Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
EXPLORE CROATIA’S COAST
With more than 1,600km of coastline and 1,244 islands, islets and reefs, there’s a bewildering choice of places to explore, even if fewer than 50 of Croatia’s islands are permanently inhabited. Heart-shaped Istria, the northernmost peninsula, has a pair of coastal towns that are renowned their architectural beauty: Poreč and Rovinj. The former’s historic core of honey-coloured houses are a joy to wander and its sixth-century Euphrasian Basilica is protected by UNESCO for good reason.
Follow Istria’s coast to reach the Kvarner Gulf and the Opatija Riviera, whose elaborate wedding-cake architecture from the 19th century bears the tell-tale stamp of the Habsburgs on holiday. Despite being the birthplace of Croatian tourism, this stretch of coast remains relatively unknown among many British visitors. Rijeka, Croatia’s biggest port and a former European Capital of Culture, is handy not just for ferry journeys to the islands of Cres, Krk, Lošinj, Rab and as far away as Dubrovnik, but its lively café culture, museums and medieval hilltop Trsat Castle are also worth visiting in their own right.
While many visitors make a beeline for the Adriatic’s big hitters – Split, the Makarska Riviera, the islands of Hvar (home to the Unesco-listed Stari Grad Plain), Brač and Korčula – it’s worth exploring lesser-known parts of Croatia’s wildly indented coastline. The town of Nin, near Zadar, was a medieval powerhouse where seven kings were crowned. Now, people can explore its medieval core before relaxing on nearby beaches and coating themselves with therapeutic mud from the nearby lagoon.
Carry on south to reach Primošten, whose old town lies on a small headland and whose hinterland is home to award-winning wineries. As you get closer to Split, the island of Šolta comes into view. Curiously overlooked by most tourists, it’s a laidback island of pebbly beaches, fishing villages and olive groves producing oils that give the better-known Istrian varieties a run for their money.