Croatia Regions
The most beautiful jewel of Croatian cultural heritage
The most beautiful jewel of Croatian cultural heritage, the Old City of Dubrovnik, is situated in the extreme south of the sunniest tourist region of Dalmatia - the Dubrovnik Region. The region is made up of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, which stretches across the coastline. This is where Dubrovnik is the most important, but by no means the only cultural pearl. There is the home of Marco Polo, on the Island of Korčula, the green islands of Mljet, Lastovo and Elafiti Islands and their picturesque villages, the Pelješac peninsula with its vineyards and captain's homes, the magic valley of Konavle, and the fertile delta of the Neretva river.
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- Written by: Orsat Munitic
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Three major cultural landmarks under UNESCO protection and much more
The largest tourist region of Dalmatia is the part around its largest city, Split, which only includes the Split-Dalmatia County. It is the heart and the centre of Dalmatia, where most of its inhabitants live, and where the main Dalmatian islands and the most beautiful beaches are located. This is also where the most valuable cultural monuments and four of the seven Croatian sites declared as World Heritage by UNESCO are - the historic centre of Split with Diocletian's Palace, the historical town of Trogir, and Starogradsko polje on the island of Hvar. If it is Dalmatia, as many say, which portrays the real pristine Mediterranean, it is precisely its central part around Split that is the heart of the Mediterranean.
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- Written by: Orsat Munitic
- Category: Croatia Regions
Zadar Region is famous for its cultural heritage, historic monuments and surrounding islands
The origin of early Croatian culture Dalmatia is the largest and the most famous historic region of Croatia. It occupies the southern part of Croatia and it is an area of sun, warm sea, olives, wine, fish, poems and picturesque villages with houses made of stone, the real pristine Mediterranean. It is culturally the richest part of Croatia, in which five of the six sites are protected as World Heritage by UNESCO. Since Dalmatia is often reached from the north, we are welcomed by the first of four Dalmatian tourist regions, the Dalmatia - Zadar region, which includes the Zadar County.
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- Written by: Orsat Munitic
- Category: Croatia Regions
Kvarner is one of Croatia’s most geographically varied regions, where the Adriatic coast and islands meet the forested mountains of Gorski Kotar. Its main destinations include Rijeka, Opatija, Krk, Cres, Lošinj and Rab, while the inland region offers hiking, lakes, forests and a very different climate from the coast.
Kvarner is particularly interesting for travelers who want to combine historic resort towns, island beaches, maritime heritage, Glagolitic culture, mountain landscapes and food within one region. For a broader introduction to the country, see the Croatia Travel Guide.
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- Written by: Orsat Munitic
- Category: Croatia Regions
Istria is Croatia’s largest peninsula and one of the country’s most distinctive travel regions. Its appeal comes from the contrast between the Adriatic coast—home to places such as Rovinj, Poreč and Pula—and the inland landscape of vineyards, olive groves, truffle forests and medieval hill towns such as Motovun, Grožnjan and Buzet.
Centuries of Roman, Venetian, Habsburg, Italian, Slavic and Central European influence have left Istria with a culture, architecture and cuisine that feel noticeably different from southern Dalmatia. Roman monuments, Venetian bell towers, early Christian mosaics, hilltop fortifications, Malvazija wine, olive oil and truffles are all part of the same regional identity.
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- Written by: Orsat Munitic
- Category: Croatia Regions
The Šibenik Region, officially Šibenik-Knin County, combines one of Croatia’s most important historic coastal cities with two national parks, a chain of inhabited islands, resort towns, vineyards and a dramatic inland landscape stretching toward Knin and the Dinara mountains.
The region is especially strong for travelers who want to combine Šibenik’s UNESCO heritage, Krka National Park, Kornati National Park, Primošten, Murter and the Dalmatian hinterland without covering huge distances.
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- Written by: Orsat Munitic
- Category: Croatia Regions
The Lika and Karlovac Region brings together two of Croatia’s most rewarding areas for nature, road trips and outdoor travel. Lika is a mountainous landscape of forests, karst rivers and the Velebit range, while Karlovac County is defined by historic frontier towns, castles and some of Croatia’s most beautiful rivers.
The region includes Plitvice Lakes National Park, Northern Velebit National Park, Karlovac, Rastoke and Slunj, Gospić and Nikola Tesla’s birthplace at Smiljan, the Gacka Valley, Senj and Ogulin. It is particularly well suited to travelers driving between Zagreb and the Adriatic coast.
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- Written by: Orsat Munitic
- Category: Croatia Regions