EXPLORE CROATIA
With some of the world’s most inviting coastlines to explore, the culture of Croatia is best experienced by setting sail on a sun-soaked adventure at sea
ALFRED Hitchcock once claimed that the Dalmatian coast boasted the best sunset in the world. So make sure the sun doesn’t set on 2020 without experiencing Croatia’s seemingly unlimited and unparalleled beauty.
And there’s no better place to marvel at the majesty of this nation’s kaleidoscopic coastline than from one of the many islands. With 1,000 to choose from, the best way to travel your way up ancient sand and shingle stretches is by boat.
No matter what sort of holiday you hanker for, culture vultures, water babies and sun worshippers alike will be in their element as they lift anchor and set sail on as interesting an adventure as they come.
BEACH BONANZA
ONE of the biggest draws of Croatia is the sheer clarity of the sea surrounding this amazing country. To see the sun sparkling on crystal-clear azure as you zip through the calm waters off the coast will have you feeling that all is well with the world in no time.
Whether you charter a boat yourself or enjoy a cruise on a catamaran, the main question of the day is simple: which beach should you head to?
Although Croatia is famed for its dazzling white pebbly beaches, you could spend a day in the sandy haven of Susak – an entire island covered in the stuff. Or, if you are a nature buff, there’s little other offering as enticing as Rab, the island with a landscape so diverse, thanks to its beaches, pine forests and high cliffs, that it has been declared a protected geopark. It also played host to the newly abdicated Edward VIII, when he whisked Wallis Simpson, the woman he quit the throne for in 1936, there on their first holiday as a free and easy couple.
However, no sailing adventure around Croatia would be complete
“Charter a boat or cruise on a catamaran and choose the beach to head to
without a stop-off at the secluded sanctuary of Stiniva on Vis, which has been voted the best beach in the whole of Europe – and when you arrive at this gorgeous cove, you’ll soon realise why.
HISTORY BEHIND EVERY PORT
CROATIA is full to the brim with hotspots worth lying under the sun on, but you can also experience the country’s ten Unesco World Heritage Sites – eight cultural and two natural.
Start your cultural explorations by sailing your way to the medieval town of Poreč, home to the magnificent Euphrasian Basilica, the cathedral named after the bishop of the same name, dating back to the sixth century.
Other Unesco stops to include are the impressive Venetian defence system in Zadar, the ancient layout set out by Greek colonists in Hvar and, of course, the unparalleled beauty of the Old Town in Dubrovnik, a Croatian city state to rival Venice, and an orange-roofed paradise worth spending a few days discovering.
Whether it’s the natural world that makes your heart race (don’t miss out on seeing the blue and green caves on Biševo, or catching sight of the griffon vultures on Cres) or wandering around the grounds of ancient man-made marvels such as Diocletian’s Palace – a really rather grand retirement home for a Roman emperor in the second city of Split – experiencing the gems that Croatia’s coast has to offer will leave you wanting to return to this enticing travel treasure trove time and time again.