Discover Croatia - Dalmatia - Zadar

The Zadar region is the northernmost part of Dalmatia, its gate of welcome to all those who travel from the north of the Adriatic. It is full of contrasts, rich in historic heritage and breathtakingly beautiful nature. The first, and therefore perhaps the most intense experience of these parts, are the intense colours, that particular harmony of the vivid blue of the sea and over it the dark green of pine trees or olive groves that descend all the way to the shore. And to all that the brilliant white of the Dalmatian stone must be added – it forms the beaches either in slabs or broken down into gravel or pebbles, attracting numerous tourists.

Dalmatia’s centre is 3000-year-old Zadar, a city with the largest researched Romanforum on the Croatian side of the Adriatic and unforgettable Romanesquechurches like St. Donatus, St. Anastasia and St. Chrisogonus. Nearby Nin (the oldest Croatian royal city) boasts the smallest cathedral in the world (the Church of the Holy Cross measures but 36 paces!). The region of Zadar tells the story of the sources of Croatian cultural heritage better than any book.

Zadar is a town that has antique origins with the most researched Roman forum on the eastern side of the Adriatic and late Roman church – the cathedral of St. Stošija [St. Anastasia], Sv. Krševan [St. Krsevan] and the famous Sv. Donat [St. Donatus]. With its valuable collections, libraries and archives, Zadar is proud of the fact that the foundations of the oldest Croatian university were laid here in 1396.

Recently made even more famous for its Sea Organ, an architectural miracle on the Zadar riva (sea front). Alfred Hitchcock was so impressed with Zadar and its sunset that he said that from the Zadar riva 'one can enjoy the most beautiful sunset in the world. If you go to the nearby old town of Nin, you will find the smallest cathedral in the world - Crkva svetog Kriza (Church of the Holly Cross), that is only 36 paces long.

Island Pag

Island Pag

EURO 2012 - Croatian national team

Best EURO performance: quarter-finals 1996, 2008

Coach: Slaven Bilić

Leading scorer: all-time – Davor Šuker (45); current – Eduardo (23)

Most appearances: all-time – Dario Šimić (100); current – Josip Šimunić (95)

Association formed: 1912

Nickname: Kockasti (Checks)

Croatia seemed to have not so much a foot but both feet in the UEFA EURO 2008 semi-finals after Ivan Klasnić's 119th-minute opener against Turkey, yet coach Slaven Bilić had barely returned to the bench after the wild celebrations that ensued when Semih Şentürk scored a dramatic equaliser. With fate at its most capricious, Turkey prevailed on spot kicks; Croatia went home chastened, the hangover lasting throughout 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying as they finished third behind England and Ukraine. Second to Greece this time around, their reward was a rematch with Turkey in the play-offs – and revenge was sweet.

UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying

Group F: runners-up

Play-offs: Turkey 0-3 0-0 Croatia (0-3 on agg)

Leading scorer: Niko Kranjčar (4)

Ever-presents: none

Making his first competitive start in 13 months, Ivica Olić struck after two minutes in Istanbul as Croatia claimed what proved an unassailable 3-0 first-leg lead over Turkey in the play-offs. "Thank God it's over – we made it," Bilić said after the second leg against Turkey. "After everything we went through in qualifying we are back where we belong: at EURO."

With Group F leaders Greece trailing 1-0 to Georgia, Croatia were 11 minutes from automatic qualification before goals from Giorgos Fotakis and Angelos Charisteas turned things round.

Croatia's 2-1 victory over Georgia in June was the 200th game in their 21-year history as an independent nation. Their first match, against the United States in 1990, also ended 2-1.

 EURO pedigree

Croatia have qualified for four out of five tournaments since the break-up of Yugoslavia, their only failure coming in 2000. Inspired by three-goal Davor Šuker, Miroslav Blažević's 1996 vintage reached the last eight in their maiden finals appearance, before defeat against Germany.

Eliminated after the group stage in 2004, four years later they won three out of three, including a 2-1 victory against Germany. The semi-finals beckoned before Turkey's last-gasp equaliser and then penalties.

Croatia contributed players to the Yugoslavia team that twice finished runners-up at the UEFA European Championship, losing the inaugural showpiece 2-1 in extra time against the Soviet Union in 1960 and going down 2-0 to hosts Italy in a final replay eight years later.

UEFA EURO 2012 Group C fixtures

Sunday 10 June: Republic of Ireland v Croatia, 20.45CET, Poznan

Thursday 14 June: Italy v Croatia, 18.00CET, Poznan

Monday 18 June: Croatia v Spain, 20.45CET, Gdansk

Croatian Adriatic

Intact nature is something rare and precious in today’s world. Croatia has one of the cleanest seas in Europe, offering you a chance to immerse yourself in the unspoiled beauty of pristine waters. 

Croatia took the 2nd place behind Cyprus in the annual report on the quality of bathing water published by the European Commission. From more than 900 locations in Croatia, 97% have been evaluated as excellent, fulfilling the high European criteria.

Discover Croatia - Istria

Temple of Augustus

Beach in Verudela.

The Arena - Colosseum 

The Arch of the Sergii

Blue seas, white stone and the green interior make up the colour scheme of Istria, the largest peninsula in Croatia. The blueness of its shoreline is contrasted by the lush greenery of its interior and the tiny, “acropolian” towns which, themselves somewhere between waking and sleeping, erase that thin line that divides the real from the illusion. And turn into your very own story.

Rovinj

Rovinj

The heart-shaped peninsula reaching deep into the clear blue waters of the Adriatic Sea is a hidden garden of beauty which opens the door to the sunny and warm Mediterranean. Come and travel through it without hesitation, and the holiday of your dreams will become reality. Multicultural and hospitable, this is an area where wide-ranging diversities have come together to form a happy union. Istria’s crystal clear sea, clean shores and ports, its lively fishing boats and teeming narrow stone streets exude the true charm of the Mediterranean. Small, picturesque medieval towns perched on the peaks of its hills emanate the peace and gentleness of landscapes that irresistibly evoke the most beautiful parts of Tuscany or Provence. 

Umag

Istria is called the “Terra Magica”. It is a true cultural arboretum whose heritage comes from the Histrians, the Celts, Romans through to the Byzantines, Slavs and Venetians and all the way to the Austro-Hungarian Empire! Wherever you start from, either from Pula and its magnificent Roman amphitheatre, Rovinj that is called the small Venice, Porec's Euphrasius, the town of ghosts of Dvigrad, the beauty of Motovun or perhaps the artists town of Grožnjan in the interior, one thing is for sure, Istria is a region of true wonders. In addition, 15 years ago on the seabed at Bale remains of dinosaur bones were found, which were the first, and for the moment, the only to be found in the entire Mediterranean area.

National park Brijuni 

Discover Croatia - Kvarner

Here the littoral landscape is practically in the immediate vicinity of the mountainous and forested region of Gorski kotar, the Mediterranean clime and way of life are first neighbours with the harsh mountain climate, while the world of a fashionable tourist resort boasting a150 year long tradition is so vastly different from the simple rhythm of the island life. Kvarner is a place where those seeking the glitter of trendy summer resort - like the lovely Opatija whose tourist tradition, parks replete with lush greenery and elegant villas, combined with the 12 km long promenade by the sea, attract guests throughout the year. 

Perhaps you imagine an ideal holiday, one where you can set off from the shore towards sunny islands, and then sail back to seek the peace and quiet of a mountain peak. In the process you dream of a sun-bathed Riviera that can, should you so wish, be replaced within a span of 10 km by ascetic peace and fresh mountain air where you are in the company of eagles, wolves and bears, and where your lungs are filled with forest scented air. If that is indeed the case, then you are looking for Kvarner and Gorski kotar - separate parts of this small country that differ significantly one from the other.

Kvarner covers the area of the mythical Absytrus islands and has unforgettable rivieras: Opatija, Crikvenica, Vinodol and Rijeka. Asides for being famous as the celebrated elite summer destination of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, the coastal Rijeka metropolis is also here. The Kvarner islands are, however, a totally different story. Called the Absytrus islands, after Medea’s brother Absytrus, the islands of Krk, Cres and Lošinj have a rich antique and medieval heritage. The Apoxiomen should definitely be mentioned here, a very famous bronze statue of an athlete found in 1999 in the sea near Lošinj, which was the work of the Greek sculptor Lizip from the 4th century B.C. The Baška tablet should also be mentioned, the first sculpted memorial of the Croatian language from 1100 found on the island of Krk.

Discover Croatia - Lika - Karlovac

Karlovac



Karlovac - Rastoke

Welcome to the landscape of dreams. Before you, beautiful green expanses are laid out, only around 10 km above the sea, in the hinterlands known for their exceptional ecological value and high concentration of protected nature parks, representing true oases of peace and tranquility; a Croatian tourist region attracting an ever increasing number of visitors.



Plitvice



Plitvice

 If you visit the Lika-Karlovac tourist region, the continental part of Croatia which is the link between Dalmatian littoral and the central section of the country, you shall be all that closer to the answer. For, that clarity and power are perhaps best conveyed by the wondrousness of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, the phenomenon which attracts with its uniqueness, but also with the effect it bears on both our mental and physical wellbeing. The National Park of Northern Velebit is an area of distinctive diversity of karstic forms, the wealth of all kinds of a living world and of breathtaking natural beauty in a relatively small area.

Plitvice

Asides from being proud of being the birthplace of one of the world’s greatest minds, Nikola Tesla, whose museum is found in his birth village of Smiljan, Lika also has a beautiful Marian seminary in Krasno. Somewhat south, and only a step away from the sea, there is the Senj fortress of Nehaj built in the 16th century. There is also a unique museum dedicated to pirates the so-called Senj “Uskoks”. The county of Karlovac is an area full of many self-abnegating cultural monuments from charming old towns and castles such as Dubovac, Ozalj, and Bosiljevo to Franciscan, Pauline and Dominican monasteries. Growing up on the banks of four rivers and developed from medieval fortresses once intended for the defence against Ottoman hordes in central Europe, the renaissance centre of the town of Karlovac is particularly interesting and takes the form of a star.

Vivodina by Karlovac

Senj

Velebit Nature park

Ozalj

Discover Croatia - City of Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital of the Republic of Croatia, its almost a million strong political and diplomatic, cultural, economic, mercantile, transport & communication and sports centre. It is a town of contrasts – young and old at the same time, dedicated to business in the morning, relaxed and fun loving in the evening, a typical European metropolis in many ways but at the same time it is city its guests remember for the charm of its centre and hospitality of its citizens.

Zagreb, Croatia’s capital and the largest city in the country, is a typical Central European town. It grew out of two medieval settlements that flourished for centuries on neighbouring hills. Zagreb’s written history dates to the year 1094, when a diocese was established there. The classicist and secessionist facades of its historical nucleus exude the lofty spirit of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but here and there one can also discern the contours of the panoramas of Prague. Almost all of the main sites of the city and cultural venues are located in the very centre, which teems with charming coffee houses, fine restaurants, garden restaurants, and lovingly tended parks like, for instance, Ribnjak, which lies beneath the walls of Kaptol. The pivotal point of the city is the magnificent Gothic cathedral with its filigree spires. Zrinjevac, a park located only a few steps away from the main square, also forms part of the Lenuci green horseshoe that encompasses some of the most beautiful buildings in town. Zagreb, indeed, is a city tailored to the human scale.

Built on the foundations of two medieval burgs that blossomed on the nearby hills of Gradec and the Kaptol bishopric, with a documented history from 1094, Zagreb has always been Croatia's true cultural metropolis. With places of interest such as the Croatian National Theatre, the Art Pavilion, the Academy of Science and Arts, the university library, numerous museums and galleries, as well as wonderful parks and gardens, Zagreb has always been a truly central European cultural centre whose significance is best witnessed by the 20 theatres, equal number of museums, 30 galleries and numerous art exhibitions.