Why Should You Consider Croatia?

A flotilla of dazzling white yachts glides into a sheltered cove. The put-put-put of their motors is no competition for the evening choir of cicadas. The whiteness of the yachts seems startling, a vivid contrast to the sea’s hypnotic palette of blues and turquoises…the deep orange roof tiles of a thousand-year-old town… the green pine woods beyond.
We could not be more passionate about Croatia, our latest discovery. Although many people know very little about it, this small maritime country at the heart of Europe offers you the chance to discover the closest thing to the Mediterranean of years gone by.

Unspoiled, relaxed, beautiful, and safe, Croatia is one of Europe’s loveliest treasures. Everything a discriminating visitor–or homebuyer–is looking for can be found right here: crystal-clear seas, timeless fishing villages and unspoiled beaches, Roman ruins, a pristine lake district, and medieval walled cities.

Every twist and turn of the coastline serves up grandstand views of secret coves, little harbors, and calm turquoise waters. Out in the Adriatic Sea, a galaxy of islands–1,185 of them–shimmer like a cache of emeralds.

The French legend Jacques Cousteau, esteemed biologist and oceanographer, once described Croatia’s waters as the cleanest and clearest in the world. When you come here, you simply must take a boat and go out into the Adriatic–you’ll be astounded at how far down into the depths you can see.

Adriatic property prices are what you could find on the Mediterranean a generation or so ago… Although prices have been increasing in recent years, it’s still not too late to buy. Prices are way below the European average.

When compared with many other European vacation destinations, real estate agents are right in claiming that the Dalmatian coastline still has significant growth potential. It’s hardly surprising, then, that this little gem of a country is experiencing something of an investor feeding frenzy. Now could be an ideal time to snap up a Croatian property, as it seems most unlikely that prices will fall. Especially since Croatia accessed to the European Union in 2013.

 Why Should You Consider Croatia? One of our French buyers, who purchased seafront house on the cliff near Makarska, with mountains behind it, explained why he did it. Because:

1. 1. price of the house was affordable 
   2. this area reminded him of the Cote D’Azure, but he was not able to buy house on the sea there, because it would cost over 1 million EUR.

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There are Countless Benefits of Living in Croatia

Article by the INTERNATIONAL LIVING Magazine

Live in Croatia: Countless Benefits Many expats choose to live in Croatia because of its beautiful coastline.

If you have decided to live in Croatia, then it is important when buying a property to always be sure of your rights and title by going through a real estate agent. Because of foreigners’ increasing interest in Croatian property, most agents here are now effectively offering a one-stop-shop service with established notary, attorney, and builder contacts. Of course, it is important to establish an agent’s reputation before you commit yourself.

Education

Education in Croatia is free, and is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 15. Many children start their education at the age of 3, at pre-school, which lasts until they’re 6. Elementary school lasts for eight years, followed by four years of secondary school. At this level, schools are divided into high school, technical, specialized, and mixed curriculum schools. After completing high school, the brightest students go on to one of the country’s four universities in Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, or Osijek. Universities also offer free education, with particular emphasis on the sciences, medicine, and engineering. International schools are few, though there is the American International School of Zagreb, an independent, co-educational day school offering an educational program from kindergarten through grade 12. The curriculum is that of U.S. public schools, with instruction in English.

Learning the Language

Many enjoy the quiet lifestyle associated with living in Croatia

Live in Croatia: Countless Benefits If you have chosen to live in Croatia, then you will most likely want to learn to speak a little of the local language. In order to help you with that, we’ll be happy to provide you with a list of the best croatian language learning schools. To get you started here’s a List of Five Useful Words: nekretnina: real estate; prodaja: sale; dozvola: permission; najam: rent; hvala: thank you.

Residency Permits for Living in Croatia

Live in Croatia: Countless Benefits If you do decide you’d like to live in Croatia, you’ll need to apply for a temporary residency permit. You’ll need several official documents and a stated reason for wanting to live in Croatia. This can be related to an investment, a business, family, employment, study, or real estate rental or purchase. Having a yacht moored in a Croatian marina also qualifies as a reason for being granted a residency permit.

To obtain a temporary residence permit, you need to apply in person at the local Ministry of the Interior (Ministartsvo Unutarnjih Poslova) office. A temporary residence permit is valid for one year and can be renewed. You will not be able to get permanent residency status in Croatia until you’ve held a temporary residence permit for five years. Again, foreign nationals have to apply for permanent residence with the MUP. Apart from five years of temporary residence, the only other ways you can gain permanent residency are through marriage to a Croatian citizen for at least three years, humanitarian reasons, or at the discretion of the Croatian government.

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Great Crowd, Beautiful Locations, Affordable Prices!

Croatia is the New Trend & Top 10 Summer Festivals

Along with it’s rich history, beautiful and untouched nature and friendly people, Croatia has another trait to boast: it is becoming one of the hottest trends in the summer festival scene!

Just imagine it, warm Mediterranean sunshine, wonderful beaches and crystal clear sea, great crowd and the prices… do you know how cheap alcohol is in Croatia?  (especially when comparing with $12 beer in Ibiza) There is no surprise why Croatia is becoming huge, every year new, successful festivals are emerging and now, with the biggest dance festival franchise moving to Croatia exclusively for 5 years, it’s only becoming bigger!

On July 12th, 2013, the city of Split exploded with over 103,000 attendees of this mega-popular dance festival – Ultra Europe. Over 75 countries were represented and it is safe to say, from our Croatian real estate / tourist agency point of view – the business was good. There was not a single bed left in Split that evening (and the following night) and there was more than enough people wishing they had thought of booking an apartment in Split earlier.

With all other attractive festivals emerging and performing excellently, it is more than certain that each following year will be more successful for the (mainly British, Italian and American) organizers.  Croatia is the top festival destination in the years to come!

Having that in mind, Luxury Croatia Real Estate Agency and it’s brand: Adriatic Traveller have prepared a top list of the 10 Hottest Summer Festivals in Croatia. Hopefully, with you attending some of them, we might help you plan your trip, organize your itinerary and/or book your accomodation for the duration of the festivals or longer (trust us, you will fall in love with the country).

Top 10 Summer Festivals in Croatia

• Outlook Festival – Pula, Croatia

Widely recognized as Europe’s largest bass music and sound system culture festival. Located in an abandoned Istrian fort this festival offers one of the best experiences of the summer.

• Unknown Festival – Rovinj, Croatia

By the creators of Hideout Festival, The Warehouse Project and Field Day, the Uknown Festival offers some of the most forward thinking music and a hedonistic and immerse experience.

• INmusic Festival – Zagreb, Croatia

A splendid mix of artists of rock, dance, pop and more… IN Music is one of the most successful Croatian festivals conveniently located in the capital of the country.

• Terraneo – Šibenik, Croatia

What started as a modest “eco-fest” celebrating eco awareness soon exploded as one of the biggest and most fun festivals in the region. Highly recommended!

• Ultra Europe – Split & Hvar, Croatia

It is final, the world’s biggest festival franchise has moved to Croatia for 5 + more years. Enjoy the biggest names of the industry and meet the biggest crowd. Ultra Europe!

• Sonus Festival – Novalja, Croatia

The team behind Time Warp and Fade In has created a new brand – Sonus Festival, a platform for the best underground electronic music scene.

• Echo Festival – Umag, Croatia

Electronica cutting edge! Thrilling beachside festival with three stages of music and numerous boat parties spreading on over four days of extreme fun.

• The Garden Festival – Tisno, Croatia

Eight years old and still provides one of the best experiences of house, disco, soul and funk music.

• Hideout Festival – Novalja, Pag Island, Croatia

Dubbed as the instagram heaven, located on the island of Pag, makes sure you party on the beatuiful beaches with chic clubbers and with tons of boat parties and cheap drinks.

• Fresh Island Festival – Novalja, Pag Island, Croatia

Providing a different experience from the electronic side of Croatian Festivals, Fresh diggs more into the hip hop music spread through three beachside stages.

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If you are planing a trip to Croatia, for summer vacation or to buy property, or if you still not sure if Croatia is place to go, discover this amazing country by watching this informative youtube video playlist full of eye-candy and interesting facts:

MTV’s episode of Plain Jane serial was filmed in one of our villas: Luxury seafront villa for rent Trogir area, Croatia

Prices of real estate in Croatia

For example, prices for residential property vary from the low €70.000 (for an old traditional stone house by the sea for sale that needs renovation), renovated house with pool for sale starting at 150.000 EUR, beach front villas with pool for sale from 500.000 EUR,   to the high-end, top luxury villas for sale  under 1 million EUR,  to waterfront villas for sale in Croatia  at 1 million EUR or more.

Furthermore, nice family house for sale with sea view and 2 – 3 bedrooms and garden, can be found for as low as €150.000, depending on the distance to the sea front and the year it was built, the price can go reasonably up (or down), however, it is always well into the “great property investment” price range. In addition, wonderful, sea view, one bedroom apartments for sale in Croatia are available from as low as €60.000 with an excellent ROI during the tourist season, which makes Croatia one of the best markets for real estate investment. Seafront land plot for sale in building zone can be found at 300 EUR per square meter.

Buy to rent in Croatia

Croatia is a developed tourist destination, according to the British Sunday Times, one of the 4 best European destinations for 2011.

Croatian tourist income has not faced any recession, on the contrary, it is growing rapidly year by year by 10-12%. Many owners of residential properties in Croatia and a lot of our clients, take this advantage to make extra income. They rent their Croatian homes to tourists. LuxuryCroatia.net can help you to put your home in rental business. Contact us for advice and instructions how to market your house/villa or apartment on the rental market, or if you do not want to bother yourself, we can do it for you. We already have more than 500 rental properties, mostly villas with pool, in our rental offer.

Example of rental income per year: a beach front house with 4 bedrooms brings to our client, ( a Norvegian owner) over €30.000 per year.

Meeting the guests and managing the property (cleaning, preparation, security, etc.) is done by specialized agencies which we can recommend, and LuxuryCroatia.net team takes care of all bookings. Thus, with the owner gaining extra profit from his property in Croatia, house pays out for itself in reasonable time and all other expenses are covered with rental profit.

Croatian villas for rent

Everything a visitor or home buyer is looking for can be found right here:

• crystal-clear and warm seas,
• timeless fishing villages and unspoiled beaches,
• Roman ruins, historic heritage dating from old Greeks, Byzantine, Venetians
• Medieval walled cities,
• Sumptuous Croatian-Mediterranean cuisine.

Every twist and turn of the coastline serves the grandstand views of secret coves, little harbours, and calm turquoise waters. Out in the Adriatic Sea, a galaxy of islands (1244 of them), shimmer like a cache of emeralds. Number of great national parks can be found in this beautiful country, from the Kornati Archipelago, Mljet Island, to the famous Plitvice Lakes National Park – (with one of the 3 most beautiful waterfalls in the world, consisting of 16 lakes connected with waterfalls) to the priceless, UNESCO protected heritage sites, cities and intangibles. All this makes Croatia truly the greatest treasure of the Mediterranean.

LuxuryCroatia.net offers variety of villas for rent, from traditional renovated stone houses with pool for rent, beach front villas for rent, sea view modern villas for rent, to top luxury villas for rent at the most exclusive locations. There are Dubrovnik villas for rent, Hvar villas for rent, Split villas for rent, seafront villas for rent in Croatia and many more.

• Read more interesting facts about Croatia in our follow-up post. 

seafront house for sale Croatia

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The Enchantment of a Retirement in Croatia

Article by INTERNATIONAL LIVING magazine:

More and more people are making the decision to retire in Croatia–and the reasons are obvious

Retiring in Croatia is unlike retiring anywhere else in the world… A flotilla of dazzling white yachts glides into a sheltered cove. The put-put-put of their motors is no competition for the evening choir of cicadas. The whiteness of the yachts is startling, a vivid contrast to the sea’s hypnotic palette of blues and turquoises…the deep orange roof tiles of a thousand-year-old town…the green pine woods beyond.

Why Retire in Croatia?

Although many foreigners know little about it, this small maritime country at the heart of Europe offers you the chance to discover the closest thing to the Mediterranean of years gone by. Unspoiled, relaxed, beautiful, and safe, Croatia is one of Europe’s loveliest treasures. Everything a discriminating visitor–or home buyer–is looking for can be found right here: crystal-clear seas, timeless fishing villages, and unspoiled beaches, Roman ruins, a pristine lake district, and medieval walled cities. Every twist and turn of the coastline serves up grandstand views of secret coves, little harbors, and calm turquoise waters. Out in the Adriatic Sea, a galaxy of islands–1,185 of them–shimmer like a cache of emeralds. The legendary Frenchman Jacques Cousteau, esteemed biologist and oceanographer, once described Croatia’s waters as the cleanest and clearest in the world. When you come here, you simply must take a boat and go out into the Adriatic–you’ll be astounded at how far down into the depths you can see.

International Living can’t claim to have been the first to recommend the Dalmatian Coast as a retirement destination. That distinction goes to the Roman Emperor Diocletian (AD 245-316), the only Roman emperor ever to retire. He chose to spend his golden years in his palace in Split, where he remained until his death in 316. The Diocletian Palace was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979 and it remains at the heart of Croatia’s second-largest city.

Retiring to Dubrovnik, Croatia will allow you to enjoy your retirement in a truly unique environment

Visas for Retirees in Croatia

If you’re planning on permanently retiring to Croatia, then you must have a visa. In the foreign countries, visas are issued by the following: Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in those countries or Consulate General. You’ll also need to apply for a temporary residency permit. You’ll need various documents and a stated reason for wanting to live in Croatia. This can be related to an investment, a business, family, employment, study, or real estate rental or purchase. Having a yacht moored in a Croatian marina also qualifies as a reason for being granted a residency permit.

Health Care for Those Retiring in Croatia

All major population centers have decent health care facilities. Zagreb is the best served with a large general hospital, Sveti Duh.

Private Health Insurance for Retirees

Your   health insurance usually does not travel with you beyond  borders. You will probably need to buy private health insurance in Croatia. Numerous U.S. and British companies provide health insurance for retirees living in Croatia.

AARP magazine:

Best Places to Retire Abroad

There are plenty of other great countries for retirees. Here’s a look at a few that just missed our list.

We haven’t included all the world’s countries that may be fine candidates for retirement. For the sake of sun-loving boomers, we focused mainly on warm-weather locations. Even so, there are other affordable countries that prospective expat retirees might find appealing, such as the Croatia…

EasyExpat.com: Information for Expatriates, Expat Guides

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Today, much further progress has been made toward implementing structural reforms, though the pace of reform has been slow. Nearly two-thirds of the Croatian economy has now been privatized, and around 90% of bank assets are privately owned, mostly by strategic foreign investors.

Invest in Different Sectors of the Croatian Economy

Around 60% of the country’s GDP is generated by the services sector: Tourism is absolutely vital for Croatia, as it’s this aspect of the service sector that creates the most income and employment. Tourism is Croatia’s largest source of foreign revenue, but it currently accounts for only a small segment of foreign direct investment. The main interest in investing in Croatia comes from Europeans. Italian banks have been major participants in banking privatization, and the Germans and Austrians have a stake in the banking sector, too. Other sectors attracting interest include manufacturing, cement, pharmaceuticals, power, and telecoms. Again, prominent investors come from Germany and Austria, as well as the Netherlands, Italy, and other European countries, including Slovenia and Hungary. It’s as well to bear all the caveats in mind, but many opportunities exist for foreign companies in a range of sectors. These include major infrastructure projects in railways, roads, power, water, oil, gas, telecommunications, tourism, shipbuilding, health care, medical equipment, consumer goods, and construction materials.

Setting up Business in Croatia

Croatia is an open market for foreign investors and those who come here to do business. Foreign investors are not subject to any special laws or regulations. You can carry out business under the same conditions as local business structures. In addition, foreign investors have some guarantees that aren’t available to domestic investors. The Croatian constitution provides for the free repatriation of profits or capital upon termination of an investment.

Investing in Tourism

With an unspoiled natural environment, a celebrated cultural and historical heritage, and so much emphasis on Croatia as a tourism destination, it’s worth investigating some of the investment possibilities offered in this sector.The Croatian Chamber of Economy suggests the future lies in “selective tourism.” The country certainly has great possibilities for anyone looking to carve out a niche market. Increasing numbers of holidaymakers are seeking vacations that involve more than simply lolling on a beach. Take the water: Croatia is perfect for nautical tourism, dive tourism, cruising on small boats, and fishing tourism. Inland, you could offer equestrian tourism, biking tourism, adventure tourism, ecotourism, or hunting tourism. (Regardless of your own views on the subject, many Italians regard Croatia as a great hunting location.) If you’re interested in a health tourism venture, where better than a country with so many natural spas? And a cookery school would fit in anywhere.

Predicting tourism trends is never easy, though, and deciding on a suitable investment will involve careful study. Where in Croatia do the tourists go? Why are some areas more popular than others? Are there developing trends? Some of these questions can be answered easily. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics publishes tourism figures on a regular basis. Data are available monthly, quarterly, and yearly. This information will certainly be helpful in showing you the most popular areas, and to a certain extent what type of accommodation tourists are staying in.

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FIND YOUR GORGEOUS HOLIDAY VILLA FOR RENT IN CROATIA on the most wonderful locations of Croatian Adriatic: Split, Makarska, Brac, Hvar, Dubrovnik, Korcula, Zadar, Umag, Trogir, Solta, Vis, Peljesac…

Lifestyles in Croatia

This small European country has beautiful fishing villages, thousands of islands and attractive beaches. With a very low population in Croatia, you can have a relaxed life.
The retirees in Croatia are exempted from paying income tax.

• Staying in Croatia will mean that you can lead a healthy life. Fresh foods and good medical facilities have increased the rate of life expectancy of the people.Being a retiree, your health care is covered by government-subsidized medical insurance. You will find many specialized polyclinics, hospitals and medical centers countrywide.
• You can expect low real estate costs in Croatia. Where else can you find a stone house with courtyard for less than $170,000? The houses in Hvar Island are beautiful, yet within your means. A small villa of your own in Korcula Island will cost you around $175,000.

Complete Croatia

article by THE SUNDAY TIMES:

Better sailing than Turkey, islands to rival those of Greece, and a cuisine to match Italy’s: it’s the hot spot that came in from the cold, says David Wickers

WHAT CROATIA does best, even on a par with Greece, is islands. No two are alike, most having grown up in isolation from their neighbours. The way to enjoy them is to hop. It would take a whole, delightful summer to work your way down the chain, flying in to Pula or Rijeka in the north and home from Dubrovnik. On a more realistic time frame, you should fly into Split and work your way south along the Dalmatian archipelago. Here are the best stops along the way.

BRAC ISLAND – FAMOUS WHITE STONE OF BRAC

Aside from Bol and the beaches, its interior is covered in olive and lemon groves, vineyards, wild herbs, free-ranging sheep and quarries whose pale stone was used to build the White House in Washington, DC and the altar in Liverpool cathedral.

HVAR ISLAND – TOP CELEBRITIES DESTINATION

The most Riviera-chic of Croatia’s islands, its main town is a Renaissance show of palaces, with a Venetian main square flagstoned in polished marble as slippery as an ice rink. The old arsenal is part gallery, part 17th-century jewel-box theatre, while overlooking everything is a fortress with a tiny museum of shipwreck finds.

KORCULA ISLAND – BIRTHPLACE OF MARCO POLO

Roughly the size of the Isle of Wight, its main draw is the 14th-century walled Venetian town, supposedly the birthplace of Marco Polo (lots of De Polos live on the island today). There’s even a St Mark’s Cathedral, housing a Tintoretto, as well as an impressive collection of art in the Bishop’s Treasury, which boasts a Tiepolo.

VIS ISLAND – BLUE CAVE

The sleepy old fishing village of Komiza serves as the departure point for excursions to Vis’s sister island of Bisevo, to see the Blue Cave, the Balkans’ answer to Capri’s Blue Grotto. It’s at its best at midday, when the sun angles in to illuminate the cave in iridescent blues.

MLJET ISLAND – NATIONAL PARK WITH SALTWATER LAKES

This is the most natural of the islands, covered in ancient pines and oaks and mostly protected as a national park. Explore by rented bike as well as by canoe across a pair of saltwater lakes. At the southern end are some of Croatia’s rare sandy beaches.

CROATIA FOR SAILING – BETTER THAN GREECE OR TURKEY

WHY TAKE a chance on Croatia rather than stick with Greece and Turkey, the established haunts of warm-weather sailors? Simple answer: the coast of Croatia has statistics to make sailors spill their grog. With those 1,000 islands, 500 harbours, 48 marinas and hundreds of safe anchorages, it makes for some of the best sailing in the Med — and it’s a lot less crowded than the old favourites.

ESCAPING – KORNATI ARCHIPELAGO – NATIONAL PARK

Croats say that when God made the world, he took the offcuts, tossed them into the sea and left them where they fell. The result: the Kornati, a national park of about 100 wild, barren mostly deserted, limestone islands. You can rent a handful of simple fishermen’s cottages, where you have to draw water from a well and have your groceries delivered by boat.

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Hvar: One of the Top Croatian Destinations

RETIRE IN CROATIA – FORBES magazine says why you should 

FORBES magazine ranks Croatia in the top 12 world best retirement havens in 2011. Article describes Croatia:

Sitting across the Adriatic Sea from Italy, Croatia offers great beauty, a mild Mediterranean climate, ancient culture, tax breaks for retirees and low cost of living. The Institute for Economics & Peace ·ranks it higher than the U.S. for safety and security.

Well, Forbes can’t claim to have been the first to recommend the Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast as a retirement destination. That title goes to the Roman Emperor Diocletian (AD 245-316), the only Roman emperor ever to retire. He chose to spend his golden years in his palace in Split, where he remained until his death in year 316. The Diocletian Palace was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979 and it remains at the heart of Split, Croatia’s second-largest city, on the coast of Adriatic Sea, as capital of Dalmatia.

Croatian standards equal to EU standards….

Croatia has infrastructure at European standards, modern, high quality highways, high living standards, excellent and low cost medical service etc. Croatia has joined the European Union in year 2013.

Furthermore, the retirees in Croatia are exempted from paying income tax. Living in Croatia assures that you can enjoy a healthy life. Fresh natural foods and good medical facilities have increased the rate of life expectancy of the people. You will find many specialized polyclinics, hospitals and medical centers countrywide.

Celebrities buy and rent property in Croatia

Celebrities are rediscovering what tourists knew in the 1980s. Croatia — on the Adriatic arm of the Mediterranean – rivals other European top seaside areas with beaches, sailing, and superb cuisine that’s attracted superstars like Steven Spielberg, Beyonce and Jay Z, Madonna, Andre Agassi, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Sharon Stone, Caroline of Monaco, the Prince of Hanover, the King of Jordan and the Prince of Oman, businessmen like Bill Gates, Bernie Ecclestone, Roman Abramovic, Deripaska, Melnichenko, Zeleznjak etc. Many of them are owners of residential properties in Croatia, and also business investments.

Croatian real estate sales on upward scale in 2013.

Croatia is now one of European Union countries, so EU citizens are now able to buy on the same terms as local Croats (except for agricultural land). (For non-EU citizens applies reciprocity rule and consent of the Ministry of Justice, which is obtained in short time). This advantage now speed up the property buying procedure, and encourage more foreigner buyers to purchase in Croatia with confidence. Besides, we are licensed Croatian real estate and tourist agency and offer professional service and care to foreign buyers, leading them through buying procedures and explaining all steps of buying process, with assistance of experienced lawyers, which makes buying procedures safe, fast and with no risk.

Romantic Croatia – paradise on Earth by George Bernard Shaw …RENT HOLIDAY VILLA IN CROATIA – WE CAN ORGANIZE YOUR WEDDING IN CROATIA AT STUNNING LOCATIONS

MAGNIFICENT SCENERY AND SPECTACULAR LOCATIONS IN CROATIA 

This is a story about a land of a thousand islands, her magical nature and rich heritage, her great Men whose great deeds have forever etched the name of Croatia in large letters on the map of the world. This is a story about a land whose beauties have been celebrated since ancient times. From Cassiodorus, who wrote of the divine life led by Patricians on her shores, to Dante, who wrote his immortal verses, enthralled by the epic scenes of the blue expanse, and all the way to George Bernard Shaw, who found his paradise on Earth right here. Croatia has always been a place of true inspiration.

Croatian treasures – the Mediterranean as it once was…

Croatia is one of the ecologically best preserved parts of Europe. It is a land where the hues of the sunny and warm Mediterranean happily blend with the tranquillity and freshness of mountains and the gentle sway of the golden plains of Pannonia. A land of truly divine inspiration that has delighted many of the world’s prominent men of letters. A rare European landscape which boasts as many as eight nationa parks in so small an area!

With Risnjak, Paklenica, the Plitvice Lakes and Northern Velebit in the mountainous area, and with the Kornati Archipelago, the island of Mljet, the Brijuni Archipelago and the Krka waterfalls in the coastal area, Croatia is indeed a jewel of the primeval beauty of nature. Adding to that two arboretums, one in Trsteno, near Dubrovnik, and Opeka, near Vinica, numerous historical parks and protected nature parks, it is indeed a green land, with as many as 4300 plant and as many animal species.

Do not delay: sail the azure blue waters of the Adriatic and discover the island which is one of the last habitats of the griffon vulture in Europe. For dedicated nature lovers in Croatia you can put to sea with an adopted dolphin or, if you are particularly lucky, encounter the mysterious and rare Mediterranean monk seal. Whatever you decide to do, you will find that this is a place where the colours of nature are at their warmest and fullest.

Croatian cuisine  

The Croatian cuisine is diverse and known as a cuisine of different regions. Its modern form originates from the  ancient times. The differences in the selection of ingredients and preparation methods are the most obvious if we compare the continental and coastal regions.

The coastal region is characterized by the influences of the Greeks, Romans, Illyrians and later Mediterranean cuisines – Italian and French. It features many seafood specialties (squid, cuttlefish, octopus, shrimp, lobster…) prepared in various ways, olive oil, prosciutto, various vegetables, Dalmatian wines such as Babic, Malvasia, Prosecco and Vrbnik Žlahtina, and various liqueurs like the famous Maraschino.

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