of the historical complex took place only in 2006. The memorial built during the communist period was completely reconstructed. Beautiful glass panels with the names of the dead prisoners of the camp engraved on them were installed next to it. In addition to the old stone monument, … Read all

West Gate Center

From the series “12 Largest Shopping Centers Worldwide”
In Zagreb you can find the biggest shopping mall in Europe. Its' name is "West Gate Centre" and it was opened in 2009. In this mall there are nearly 500 various shops on the area of more than 100 thousand square meters. The mall was built in 15 months and now "West Gate Centre" is ready to present not only a wide range of shops but also a wide range of entertainment.

Visitors with children will be interested in KIDS WORLD. The area of this park is 4 thousand square meters. It is good for babies and teenagers at once. The mall has all season ice skate and boiling club, more than 20 restaurants with different cuisines and over 10 bars. The enormous shopping mall in Zagreb is dramatically differing from others by its terrific design. Its halls are always decorated with an original art … Read all

Plitvice Lakes National Park

From the series “Top 15 Most Fantastic Creations of Nature”
In Croatia, there is the unique Plitvice Lakes National Park. Its marvelous landscapes are impressive. The reserve was founded in 1949. Now, it is the largest national park in the country. As you might guess from the name, the main feature of the park are lovely lakes located on its territory. Ponds lying in the complex mountainous terrain form wonderful cascades with waterfalls and mysterious caves.

It’s important to note that you can admire picturesque lakes not only in summer, but also in winter, when ponds and waterfalls are frozen and snow-covered. The national park will appeal to nature lovers, who will have an opportunity to stroll through the birch and fir forests, observe rare birds, and see other typical representatives of the local fauna. The national park owes its marvelous … Read all
All unique sightseeing Croatia
 
Reference information
Map of all parks
National and city parks of Croatia
♥   Forest Park 'Brdo Soline' . On the map   Photos
♥   National Park 'Brijuni' . On the map   Photos
♥   Forest Park 'Busoler' . On the map   Photos
♥   Forest Park 'Dravska šuma' . On the map   Photos
♥   Forest Park 'Golubinjak' . On the map   Photos
Map of all Michelin restaurants
Michelin-starred restaurants in Croatia
♥   Restaurant 'Mano' Zagreb. Type - Meats|Modern cuisine. On the map   Photos
♥   Restaurant 'Meneghetti' Bale. Type - Classic cuisine. On the map   Photos
♥   Restaurant 'Monte' Rovinj. Type - Creative. On the map   Photos
♥   Restaurant 'Mundoaka' Zagreb. Type - International. On the map   Photos
♥   Restaurant 'Nautika' Dubrovnik. Type - Classic cuisine. On the map   Photos
Map of all castles
Castles of Croatia
♥   Castle 'Drivenik Castle' . On the map   Photos
♥   Castle 'Dubovac Castle Croatia' . On the map   Photos
♥   Castle 'Dvigrad' . On the map   Photos
♥   Castle 'Eltz Manor Croatia' . On the map   Photos
♥   Castle 'Fortress Kastel' . On the map   Photos

Sightseeing in popular cities of Croatia

Dubrovnik
The Pile City Gate (Gradska Vrata Pile). The Pile Gate is the main entrance to the ancient part of the city. The gates were built in 1537, and served as a defensive structure. The Arcade Bay, which is built in the Renaissance style, is the location of the sculpture of ... Read further »
Split
St. Dominic church is a real pearl of the city. The first mention of it dates back to the 13th century. The exact date of the foundation of the church is unknown. Well, one theory is, it was built in 1217 by the Dominicans, who founded their own monastery in this place. ... Read further »
Hvar
Each of the island cities has its incomparable historical symbols. The main attraction of Jelsa is St. Michael Church. The city itself was formed in the 14th century. The church was one of the first buildings here. The first houses were built in the vicinity of the ... Read further »
Zadar
Nature lovers will be able to visit the charming Paklenica National Park. Its main value is the swift mountain rivers. Their shores have a series of beautiful rock formations. The height of some rocks is more than 700 meters. In the park, there are several beautiful ... Read further »
Zagreb
In the city, many beautiful old churches were preserved. One of the most picturesque is the St. Mark’s Church. The miniature church of the 13th century has been one of the main symbols of the city for more than 700 years. The coat of arms of Zagreb has been laid out ... Read further »
Porec
A unique ancient sight is the Great Temple, which is usually considered as a single historic ensemble with the nearby Temple of Neptune built almost 2,000 years ago. The old temples were built by stacking huge stones on top of each other. It's a wonder these buildings ... Read further »
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