croatia
About croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Southeast Europe. The capital of Croatia, Dubrovnik, is famous for featuring in the hit television show, Game of Thrones and it’s glorious sunshine, beautiful old towns and breathtaking view-points, attract tourists from all corners of the globe.
© Ben Lowes, Dubrovnik, Croatia
DUBROVNIK
Dubrovnik is a city in southern Croatia fronting the Adriatic Sea. It's known for its distinctive Old Town, encircled with massive stone walls completed in the 16th century. Its well-preserved buildings range from baroque St. Blaise Church to Renaissance Sponza Palace and Gothic Rector’s Palace, now a history museum. Paved with limestone, the pedestrianized Stradun (or Placa) is lined with shops and restaurants.
© Ben Lowes, Hvar, Croatia
HVAR
Hvar, a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, is best known as a summer resort. Highlights of the port town Hvar include its 13th-century walls, a hilltop fortress and a main square anchored by the Renaissance-era Hvar Cathedral. The island also features beaches such as Dubovica and inland lavender fields. Boat excursions serve the nearby Pakleni Islands, which have secluded beaches and coves.
© Ben Lowes, Korcula, Ctoatia
korčula
Korčula is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. This island is known for its dense forest and the ancient Greeks called the island “Black Korčula” (Kerkyra melaina) for this reason. The main resorts are Korcula Town (people call it “Little Dubrovnik” because of its medieval squares, churches, palaces and houses), Vela Luka and Lumbarda.
© Ben Lowes, Plitvice National Park, Croatia
Plitviče Lakes
Plitviče Lakes National Park is a 295-sq.-km forest reserve in central Croatia. It's known for a chain of 16 terraced lakes, joined by waterfalls, that extend into a limestone canyon. Walkways and hiking trails wind around and across the water, and an electric boat links the 12 upper and 4 lower lakes. The latter are the site of Veliki Slap, a 78m-high waterfall.
© Ben Lowes, Split, Croatia
split
Split is the second-largest city of Croatia and the largest city of the region of Dalmatia, with about 250,000 people living in its urban area. It lies on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea and is spread over a central peninsula and its surroundings.
© Ben Lowes, Zagreb, Croatia
ZAGREB
Zagreb, Croatia’s northwestern capital, is distinguished by its 18th- and 19th-century Austro-Hungarian architecture. At its centre, Upper Town is the site of the Gothic, twin-spired Zagreb Cathedral and 13th-century St. Mark’s Church, with a colourfully tiled roof. Nearby is pedestrian-friendly Tkalčićeva Street, lined with outdoor cafes. Lower Town has the main square, Ban Jelačić, plus shops, museums and parks.
© Ben Lowes, Pula, Croatia
Pula
Pula, a seafront city on the tip of Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula, is known for its protected harbor, beach-lined coast and Roman ruins. Settled in the prehistoric era and valued for its strategic location, Pula has been occupied, destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. The Romans, Ostrogoths and Venetians, as well as the Allied Forces in World War II, have each administered the city.
© Ben Lowes, Rovinj, Croatia
Rovinj
Rovinj is a Croatian fishing port on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula. The old town stands on a headland, with houses tightly crowded down to the seafront. A tangle of cobbled streets leads to the hilltop church of St. Euphemia, whose towering steeple dominates the skyline. South of the old town is Lone Bay, one of the area’s pebble beaches. The Rovinj archipelago’s 14 islands lie immediately off the mainland.
© Ben Lowes, Zadar, Croatia
ZADAR
Zadar, a city on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, is known for the Roman and Venetian ruins of its peninsular Old Town. There are several Venetian gates in the city walls. Surrounding the Roman-era Forum is 11th-century St. Mary’s Convent, with religious art dating to the 8th century. There’s also the grand, 12th-century St. Anastasia’s Cathedral and the round, 9th-century pre-Romanesque Church of St. Donatus.