8 exhilarating things about Croatia you should know before going.

Table of Contents

• Introduction to Croatia
• Nature & Scenery
• Best Cities
• Beaches and Parks
• Food, Wine & Local delicacies
• Conclusion

Introduction to Croatia

This New Year, a small Balkan nation- Croatia is hitting hard the news headlines for joining the Eurozone and the Schengen area. It adopted the Euro currency and entered into Europe’s Borderless zone. However, this Balkan nation also remains in the headlines for its mesmerizing natural beauty. With its latest move toward integration with European Union, it is expected to witness a spike in visitor rates. If you are planning a European tour, you must put the place on your bucket list.

Nature & Scenery

So let’s dig a little bit deeper into this beautiful country and navigate into its diverse offerings.
Croatia is a small alluring coastal nation located in the Balkan Peninsula on the shores of the Adriatic sea. It is a friendly neighbor of some famous European tourist destinations like Italy, Hungary, and Serbia. The Balkan Land is highly diverse both geographically and culturally.

It harbors plenty of navigable rivers, lush forests, grasslands, archipelago, and meadows supplemented with continental climates and sunny summers. Apart from its natural scenic beauty, the country offers a mixed view of medieval and modern architecture. Arches, walls, Gates, cathedrals, and stairways are common elements of Croatian architecture. Thus, it offers a travel combo, experiencing two eras in the same place at a single price.

The nation has a turbulent history as it has witnessed the birth of some great personalities –Macro Polo(in Korcula), inventions- the fountain pen, and events like the Venetian renaissance.
The motionless Old Cathedrals, Roman ruins, amphitheaters, and Royal Palaces silently reflect the rich culture of this country.

Best Cities

Some of its eye-catching towns are Zlatni-rat-beach Pula, Rovinj, Hvar, Split, and Zadar. These cities are divided into an upper town and a lower town loaded with narrow cobblestone streets, sightseeing adventures, museums, art galleries, and a maze of marbles.

The narrow cobblestone streets are full of shops and restaurants where one can enjoy local cuisines while strolling. The city has car cable rides and old-town walking tours. Based on architectural themes, the orange rooftop city Dubrovnik looks like ‘The A red pearl of the Adriatic Sea.
In addition to construction beauty, this central European nation is full of natural offerings. The country is loaded with treasures of natural charms.

Its lush forests are crossed by blue-green rivers, interconnected lakes, and cascading waterfalls providing tourists with a fabulous photographic opportunity. Some names to be mentioned are Plitvice Lakes, Mljet Lakes, Lokve Lakes, and Trakošćan Lake. These lakes share less than 1% land share of Croatia, however, they are the showstoppers of the event.

Beaches and Parks

Considering its natural beauty and importance, UNESCO has declared some of its forest areas as World Heritage sites. The Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of them. These National Parks here protect the floral and faunal beauty. The country is home to thousands of species of birds, butterflies, and insects.
The secluded blue-green beaches with crystal clear water offer visitors a chance to swim and relax on their boats or yachts.

Some beaches like Zlatni Rat, Banje Beach, and Punta Rata provide jaw-dropping views to visitors.
For adventure sports enthusiasts the country offers the best-rugged mountains and cliffs for hiking. It is known for its attractive and diverse hiking options. One of the best parts is that one can enjoy views of sublime lakes and waterfalls while hiking the diverse routes of the splendid mountains.

The genuine surprises of Croatia are not just limited to land. These surprises are spread underwater as well. The Balkan nation harbors a small island- Zlarin which is known as the golden Island of Croatia. The reason is the island supports unique shade-bearing corals -blood red, scarlet, and dark pink coral not found anywhere on this globe

The Balkan nations are renowned for their underwater caves. Likewise, Croatia has many caves to enhance your sailing experience. Some of them change their hues while others are safe harbors for sea animals. One of the most famous caves is Blue Cave in BalunBay. This jewel is known for its blue hue that provides beautiful Instagram-worthy pictures. Other caves on the list are Plava Grota, Golubinka Cave, Betina Cave, and others. Thus, the nation is a complete package of natural wonders.

Food, Wine & Local delicacies

Naturally, the Croats have tried to adapt according to the Gifted diverse flora and fauna and tried to create a unique lifestyle. One of the essential parts of Croat life is wine and wineries. The Croatian wineries are spread diversely on the vast land of this coastal country. These wineries are located in some beautiful Croatian villages.

Every winery has its own story of origin, a technique for preparation, and a unique flavor for its visiting guests. In addition, the nation has some of the most beautiful orchards bearing grapes, apricot, plumes, olives, berries, kiwis, and peaches. The fresh olives from these orchards are fed into the refinery to produce high-quality organic extra virgin olive oil.

Nurturing of these fruits is supported by Mediterranean climates and warm summers in the valley. Rainfall turning into snowfall in winter is a charismatic feature of the Croatian climate. Also, being a coastal country it witnesses visits of diverse sea life like- shellfish, seabass tuna, moray eels, Cnidarians, scorpionfish, oysters, and octopus.

All these stuff are used to prepare delicious local delicacies. The nation has strong food background and offers some of the best-known local dishes like-Black risotto, Boškarin, Brodetto, Peka
,Buzara, and Fritule (Fried Pastry). The words made in virgin olive oil supplemented by local wines will soothe your travel cravings.

Conclusion

Just by reading this blog, you can imagine how rich your travel experience will be once you visit Croatia. It is an exciting destination for family and adventure lovers.
The country offers a mixed experience of beauty and history to its visitors. It is a complete package of natural, nautical, adventurous, foody, art, and cultural experiences. Thus, the latest move by the Croatian government toward integration with the EU provides you with a spectacular opportunity to add this place to your travel place.