Croatia vacations

If you watched HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones,’ you’ll recognize dozens of locations in Croatia. The medieval fortifications and narrow streets of Dubrovnik made it a perfect stand-in for King’s Landing, the fictional capital of Westeros. Trsteno Arboretum made a cameo as the palace gardens, and the series’ mysterious House of the Undying was actually the 14th-century Minčeta Tower.

For 40 years, the town of Rijeka has held a Carnival celebration to rival Rio de Janeiro’s. For ten days before Lent, colorful flags, banners and balloons fly over the town. And costumed revelers parade through the streets alongside huge floats, wearing elaborate masks and ringing bells. It’s a wild time, attracting more than 100,000 spectators.

Wine tasting is one of the best things to do in Croatia. Explore everything from delicate white wines made in a former monastery in Slavonia to the red Plavac Mali grapes that grow on the island of Korčula. In places like Dingač, on the Pelješac peninsula, the vines are planted on slopes so steep that the people who pick them have to be suspended by ropes.

Not only does the mainland have hundreds of miles of coastline, but the country also boasts more than 1,000 mostly uninhabited islands. So you’ll never run out of beaches in Croatia to explore. The vibe ranges from the party scene at Zrće Beach on Pag (also known as the ‘Ibiza of Croatia’) to the secluded beauty of Pasjača Beach, near Dubrovnik.

In Lika-Senj County, you’ll find the UNESCO-listed Plitvice Lakes National Park. Croatia’s largest national park features a series of 16 cascading lakes whose crystal-blue waters form spectacular waterfalls. On the southern tip of Istria, the winds are just right for kitesurfing. And the Kopački Rit nature park is a huge wetland occupied by wild boar, otters and 300 varieties of nesting birds.

Eating in Croatia is a delicious adventure that varies by region. In Slavonia, order the fish soup and the ‘kulen,’ a dry, spicy sausage. In Neretva, it’s all about frogs’ legs and eels. Hunted by trained hounds, the white truffles from Istria can sell for as much as €3,000 per kilo, making them the most expensive item served at restaurants in Croatia.

The museums in Croatia range from the ancient to the innovative. The Archaeological Museum in Split transports you from prehistory to the Middle Ages. Rijeka’s Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s cutting-edge works are also worth admiring. For something unique, check out the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb. Visitors from all over the world have contributed objects and stories to the collection.

Croatia has experienced a tourism boom in recent years. Summer is quite popular, as Dubrovnik and Split both host seasonal festivals. If you’re looking for mild weather and fewer crowds, spring and fall are the best times to go to Croatia. And if you’re into Christmas markets, Zagreb has one of the best in Europe, with plenty of mulled wine and ice skating.

Budget travelers have found it easy to have a cheap trip to Croatia, one of the most affordable countries in Europe. A short taxi ride is about five euros (€). You can grab a coffee or a local beer for about €3 and a whole dinner for less than €10.