Must-see attractions in Croatia

  • Medvedgrad

    Medvedgrad

    Around Zagreb

    This medieval fortress, just above the city on the southern side of Mt Medvednica, is Zagreb’s most important medieval monument. Built from 1249 to 1254,…

  • Pazin Chasm

    Central & Eastern Istria

    Pazin’s most renowned site is undoubtedly this 100m-deep abyss, through which the Pazinčica River sinks into subterranean passages forming three…

  • Exterior of Pile Gate.

    Pile Gate

    Dubrovnik

    The natural starting point to any visit to Dubrovnik is this imposing city gate, built in 1537. While crossing the drawbridge, imagine that this was once…

  • Marjan Park, Split, Croatia.; Shutterstock ID 128144606; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Marjan Forest Park

    Split

    Looming up to 178m over Split's western fringes, this nature reserve occupies a big space in Split's psyche. The views over the city and surrounding…

  • Church of St. Donat, Zadar, Croatia; Shutterstock ID 98671040; Your name (First / Last): Emma Sparks; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Best in Europe POI updates

    St Donatus' Church

    Zadar

    Dating from the beginning of the 9th century, this unusual circular Byzantine-style church was named after the bishop who commissioned it. As one of only…

  • City Defences

    Korčula Island

    Korčula’s towers and remaining city walls look particularly striking when approached from the sea, their presence warning pirates the town would be no…

  • Park Maksimir

    Maksimir Park

    Zagreb

    Maksimir Park is a peaceful wooded enclave covering 18 hectares, easily accessible by trams 11 and 12 from Trg Bana Jelačića. Opened to the public in 1794…

  • Historic center of the Croatian town of Zadar at the Mediterranean Sea, Church of St.Simeon, Europe.; Shutterstock ID 698125786; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    St Simeon’s Church

    Zadar

    While this 17th-century baroque church is pretty enough, it's what lies inside that makes it truly noteworthy. Taking pride of place above the main altar,…

  • Steps and walls of old fortress on the rock in Knin; Shutterstock ID 110537933; Your name (First / Last): Emma Sparks; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Best in Europe POI updates

    Knin Fortress

    Northern Dalmatia

    Commenced from the 9th century and reaching its peak as a royal residence in the 11th century, this hulking fortress looms over the town from steep Spas…

  • Two rowers propelling their craft through the sun-dappled waters of Jarun Lake.

    Jarun Lake

    Zagreb

    Jarun Lake in south Zagreb is a popular getaway for residents at any time of the year, but especially in summer, when the clear waters are ideal for…

  • St. Mark's Church in Zagreb

    St Mark’s Church

    Zagreb

    The 13th-century St Mark’s Church is one of Zagreb’s most emblematic buildings. Its colourful tiled roof, constructed in 1880, has the medieval coat of…

  • Katarinin Trg

    Zagreb

    One of the best views in town – across red-tile roofs towards the cathedral – is from this square behind the Jesuit Church of St Catherine. It's the…

  • The Cathedral of St. Anastasia,  Roman Catholic cathedral in Zadar, Croatia; Shutterstock ID 770384290; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    St Anastasia's Cathedral

    Zadar

    Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, Zadar's cathedral has a richly decorated facade and an impressive three-nave interior with the remains of frescoes…

  • St. Stephens Cathedral in St. Stephens Square at night, Hvar Town, Hvar Island, Dalmatian Coast, Croatia, Europe

    Trg Sv Stjepana

    Hvar Town

    Stretching from the harbour to the cathedral, this impressive rectangular square was formed by filling in an inlet that once reached out from the bay. At…

  • Fort Lawrence stands independent of the old town walls

    Fort Lawrence

    Dubrovnik

    St Blaise gazes down from the walls of this large free-standing fortress, constructed atop a 37m-high promontory adjacent to the old town. Built to guard…

  • Flower-bed in front of the Museum Mimara (1883)., Zagreb, City of Zagreb, Croatia, Europe

    Museum Mimara

    Zagreb

    Housed in an imposing neo-Renaissance former school is the eclectic, globe-trotting private art collection of Ante Topić Mimara, who donated over 3750…

  • Group of moon jellyfish glittering in dark blur water, Pula aquarium, Croatia.; Shutterstock ID 673227595; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Pula Aquarium

    Pula

    Not just any fish tank, this extraordinary aquarium occupies an entire 19th-century military fort – one of 55 built to defend the Austro-Hungarian Empire…

  • Your black horizon sits minutes uphill from Lopud waterfront, at the heart of the settlement

    Your Black Horizon Art Pavilion

    Elafiti Islands

    The joint work of Olafur Eliasson and David Adjaye, the Art Pavilion is an amalgamation of contemporary art and architecture, set in an orchard of cypress…

  • A view of the Onofrio fountain from the city walls

    Large Onofrio Fountain

    Dubrovnik

    One of Dubrovnik’s most famous landmarks, this circular fountain was built in 1438 as part of a water-supply system that involved bringing water from a…

  • The entrance to the house and museum of artist Vlaho Bukovac

    Bukovac House

    Cavtat

    The house where Cavtat’s most famous son, the painter Vlaho Bukovac (1855–1922), was born and raised has been converted into an interesting little museum…

  • One of the Dubrovnik during the Homeland War museum displays

    Dubrovnik During the Homeland War

    Dubrovnik

    Set inside the crumbling Napoleonic Fort Imperial (completed in 1812) near the cable-car terminus, this permanent exhibition is dedicated to the siege of…

  • 500px Photo ID: 102534255 - Diocletian palace UNESCO world heritage site in Split, Dalmatia, Croatia

    Peristil

    Split

    This picturesque colonnaded ancient Roman peristyle (courtyard) lies at the very heart of Diocletian's Palace. In summer you can almost be guaranteed a…

  • Tulips and music pavilion in Zrinjevac park in Zagreb, Croatia

    Zrinjevac

    Zagreb

    Officially called Trg Nikole Šubića Zrinskog but lovingly known as Zrinjevac, this verdant square is a major hang-out during sunny weekends and hosts pop…

  • Narodni Trg (Narodni Square), Zadar, Zadar county, Dalmatia region, Croatia, Europe

    Narodni trg

    Zadar

    Traditionally the centre of public life, this pretty little square is constantly abuzz with chatter from its many cafe-bars. The western side is dominated…

  • Baroque St Ignatius Church.

    St Ignatius of Loyola Church

    Dubrovnik

    Dramatically poised at the top of a broad flight of stairs, this Jesuit church was built in the baroque style between 1699 and 1725. Inside, magnificent…

  • Synagogue entrance.

    Synagogue & Jewish Museum

    Dubrovnik

    With a religious practice that can be traced back to the 14th century, this is said to be the second-oldest still-functioning synagogue in Europe and the…

  • Overhead of Dome of Baroque St Blaise's Church.

    St Blaise’s Church

    Dubrovnik

    Dedicated to the city's patron saint, this exceptionally beautiful church was built in 1715 in the ornate baroque style. The interior is notable for its…

  • Patriotic statue of Orgur Ninski (1924) by Ivan Mestrovic, near Golden Gate in Old Town.

    Grgur Ninski statue

    Split

    Sculpted by Ivan Meštrović, this gargantuan statue is one of the defining images of Split. Its subject, a 10th-century Croatian bishop, fought for the…

  • Blue Cave

    Vis Island

    Located on the island of Biševo, off Vis' southwestern tip, this coastal cave is one of the region's most famous natural sights. It's at its best between…

  • The clocktower at Luža Square

    City Bell Tower

    Dubrovnik

    Marking the eastern end of the old town’s main drag, this slender dome-capped tower has a large curvy clock face known as ‘the octopus’ and a two-tonne…

  • Veliki Tabor Castle

    Zagorje

    As you approach the pentagonal hilltop castle of Veliki Tabor, 57km northwest of Zagreb, what unfolds is a pleasing panorama of hills, cornfields,…

  • St. Nicholas church viewed from the seafront

    St Nicholas' Church

    Cavtat

    Peek inside this 15th-century church to view its impressive wooden altars and the accomplished Bukovac paintings of the four evangelists on either side of…

  • St Lucy's Church

    Krk Island

    More than just a village church, little St Lucy's was the site of one of the most important cultural discoveries in Croatia – the 11th-century Baška…

  • Orlando Column sits in the centre of Luža square

    Orlando Column

    Dubrovnik

    Luža Sq once served as a marketplace, and this stone column – carved in 1417 and featuring the image of a medieval knight – used to be the spot where…

  • View of the mausoleum

    Račić Family Mausoleum

    Cavtat

    Built from 1920 to 1921, this octagonal white-stone tomb is the handiwork of preeminent Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović. Inside, a heavenly host of…

  • Kumrovec Staro Selo Museum

    Zagorje

    Nestled in the Sutla River valley near the Slovenian border, the village of Kumrovec has been transformed into an open-air ethnographic museum. A re…

  • The main entrance to the Lady of Snow church

    Our-Lady-of-the-Snow Monastery

    Cavtat

    The church attached to this Franciscan Monastery (founded in 1484) is worth a look for some notable early Renaissance paintings and a wonderful Bukovac…

  • Telašćica Nature Park

    Northern Dalmatia

    Telašćica Bay, south of Sali at the very end of Dugi Otok, is a beautiful natural harbour with islands floating invitingly just offshore. The area is…

  • The front facade of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

    Museum of Modern Art

    Dubrovnik

    Spread over three floors of a significant modernist building east of the old town, this excellent gallery showcases Croatian artists, particularly painter…

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