As Croatia celebrates its 23 years of independence, we take you around this little gem of the Adriatic. Full of amazing historical treasures and stunning beaches Croatia is a place that will fulfil your appetite for wonders.
Our first stop is Diocletian’s Palace; it faces the Split harbour and is one of the most striking roman ruins you will ever see. However, this is no ordinary palace; it is in fact the living heart of the city with people bars, shops and restaurants filling its labyrinth streets. Its narrow streets hide passageways and courtyards that are either deserted or filled with music from the restaurants and bars.
Within the palace boundaries, there are 220 buildings home to about 3000 people. Each street has small sign at its beginning and end marking to mark what you will find along, although getting lost within the grounds isn’t so bad as you’ll be able to find your way out of this enchanting place very easily.
The original structure of the palace was built from lustrous white stone from the island of Brač, and Diocletian spared no expense, importing marble from Greece and Italy, sphinxes and columns from Egypt. The entire palace structure covers 31,000 sq metres.
As far as islands go we can safely say that Hvar Island is one of the most beautiful within Crotia and a required stop for restless international trend-spotters looking for the latest island paradise. Hvar is the sunniest and greenest of the Croatian islands, receiving a whopping 2724 hours of sunshine each year. All around, you will see a stunning panorama of lavender fields, peaceful villages and pine-covered hills.
While the medieval Hvar town was under Venetian rule they developed fine stone-carving skills that resulted in an abundance of beautifully ornamented buildings, which explains why you will be reminded of Venice when you visit the fine Hvar Town.
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Walk through the main town gate of Hvar town and through a network of tiny streets till you reach a park which you will climb up to reach the citadel built on the site of a medieval castle to defend the town from the Turks. The citadel was strengthened by the Venetians in 1557 and then renovated by the Austrians in the 19th century. Inside you will find a collection of ancient amphorae recovered from the seabed. However, nothing compares to the spectacular view over the harbour, something you have to experience first-hand.
If you feel like visiting a museum, we recommend going to War Photo Limited in Dubrovnik. War Photo Limited is an immensely powerful state-of-the-art photographic gallery, which has beautifully displayed and reproduced exhibitions curated by photojournalist Wade Goddard, who worked in the Balkans in the 1990s.
War Photo’s intention is to expose the myth of war and to let people see war as it is, raw, venal, frightening, by focusing on how war inflicts injustices on innocents and combatants alike. War Photo achieves this completely with is captivating, compelling and emotive imagery that reveal the consequences of conflict.
While you’re in Dubrovnik we urge take a stroll around the spectacular city walls. The walls were built between the 13th and 6th centuries and are still intact today, making them Dubrovnik’s main claim to fame. The views over the town and sea are beyond amazing and something you don’t want to miss out on, as it’ll be a highlight of your visit to Croatia.
Zlatni Rat is a simply stunning beach made up of smooth white pebbles and shaped like a tongue extending out into the sea. The beach is very populated during the high season as people come over to soak up the sun and windsurf. The setting is one of the loveliest in Dalmatia with Pine trees providing shade and rocky cliffs rising sharply behind the beach.
Venture over to Šibenik, where you will find Juraj Dalmatinac’s masterpiece, The Cathedral of St James. This cathedral is the crowning glory of the Dalmatian coast and a World Heritage Site. Apart from its obvious magnificence, the cathedral has other stunning and unique features like the frieze of 71 heads on the exterior walls of the apses. These portraits almost look like caricatures as they display different expressions, but they are in fact depictions of ordinary 15th-century citizens. As the cathedral cost a large amount of money to construct it has been said that the stingier the individual the grosser the caricature.
Although the cathedral is Dalmatinac’s masterpiece he was not the first (nor the last) architect to work on the cathedral. Construction actual began in 1431 but after 10 years of dealing with various Venetian builders, the city chose Dalmatinac, a Zadar native, who then increased the size of it and also transformed it into a transitional Gothic-Renaissance style cathedral.
If you’re into water sports you have to experience diving at the underwater marine park of the Kornati Islands, which offers visitors exceptional diving in pellucid waters, with steep drop-offs and numerous caves. There are also two dive schools in the neighbouring bay of Zaglav: Dive Kroatien and Kornati Diver.
Lesic Dimitri Palace not only has beautiful rooms, but is also home to Korčula’s finest restaurant. The LD restaurant offers a modern and well-executed menu filled with delicious dishes.
Enjoy your food in a magnificent setting right above the water whilst sipping your personally selected wine to accompany each course of your meal. We recommend starting with a bite-sized crostini topped with delectable combinations of ingredients and then moving on to a spicy Slavonian sausage stew, sea bass or Pag Lamb.
If you are considering Croatia or another dream destination for your next vacation, why not drop us a line at info@roomsuggestion.com to help us book you your dream holiday with highly negotiated near-corporate rates? All you need to do is send us your ideal destinations, group size and preferences and we will take it from there to make this autumn the best ever yet.
