Highlights

With six UNESCO World Heritage Sites (just for starters), Croatia is packed with mouthwatering destinations, from Pula and Rovinj in the north to Cavtat in the south. Tourism authorities emphasize there are two basic regions, the Mediterranean (Adriatic) coast, and the "continental region", essentially everything else, with differing weather and geographical ambience.

With over one thousand islands (many unnamed and only 50 inhabited), reefs and cliffs, Croatia is proud of its 1,104 miles of Adriatic coast. Just one example: beautiful and popular Hvar, which calls itself the Island of Lavender, famous also for the accompanying honey made by bees who adore those flowers.

Having adopted Christianity in the eight century, Croatians began to build hundreds of churches, that being their chief contribution to the saga of European architecture. Among the most important are the Split Cathedral, the Sibenik Cathedral, the Church of the Holy Cross in Nin, St. Euphrasius' Basilica in Porec and the Hvar Cathedral.

Events

The 7th International Festival of Student Theatre & Multimedia Arts will be held in Zagreb from April 4 to 9, 2006. From June 27 to July 3, 2006, Zagreb also sees the 20th Eurokaz International Festival of New Theatre. The capital also hosts the 40th International Folklore Review from July 19 through 23, 2006 and the 39th International Festival of Puppet Theatre from September 1 through 8. In Split, note the 11th Split Film Festival from September 9 through 16, 2006.

In July and August, the whole of Dubrovnik, it seems, is turned over to the Summer Festival, with its palaces, churches and squares transformed into stages for theater, music and folklore performances.

The 150th anniversary of the birth of Nicola Tesla, a pioneer in electrical innovation and the inventor of alternating current, will take place in 2006.

Outdoors

Bird lovers should head for the Kopacki Rit Nature Park, said to be the last untouched nesting site of wading birds in Europe. Sailors should give thanks for Kornati National Park, with some 140 uninhabited islands and islets, said to be the most indented archipelago in the Mediterranean. Climbers might enjoy Velebit, which is both a World Biosphere Reserve and a national park.

For sheer beauty, you can't beat the Plitvice Lakes, a sequence of 16 bodies of water connected by numerous waterfalls, near the main road connecting Zagreb and Dalmatia. This is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site and a national park as well.

Cuisine

A meeting place for food in the traditions of Italy, Hungary, Austria and Turkey, Croatian cuisine is laced with many favorites that include smoked ham, sheep's cheese, paprika-flavored salami, fish stews and more. Red wines from the seacoast area include merlot, cabernet, plavac and the white favorites are pinot and muscat.

A sensational local dish is pasticada (noodles), as well as njoki, (potato dumplings) in special beef or veal stew, but don't overlook grilled lamb, salted sardines or krostule, a traditional fried pastry.

Croatia is home to a rare white truffle, while its fresh shellfish farms are considered top rate. Many agro tourist estates produce their own olive oils, cheese, wine, prosciutto and other local favorites. You can stay in their traditional farmhouses, which have been renovated and remodeled to handle a small number of guests. You may wish to join in the cooking, bread making, even harvesting of grapes, if you are so inclined.

You can't get better in Dalmatia than asking for local fish grilled over charcoal, the most popular varieties being mackerel, sardines, red snapper and bream. Throughout the country, popular dessert is pancakes (palacinke)

Accommodations

Throughout Croatia, you can find accommodations ranging from private B&Bs, to economy priced hotels, to luxury hotels and villas.

In Dubrovnik, there are many different types of lodgings, from luxury 5-star hotels, to more affordable private accommodations. Hotel Argentina and its villas, as well as Hotel Pucic Palace, are the most upscale properties in Dubrovnik.

In Split, hotels Park and President are among the best.

In Zagreb, the leading hotels are Regent Esplanade, the Sheraton and the Westin, but there are many other hotels available if you are on a budget and looking for a less expensive stay.

Major Destinations

Dubrovnik

Blessed with more than 12 hours of sunshine per day in July (and 2774 hours per year, on average), this prima donna of Croatian cities claims its sea water is the "clearest and cleanest in all of the Mediterranean." Since 1897, it has been welcoming visitors, and it is now fully recovered from the effects of war in the last decade of the 20th century. Within the city walls are 17 churches, monasteries and one of the oldest synagogues in Europe, to quantify the architectural delights awaiting a visitor.

Highlights of this World Cultural Heritage Site (the site encompasses the entire walled city, in fact), are walking atop the city walls, dating back to the 13th century (takes about an hour, closed at night); and visits to at least three of the most important structures in town: the Bishops' Palace (dating back to the 15th century); St. Blaise's Church (18th century) and the Cathedral of Our Lady (17th century). If time permits, see also the Maritime Museum. But most fun is to be had just strolling the streets, stopping for refreshments or a meal, and experiencing it all in a leisurely fashion. (Walking from one city gate to another along Placa, the main street, incidentally, will take you through four different architectural periods, from Romanesque and Gothic to Renaissance and Baroque.)

Outside Dubrovnik and Split proper, more than one hundred small towns, villages and islands along the Dalmatian and Istrian coasts bear testament to the Roman and Venetian heritage, evoking thoughts of Venice in Rovinj's tower, perhaps, or of Sienna in the cathedrals of Hvar or Korcula.

Split

About 1,700 years ago, the Roman emperor Diocletian (himself a native of Dalmatia) put Split on the map when he built his residential palace here, the town growing up around his huge home. The huge palace itself has been added to over the centuries, and many parts have collapsed, but his abode, now incorporating several streets of the city, remains one of the most fascinating grouping of buildings in the world. The southern gate overlooked the sea, affording anchorage for ships in older days, but the northern (Golden) gate was the primary entrance to the palace. The palace and city center are listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

Other highlights include the Cathedral of St. Dominius, which was a shrine to Diocletian as far back as the third century; the Mestrovic Gallery with a bountiful display of the sculptor's works; and the Museum of Croatian Archeology, with religious art dating back some 13 centuries.

Zagreb

Head immediately for the Upper Town, the heart of Zagreb, with its crowded streets, coffee shops, pubs, clubs, squares, boutiques, markets and fairs. Much of the city's beauty is owed to the Baroque period (c.1590 to 1725), followed by the Classicist and Secessionist periods. The city has over a million residents today, compared to under 100,000 then.

Among highlights of the capital are the gorgeous Lower Town 19th-century National Theatre; and in the Upper Town, the Cathedral of the Assumption (dating back to the 13th century); St. Mark's Church (ditto); the Stone Gate (also 13th century); and Ban Jelacic Square (19th century). In the Lower Town also is the Mimara Museum, a formerly private art collection of a Croatian emigrant who donated his paintings and artifacts to the state before his death in 1987.

Elsewhere

Up on the Istrian Peninsula, Pula is famous for its magnificent Arena, dating back to the first century, the second largest such amphitheater in the Roman Empire and one of the best preserved of such structures anywhere. Further south, try to see Trogir, a self-contained little town on its own island, with towers and walls of Dalmatian stone, set in an azure sea. And do not miss Hvar, a glorious island not far from Split, where you can take a short hike, have a good lunch, and drink in the mild sea air on what locals say is "the sunniest island in the Adriatic," with over 2700 hours of sunshine annually, similar to Dubrovnik.

Getting There

Nearly 60 tour operators in the USA and 11 in Canada offered packages to Croatia in 2005, with as many expected to do so in 2006. In addition, eight more tour operators offered religious tours. Cruise lines and yacht chartering agencies offering Croatia in 2005 numbered 27, and there were 22 airline consolidating agencies in North America with deals to this country. Contact the Croatian NTO (see below) for details.

As Croatian Airlines does not yet cross the Atlantic, you can make your way to one of the nine international airports in the country via Frankfurt, London, Paris or other European capitals.

Tourist Office Contacts

You can get more information about this beautiful country from the Croatian National Tourist Office in New York, located at 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4003, New York, NY 10118, phone 212/279-8672 or 800/829-4416. Email them at cntony@earthlink.net or visit their website, www.croatia.hr.