Mljet National Park

Croatia

　　Covering 5400 hectares of land and sea at the western end of the island of Mljet, this national park offers shady walking and cycling tracks, a ruggedly beautiful coastline, ancient ruins and saltwater lakes. The main hubs are the villages of Pomena and Polače, which buzz with visitors on summer...

Euphrasian Basilica

Croatia

　　Top billing in Poreč goes to the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, a World Heritage Site and one of Europe’s finest intact examples of Byzantine art. Built on the site of a 4th-century oratory, the complex includes a church, an atrium and a baptistery. The glittering 6th-century mosaics in the apse of...

Zlatni Rat

Croatia

　　Zlatni Rat, Croatia's most photographed beach, extends like a tongue into the sea for about a quarter of a mile (400m). Despite the hype and constant crowds, the golden cape is a gorgeous place. Made up of smooth white pebbles, its elegant tip is constantly shuffled by the wind and waves....

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

　　By far Croatia's top natural attraction and the absolute highlight of Croatia's Adriatic hinterland, the Plitvice Lakes National Park is a glorious expanse of forested hills and turquoise lakes. Within the boundaries of this heavily forested national park, 16 crystalline lakes tumble into each other via a series of waterfalls...

Aquarium Terrarium Šibenik

Šibenik-Knin Region

　　A useful rainy-day diversion for the kids, this little aquarium has a display of local and tropical fish, along with crabs, lobsters, rays, small sharks and the odd (very odd…) octopus. ...

St John's Church

Šibenik-Knin Region

　　Dating from the end of the 15th century, this church is a fine example of Gothic-Renaissance architecture, but sadly the interior has mouldering paintwork and a rather unloved feel. It's officially closed to visitors, but you can peek in when the door is open. ...

Medieval Monastery Mediterranean Garden

Šibenik-Knin Region

　　Designed and completed by award-winning landscape artist Dragutin Kiš, this tiny recreated medieval garden has a formal layout, with herbs and medicinal plants in neat borders between pathways in the shape of a cross. The attached cafe is a pleasant place to stop for an ice-cream sundae or coffee and...

Šibenik City Museum

Šibenik-Knin Region

　　Housed in the 17th-century Rector’s Palace, this well-curated museum focuses on the city and its surrounds. The permanent collection of artefacts dating from prehistory to the end of the Venetian period is split into four clear periods. There are English translations throughout and the odd bit of video to spice...

St Michael's Fortress

Šibenik-Knin Region

　　Clamber up to the battlements of this large medieval fort for magnificent views – particularly impressive at sunset – over Šibenik, the Krk River and the Adriatic islands. Parts of the fortress date to the 13th century, but the surviving shell has been shored up with a polished-concrete understructure and...

St Francis' Church

Šibenik-Knin Region

　　The Franciscan monastery's mammoth church dates from the end of the 14th century. It has fine frescoes and an array of Venetian baroque paintings, but the highlight is the painted wooden ceiling, dating from 1674. It's the principal shrine of St Nikola Tavilić, a Franciscan missionary who became the first...

St James' Cathedral

Šibenik-Knin Region

　　The crowning architectural glory of the Dalmatian coast and the undisputed masterpiece of its principal designer, Juraj Dalmatinac, this World Heritage Site is worth a detour to see. It was constructed entirely of stone quarried from the islands of Brač, Korčula, Rab and Krk, and is reputed to be the...

Tržnica

Pula

　　City life in Pula revolves around its gorgeous 1903 succession-style market building, and the produce stalls and cafes that surround it. ...

Lighting Giants

Pula

　　Don't miss Pula's star evening attraction, an amazing lighting display at the city's 19th-century Uljanik shipyard, one of the world's oldest working docks. Renowned lighting designer Dean Skira has lit up the shipyard's iconic cranes in 16,000 different colour schemes, which come alive on the hour for 15 minutes. ...

St Francis' Monastery & Church

Pula

　　Built in 1285, Pula's Franciscan monastery has an extraordinary 15th-century gilded altarpiece behind the altar of its cavernous church – but that's not its only, or even its oldest, treasure. Set into the floor of a Gothic chamber accessed via the Romanesque cloister is a Roman mosaic featuring a hippocampus...

Arch of the Sergii

Pula

　　Also known as the Golden Gate (Zlatna vrata), this majestic arch was erected around 27 BC to commemorate three brothers from the Sergius family who fought in the naval battle of Actium (where the future emperor Augustus defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra). It stood at the entrance to the Roman...

Istria Historical & Maritime Museum

Pula

　　Since ancient times the 34m hill at the centre of Pula's old town has been fortified. The current star-shaped fortress was built by the Venetians in the 1630s. It's now a moody backdrop to exhibitions on an eclectic range of historic themes (the antifascist struggle and a local boxing club...

Pula Aquarium

Pula

　　Not just any fish tank, this extraordinary aquarium occupies an entire 19th-century military fort – one of 55 built to defend the Austro-Hungarian Empire's main naval base. There are even sharks in an old artillery unit. The displays are well laid out and themed, with an emphasis on environmental issues....

Temple of Augustus

Pula

　　Fronted by a high porch supported by six Corinthian columns, this small but perfectly proportioned temple was built sometime between 2 BC and AD 14. It survived the Christian era by being converted into a church, only for it to be destroyed by a bomb in 1944. The subsequent stone-by-stone...

Roman Amphitheatre

Pula

　　Pula’s most famous and imposing sight is this 1st-century oval amphitheatre, overlooking the harbour northeast of the old town. It's a huge and truly magnificent structure, slotted together entirely from local limestone and known locally as the Arena. Designed to host gladiatorial contests and seating up to 20,000 spectators, it...

Petar Kružić Stairway

Rijeka

　　To follow in pilgrims’ footsteps to Our Lady of Trsat, climb this stairway from Titov trg, built in 1531 for the faithful on their way to the church. The steep stairs are lined with chapels dedicated to saints; the chapels were once used as pilgrims' rest stops. ...

City Tower

Rijeka

　　One of the few buildings to have survived the 1750 earthquake, the distinctive yellow City Tower was originally a gate from the waterfront to the old town centre. The Habsburgs added the baroque decorations after the disaster, including the portal with coats of arms and busts of emperors. The still-functioning...

Astronomical Centre

Rijeka

　　High on a hill east of the city, Croatia’s first astronomical centre is a striking modern complex encompassing an observatory, a planetarium and a study centre. Check the website for details of evening presentations, some of which are held in English, Italian, French, German, Russian and Spanish. To get here,...

Natural History Museum

Rijeka

　　Located in a very grand 19th-century villa, this museum is devoted to the geology, botany and sea life of the Adriatic area. There’s a small aquarium, exhibits on sharks, taxidermic animals and lots of insects. Don’t miss the adjacent botanical garden, with more than 2000 native plant species. ...

Maritime & History Museum

Rijeka

　　The star of this museum is the building itself, the former palace of the Austro-Hungarian governor. It's a splendid showcase of Hungarian architecture, with grand staircases, glittering chandeliers and many sumptuously restored rooms. The maritime collection includes Roman amphorae, model ships, sea charts, navigation instruments and portraits of captains; little...

St Vitus' Cathedral

Rijeka

　　North of Rijeka's Roman Arch is this unusual round cathedral, built by the Jesuit order in 1638 on the site of an older church and dedicated to Rijeka’s patron saint. If it looks familiar, it's probably because it features on the reverse of the 100KN note. Massive marble pillars support...

Our Lady of Trsat Church

Rijeka

　　According to legend, the angels carrying the house of Jesus' mother from Nazareth rested here in the late 13th century before moving it to Loreto across the Adriatic in Le Marche. Pilgrims started trickling into the chapel erected on the site, and then pouring in when the Pope donated an...

Trsat Castle

Rijeka

　　High on a hill above the city, this semiruined 13th-century fortress offers magnificent vistas from its bastions and ramparts, looking down the Rječina River valley to the docks, the Adriatic and the distant island of Krk. The present structure was built by the Frankopan dukes of Krk, but its latest...

Museum of Ancient Glass

Zadar

　　It's baffling that a medium as delicate as glass could survive the earthquakes and wars that have plagued this region over the millennia, but this impressive museum has thousands of objects on display: goblets, jars, vials, jewellery and amulets. Many of the larger glass urns were removed from the local...

Narodni trg

Zadar

　　Traditionally the centre of public life, this pretty little square is constantly abuzz with chatter from its many cafe-bars. The western side is dominated by the late-Renaissance City Guard building, dating from 1562; the clock tower was added under the Austrian administration in 1798. Public proclamations and judgments were announced...

St Anastasia's Cathedral

Zadar

　　Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, Zadar's cathedral has a richly decorated facade and an impressive three-nave interior with the remains of frescoes in the side apses. The cathedral was badly bombed during WWII and has since been reconstructed. On the altar in the left apse is a marble...

St Simeon’s Church

Zadar

　　While this 17th-century baroque church is pretty enough, it's what lies inside that makes it truly noteworthy. Taking pride of place above the main altar, the sarcophagus of St Simeon is a masterpiece of medieval goldsmithery. Commissioned in 1377, the coffin is made of cedar and covered inside and out...

St Donatus' Church

Zadar

　　Dating from the beginning of the 9th century, this unusual circular Byzantine-style church was named after the bishop who commissioned it. As one of only a handful of buildings from the early Croatian kingdom to have survived the Mongol invasion of the 13th century, it's a particularly important cultural relic....

Roman Forum

Zadar

　　One of the most intriguing things about Zadar is the way Roman ruins seem to sprout randomly from the city's streets. Nowhere is this more evident than at the site of the ancient Forum, constructed between the 1st century BC and the 3rd century AD. As in Roman times, it's...

Sea Organ

Zadar

　　Zadar’s incredible Sea Organ, designed by local architect Nikola Bašić, is unique. Set within the perforated stone stairs that descend into the sea is a system of pipes and whistles that exudes wistful sighs when the movement of the sea pushes air through it. The effect is hypnotic, the mellifluous...

Sun Salutation

Zadar

　　Another wacky and wonderful creation by Nikola Bašić (the local architect who designed the nearby Sea Organ), this 22m-wide circle set into the pavement is filled with 300 multilayered glass plates that collect the sun’s energy during the day. Together with the wave energy that makes the Sea Organ’s sound,...

Trg Bana Jelačića

Zagreb

　　Zagreb’s main orientation point and its geographic heart is Trg Bana Jelačića – it's where most people arrange to meet up. If you enjoy people-watching, sit in one of the cafes and watch the tramloads of people getting out, greeting each other and dispersing among the newspaper- and flower-sellers. 　　The...

Lotrščak Tower

Zagreb

　　Lotrščak Tower was built in the middle of the 13th century to protect the south city gate. Normally you can enter and climb up to the top for a sweeping 360-degree view of the city, but it was closed for extensive restoration work in 2018, with no date set for...

Croatian Association of Artists

Zagreb

　　East of the centre, this gallery is housed in one of the few architectural works by Ivan Meštrović and has a busy and diverse rolling program of exhibitions and events throughout the year. It's a must on the art circuit of Zagreb; check out what's on while you're in town....

Funicular Railway

Zagreb

　　This very short, and steep, funicular railway line, constructed in 1888, connects the Lower and Upper Towns of Zagreb. ...

Dolac Market

Zagreb

　　Right in the heart of the city, Zagreb’s bustling fruit and vegetable market has been trader-central since the 1930s when the city authorities set up a market space on the 'border' between the Upper and Lower Towns. Sellers from all over Croatia descend here daily to hawk fresh produce. 　　The...

Croatian Museum of Naïve Art

Zagreb

　　A feast for fans of Croatia’s naive art (a form that was highly fashionable locally and worldwide during the 1960s and ’70s and has declined somewhat since), this small museum displays 80 artworks (a smidgen of the museum's total 1900 holdings) that illustrate the full range of colourful, and often...

Mirogoj

Zagreb

　　A 10-minute ride north of the city centre (or a 30-minute walk through leafy streets) takes you to one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Europe, sited at the base of Mt Medvednica. It was designed in 1876 by Austrian-born architect Herman Bollé, who created numerous buildings around Zagreb. The...

Museum of Broken Relationships

Zagreb

　　From romances that withered to broken family connections, this wonderfully quirky museum explores the mementos left over after a relationship ends. Displayed amid a string of all-white rooms are donations from around the globe, each with a story attached. Exhibits range from the hilarious (the toaster someone nicked so their...

Marjan Forest Park

Split

　　Looming up to 178m over Split's western fringes, this nature reserve occupies a big space in Split's psyche. The views over the city and surrounding islands are extraordinary, and the shady paths provide a welcome reprieve from both the heat and the summertime tourist throngs. Trails pass through fragrant pine...

Meštrović Gallery

Split

　　At this stellar art museum you’ll see a comprehensive, well-arranged collection of works by Ivan Meštrović, Croatia’s premier modern sculptor, who built the grand mansion as a personal residence in the 1930s. Although Meštrović intended to retire here, he emigrated to the USA soon after WWII. Admission includes entry to...