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Tourist Information FullDon´t fill your oflife with days,stories fill your days with life. D. Fabijanić D. 9 1 2 8 7 3 4 3 10 Croatia. 1. ISTRIA. 6 4. DALMATIA. ŠIBENIK. 24 8. CENTRAL CROATIA. 48 ROUTES FOLLOWING THE ROUTES OF TraiLS OF THE FairiES. THE SMALLEst TOWNS CROatiaN RULErs. IN THE WORLD. 8. CENTRAL CROATIA. 5. DALMATIA. SPLIT. 30 THE traiLS OF 54 ROUTES OF SUBTErraNEAN SEcrEts. 2. KVARNER. 12 ANciENT CULTURES. ROUTES OF FraGraNT 6. DALMATIA. DUBROVNIK. 9. CITY OF ZAGREB. 60 RiviEras AND ISLANDS. 36 A CitY TaiLORED ROUTES OF OLD TO THE NEEDS OF MaN. SEA captaiNS. 3. DALMATIA. ZADAR. 18 7. LIKA - KARLOVAC. 42 10. SLAVONIA. 64 THE ROUTES OF ROUTES FOLLOWING TraiLS OF THE CROatiaN RULErs. NatUraL WONDERS. PANNONiaN SEA. 5 6 4 Welcome to Croatia! Unique in so many ways, Croatia’s Croatia’s fertile plains, where freshly- roots stem from ancient times and picked fruits are grown which you its great cultural wealth tells of a can taste, the castles, museums and turbulent history going back to the parks, river ports and family farms, Roman era and continuing through wineries, freshly-baked bread whose the Renaissance, the Baroque period aroma tempts one to try it over and the Ottoman conquests right and over again, are all part of the up to the present day, all of which is unexplored hinterland of Croatia, a exceptionally appealing to all who place of mystery and secrets, dream visit the country. If we then add the and reality, the Croatia of feelings rich cultural heritage, the amaz- and senses. ing natural beauty which attracts visitors throughout the year, the 8 Yes, Croatia is all that and so much national parks, 11 nature reserves more. It is the home of the necktie, and the numerous UNESCO world the parachute, the torpedo, the heritage sites, Croatia truly becomes mechanical pencil, the filament light a country of incredible magnetic bulb, the world’s fastest electric car attraction. and the second oldest film festival in the world, the Dalmatian dog, Marco Over 50 music and film festivals Polo, one of the oldest cities and that inspire even the most hesitant, parliaments in Europe, the second many of them at locations that date longest stretch of defensive walls in back to ancient times, when Roman Europe, the smallest cathedral, the soldiers and emperors were walking oldest arboretum, and the birth- along these trails and routes and place of great athletes. It is a country Ottoman pashas were conquer- of exceptional strategic significance, ing the territory, when the world’s a criss-cross of roads that connect greatest writers were creating their the East and West of Europe, a beat- masterpieces, and kings and dukes ing artery, a country with a beautiful came to rest. sea, green mountains, beautiful plains, rich fields and oil deposits. Croatia’s attractions include beauti- And last but by no means least– the ful beaches, one of the cleanest seas Croats themselves! The Croatian in the world, secluded bays, lakes people and their kindness are a and mystical mountain peaks, clean magnet that keeps drawing tourists rivers and potable water, fantastic back. Sometimes the hospitality of cuisine, prized wines and spirits, the locals will make you wonder and a world-renowned cultural and whether you are in your own home natural heritage. or simply – on holiday in Croatia! i GENERAL INFORMATION 5 Geographic position Highest peak Croatia occupies the largest part of the east- Dinara 1,831m above sea level. ern coast of the Adriatic Sea, which is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean, ex- Climate tending furthest into the European landmass. There are three climate zones in Croatia: in Croatia’s shoreline and numerous islands the country’s continental interior the pre- make up the majority of the Adriatic coast- vailing climate zone is moderately conti- line. The narrow Dinara Mountain Range sep- nental, with a mountain climate at 1,200 m arates the country’s Mediterranean region above sea level. The areas along the Adriat- from its Central European continental part, ic coast have a pleasantly mild Mediterra- which stretches from the eastern foothills of nean climate with a large number of sunny the Alps in the north-west to the banks of the days; summers are hot and dry and winters Danube in the east, encompassing the south- are mild and wet. The average tempera- ern part of the fertile Pannonian lowlands. tures in the area Croatian continental plains for January vary from -2°C to 0°C, with Surface area somewhat lower temperatures, up to -6°C Croatia’s mainland covers an area of in the mountains and hilly parts of conti- nental Croatia. Air temperatures in January 56,594 km² and its coastal waters cover are between 4°C and 5°C along the coasts a surface area of 31,479 km². of Istria and the Croatian Littoral, while the Dalmatian coast is milder, around 6°C. The Population inland parts of Istria and the Dalmatian hin- Croatia has 4,284,889 inhabitants. terland have average January temperatures that are lower than those along the coast, Demographics from 2°C to 4°C. The average July tempera- The majority of the population are Croats, tures reach 20°C to 22°C in continental Cro- with the largest minorities being Serbs, atia, and around 15°C in the continental Bosnians, Italians, Albanians, the Roma, highlands. You can freshen up in the moun- Hungarians, Slovenes and Czechs. tain areas at heights above 700 m, where the average temperatures in July are below System of government 18°C. The coastline of Istria and the Kvarn- Croatia is a multi-party parliamentary republic. er Littoral is warm in July, from 22°C to 24°C. The temperatures in the south, in Dalma- Capital tia, are between 24°C and 26°C on the coast With 790,017 inhabitants, Zagreb is the and lower in the Neretva valley, in the hin- economic, transport, cultural and aca- terland, up to 24°C. The sea reaches approx- demic centre of the country. imately 12°C during winter, and 25°C in the summer. Coastline length The Croatian coastline extends 6,278 km, Currency of which 1,880 km form up the mainland The official currency in Croatia is the kuna coastline, and 4,398 km the coastline of (1 kuna = 100 lipa). Foreign currency can be the islands, islets and rocks. exchanged in banks, exchange offices, post offices and in the majority of tourist infor- Number of islands, islets, mation offices, hotels and campsites. Cred- rocks and reefs it cards (Eurocard / Mastercard, Visa, Amer- Croatia has a total of 1,244 islands, islets ican Express and Diners) are accepted in al- and rocks. The largest islands are Krk and most all hotels, marinas, restaurants, shops Cres. There are 47 inhabited islands. and cash machines. 6 Routes following the smallest towns in the world THE ISTRIAN ROUTE M. Romulić & D. Stojčić 1 ISTRIA. 7 Many civilisations and cultures have come and gone in Istria, all of 1a them leaving much more than mere 2 episodes of history. In this small 1b area you will come across small sea- side towns, fishing villages, ancient 6 and fortified medieval towns which occupy almost every little hill in the 5 Istrian hinterland; with characteristic 3 streets, squares, churches and town halls. Discover why Hum is called the smallest town in the world and what 4b inspired the French writer Jules Verne 4a to locate the plot of one of his novels in Pazin. Find out why the 17th century town of Dvigrad simply disappeared from the face of the earth - and much more! Don’t pass them by, whether you set off into the Istrian interior or journey along the coast. Whether trav- elling by car, cycling or walking, take a detour and do visit these small, historic communities. Allow yourself to enjoy the hospitality of the local people, who will gladly recommend where you can savour the best local cuisine, or buy lo- cally produced olive oil, wine and honey. The gates of these tiny towns have been open for hundreds of years; they have beckoned many a visitor in the past. To- day, they are beckoning you... Welcome! Rovinj 5 1 8 Nature beauty, more than 120 chartered Brijuni National Park, the special bike trails and about 80 marked ornithological reserve of Palud walking trails stretch over Istria, (Rovinj), Donji Kamenjak and the covering it like a spider’s web. Here Medulin archipelago protected area, you can walk along the sea coast, run the forest parks-: Motovun Forest, through vineyards and enjoy a bike Kontija (Vrsar), Golden Cape (Rovinj) ride down the attractive trails that and Šijana Forest (Pula), Učka Nature wind through little medieval towns. Park, Plomin Mountain, Baredine www.istria-bike.com Cave (Poreč), Lim bay and Romulad www.istria-trails.com Cave, Mramorinca Cave (Brtonigla), Pazin Cave (Pazin) and Feštinsko Sport climbing: Golden Cape Kraljevstvo Cave (Žminj). (Rovinj), Lim bay (Rovinj-Kanfa- nar), Dvigrad (Rovinj-Kanfanar), Architectural sites Istrian thermal resort, Raspadalica Examples of architecture from (Buzet), the canyon Vranjska Draga Antiquity (Pula, Brijuni National Park, (Učka), Pazin, Vinkuran (Pula), Poreč), small fortified medieval towns Stone Gate, Kompanj, Krkuž, Hum, on hilltops (the most important be- Istrian thermal resort, Sopot, Nugla, ing Buje, Grožnjan, Oprtalj, Motovun, Boulder(artificial climbing wall) in Buzet, Hum, Beram, Žminj and Labin), Roč, Rabac, Buzetski kanjon, Čepić, and the Istrian ‘kažun’ – an example Ponte Porton. of traditional folk architecture (Vod- www.istria-climbing.com njan area). Parachuting/paragliding: Kaštelir Gastronomy -Raspadalica (Buzet), Brgud (Učka), Fish specialties prepared under a Lanišće, Žbevnica and the peak of ‘peka’ (a lid covered with burn- Učka, Zavoj, Veli Mlun, Sv.