Once seen, never forgotten. Croatia’s fabulously beautiful coast and islands (1,246 to be precise) – with their rocky coves, iconic beaches, historic towns and gorgeous sunsets, all surrounded by some of the most breathtakingly blue waters imaginable – are places that stay in the mind, and they have a habit of luring you back.
Rovinj in Istria is one of the most instantly recognisable towns on the Croatian coast, its narrow streets and colourful facades climbing upwards to a soaring bell tower, modelled on that of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. Travel north just a little and you’ll reach Poreč, home to Unesco-listed Byzantine mosaics to rival those in Ravenna or Istanbul – or south to Pula, with its magnificently preserved Roman amphitheatre. For a peaceful oasis set among some of the country’s finest vineyards, head just five miles inland from the sea walls of Novigrad to Brtonigla.
The Kvarner Gulf wraps around the islands of Krk, Cres and Lošinj, its shores home to the Habsburg grandeur of Opatija, and the bijou foodie enclave of Volosko, its restaurants clustered around a small fishing harbour. Rijeka, a former European capital of culture, is still the great underrated gem of the north, home to intriguing bars and always at the forefront of Croatia’s alternative music scene. It also has one of the best new museums in Croatia, housed in a restored sugar refinery.
