ZAGREBThe capital of Croatia and its only city with l million or more people. Save the $60 taxi fare from the airport and take the clean and modern airport-to-city bus right into the center city, just $10. From there you can walk 30 meters into the terminal and buy a ticket to anywhere from Split and Dubrovnik on the coast to Pula in Istria—clean, fast, frequent and cheap. Zagreb is a wonderful walking city, filled with rich history, charming café-filled streets and more shoe stores than you have ever seen in your life! The city centre has an upper town: Gornji Grad and Donji Grad the Lower Town, which meet at Trg Bana Jelačića, the main square. Gornji Grad is made up of wonderful cobble-stone streets and buildings dating from medieval times up to the 19th century, including the katedrala (cathedral), Crkva Svetog Marka (St Marks' Church), the Sabor (Croatian parliament), the Meštrović Atelier (Croatia’s most celebrated artist) and Dolac an incredible open-air market not to be missed (the fresh fish market is in its own building next to the market and under the market is a sprawling enclosed cheese, bread and meat market. Donji Grad is filled with a series of green squares framed by Austro-Hungarian buildings erected from the late 19th century onwards. But what’s with the incredible nasty graffiti all over town, even on private residences? Zagreb loves arts, theatre and music—but they need to clean up these eyesores. Tourist office
ZADARZadar, the place where Maraschino cherry liqueur comes from, is Croatia’s rising star. With 75,000 people, it’s Croatia’s fifth largest city, but it has only half as many who live in Rijeka, Croatia’s third largest. Despite its small size, it has its own busy little airport with direct connections to lot of European cities and a seaport that’s luring in a lot more cruise ships. A big reason why Zadar is so popular is that it’s smack in the very middle of the Adriatic coast--surrounded by four National Parks, Paklenica mountain, fabulous Krka waterfalls, Lake Vrana, Croatia’s largest, and amazing offshore islands that offer vastly different experiences than like those in Dalmatia.. Its rich heritage is also impressive—the old town, located on its own peninsula, is crowned by the city’s most famous symbol, the 9th century St. Donatus’ Church. Other highlights: Romanesque St. Grisigono's Church from the 12th century; St. Mary's bell tower from 1105; 16th C fortification walls and even a 1st century Roman forum! And then there’s Nikola Bašić, the iconic designer of the city’s world-famous art installations--the Sea Organ (which uses the changing tides to make ethereal sound) and Greeting to the Sun (which filters Zadar’s famous sunsets through glass panels for a dazzling effect). These surreal waterfront installations attract thousands—when you come, be sure to take the nifty two minute Rowboat Taxi from the Liburnian coast to the jetty at “Maraska”, i.e. Diga as it is known. Tourist office
VISThe outermost island off the Dalmatian coast, just 60 miles from the Italian coast, is exactly what you would expect--unspoiled, rugged, rising majestically out of the Adriatic and crowned by its three mountains. Vis has always been an island of fishermen and winegrowers and is loved for its beautiful beaches, nature, ecological agriculture, traditional architecture and as the place where Marshall Tito directed the partisans from his secret cave here during WW2. Komiža, a sweet little village on the south side of the island, is the place that many historians consider to be the cradle of fishing in the Adriatic. The approach is spectacular, with sweeping panoramic views and beautiful light. Be sure to take some photos of Zonkos Palace, a handsome Venetian style villa. And visit the Fishermen’s Museum, originally a fortress built in the 16th century. Tito's Cave is actually two caves reached by stone staircases (200 steps!). Daily ferries from Split—you can do it in a day, but why not plan on spending the night or more?! Tourist office
VODICEVodice is part of the Sibenik Riviera, a growing yachting and sports center that has a lot to offer for people looking to get away from the must-see cities of Split and Dubrovnik further down the Dalmatian coast. With less than 10,000 people and compact, Vodice can get very busy in season, but it has good hotels and lots of apartments to lure vacationers from backpackers to the yachting set. The local marina can handle up to 400 boats, there’s the nearby Krka River, the Kornati archipelago and a piney peninsula to make the area a paradise for naturalists, sailors and sunbathers alike. Just up the coast is Tribunj (you can actually walk there in 40minutes) which is much more quiet and very gorgeous and of course Sibenik, with its UNESCO World Heritage site Cathedral that makes this area even more attractive for sightseeing. Tourist office
VARAŽDINA wonderful European Baroque burg complete with its own castle sitting on the Drava River less than two hours drive from Zagreb. With more than 50,000 people, it’s a hub of economic and cultural significance in the Zagorje and Medimurje regions. Long a traditional farming, viticulture and livestock breeding area, Varazdin is fortunate to have a goodly number of small manufacturing plants to keep the city prosperous without having to rely purely on tourism. The castle, the central part of the town, museums, galleries and collections as well as the Varazdin cemetery, protected as a horticultural monument, are the main tourist attractions. There’s even a unique collection of more than ten thousand stuffed insects in the Herzer Palace! Festivals are a way of life in Croatia and every August is Spancifest, a sprawling outdoor performance festival that attracts five times the city’s population. Another highlight is the Varazdin Baroque Evenings in September, which is considered one of the country’s great musical events. If you like fresh water fishing, the Drava River and Varazdin Lake are great. Foodies will love the cuisine here too--"Varazdin klipici" (a baked yummy) turkey with "mlinci" (pasta), "strukli" (cottage cheese strudel), "zlevka" (traditional folk cake), venison, and stand-out Varazdin wine and local beer, "Knaput". Whether you take the train or the bus or drive here, it’s a great ride through beautiful countryside! Tourist office
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