One of Croatia’s greatest attractions is its beaches. Wonderful beaches line the Adriatic coast and islands. These abound with natural harbours, beautiful bays and ports. There is over 1000 miles of seaside to choose from and over 1000 islands if you get bored of the mainland beaches.

Starting in the north of the country, the Istria region has great wind surfing areas. The old fishing village of Savudrija is the entrance to the Umag Riviera. This sia good place for the more skilled and experienced windsurfer. The area near the lighthouse, which is the oldest in the Adriatic, is a popular gathering place. There are northerly (Bura) and southerly (Jugo) winds. The Jugo makes big waves and the Bura will blow you away towards Italy if you are not careful!

Travelling south to Northern Dalmatia, The Riviera of Crikvenica is ideal for the family.The area has wide bays and the beaches are either sandy or gravel. The city of Crikvenica has a long beach where it is possible to hire bicycles and boats. It is linked to Dramalj by road and also a promenade of about 3 km. This is an ideal beach for children because of its shallow waters.

Further south in Central Dalmatia is the city of Split, the second largest city in the country. Its history dates back some 1700 years. It is very beautiful with many historical and archaeological monuments including the Palace of Diocletian. The main waterfront is called the Riva and this is a lively area. A place to promenade, watch and be watched; to relax and drink coffee on the open-air terraces.

Split is also the main transit centre for the Dalmatian islands. The city beach of Bacvice is mainly sandy and only a few minutes walk from the railway station. Its facilities include lifeguards, showers, parking areas and most amenities expected today. Behind the beach are a selection of restaurants, nightclubs and cafes, making it possible to extend your day into the night hours by dancing until dawn.

The Southern Dalmatia region is in the very south of the country. Here you will find the capital city of Dubrovnik. Banje beach is a famous pebble beach with a great view of the Old Town. This is a place to see and be seen. There are stylish restaurants, modern cafes and the playthings of the rich and famous e.g. water skiing, jet skis, speedboats etc. A little further afield, about 6km, is Copacabana beach. This provides lovely views of the islands and has a long shingle beach. There are many water sport activities including sea chutes for children. There is a diving centre as well as wind surfing regattas and water polo matches.

You are never far from a beach in this beautiful country and the variety is fantastic. Enjoy exploring this lovely coastline.

My husband and I are looking to travel to Turkey or Croatia in June, July or August of this year with our 5-7 month old baby (age dependent on when we go). Does anyone have any suggestions for having a baby friendly vacation in those countries? Areas to visit, things to do, places to stay?

Any ideas or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Croatia will blow your mind! Stay in Istria, enjoy the scenery, and relax on the beach. Here’s an article on vacationing in Croatia:

by Isabella Olsen

Croatia borders several countries, making it a great starting point for an amazing European adventure. It is also an unforgettable destination, too, though, with many attractions to offer. Here are five reasons to visit Croatia.

1. Historical Sites

As a testament to its rich history, Croatia has five World Heritage Sites of cultural and historical importance. The most popular one is Palace of Diocletian in the heart of Split. As implied, this palace was built by Roman Emperor Diocletian in the 4th century, both as a luxurious residence and as a military fortress. As the former, it has a magnificent cathedral and many apartments with elaborate facades which have been converted into shops and cafes, and as the latter, it has towers that offer spectacular views of the Adriatic, as well as other fortifications. Its waterfront promenade is also a lovely place for a stroll, whether by day or by the light of the moon.

The other historical World Heritage Sites are the old cities of Dubrovnik and Trogir, along with the Euphrasian Basilica in Porec and the St. James Cathedral in Sibenik. The fortress of Medvedgrad and the amphitheater in Pula are also worth visiting.

2. Museums

To learn even more about the history of Croatia, take a tour of its museums, which are worthy attractions of their own. These include the Archaeological Museum of Split, the oldest in the country with a collection of artifacts from various eras, the Croatian History Museum housed in a beautiful Baroque palace and the Andautonia Archaeological Park. The 13th century Trakoscan Castle has also been converted into a medieval museum while the old city of Zagreb is like one large museum with its ancient walls, cobbled alleys and various monuments. For art enthusiasts, make sure you visit the Muzej Mimara.

3. Nature

Aside from World Heritage Sites of historical importance, Croatia also has two that are significant natural attractions, namely the Plitvice Lakes National Park and the Stari Grad Plain on the island of Hvar. The Plitvice Lakes National Park is the perfect place to enjoy the outdoors, with 16 beautiful turquoise lakes, various caves, majestic mountains, several breathtaking waterfalls and a diversity of birds and wild animals. Aside from the Stari Grad Plain, Hvar is also known for its sunny climate, its vibrant nightlife and its aromatic lavender fields.

4. Beaches

The reason why most people visit Croatia, though, is because of its beaches – some sandy, some pebbly but all offering wonderful opportunities for recreation and relaxation. The most popular one is Brela Beach, as well as the beaches on its beautiful islands like Rab, Cres, Brac, Korcula and Mljet. There are also naturist beaches and those that are havens for windsurfers.

5. Cuisine

Croatia also has an excellent cuisine, with specialties that are sure to make your mouth water and keep you coming back for more. Seafood platters are especially popular, featuring hearty servings of shrimp, squid and mussels, as well as seafood pasta with truffles and cuttlefish risotto. There are tasty meat dishes, too, like roast pork and veal steaks, as well as sumptuous stews, salty pies and delectable desserts. Croatia is known for its wine, too, so head to the local tavern and ask for the house wine. A taste of Rakija or fruit brandy is recommended.

Don’t forget to get a taste of the cafe culture, too, when you visit Croatia. Indeed, there are many cafes all over Croatia where you will find great pastries and of course, great coffee, whether espresso or latte, that you can sip while mingling with the locals, or simply watching people go by after a busy day.

To spend holidays in Croatia that you can truly call your own, book your car hire Croatia today. Learn more about cheap car hire worldwide at Zencarhire.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Isabella_Olsen

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by D. Browall

The country of Croatia, which is officially called as “Republika Hrvatska”, is situated in south-central Europe in the Adriatic coast’s northeastern region. In the group of the Balkan states, it is located in the west-central section. Croatia’s major territories include the Croatia proper, Istria (majority of its land area), Slavonia, and Dalmatia. The country is divided into 21 administrative constituencies. Its coastline, which is great for sailing, stretches as far as 3,000 miles long.

If you want to sail in Croatia’s southern regions, start your journey in the port of Dubrovnik. It is one of Croatia’s most visited tourist attractions, especially by yacht enthusiasts, because of its close proximity to Adriatic Sea. The city of Dubrovnik, which has a population of about 45,000, is also a cultural center because of its medieval urban walls, historic Rector Palace, and remarkable old-fashioned convents. I highly recommend that you take a couple of days of your charter and stay in a local hotel in the city. As a general guide you should regard Split to Dubrovnik as a minimum of a one week trip and allow two weeks if you want to start and finish in the same marina.

Aside from Dubrovnik, yacht charter Croatia include the ports of Zadar, Baska Voda, Vodice, Split, Pula, Biograd, Kastela, Porec, Rovinj, and Marina.

Pula is a city situated in the country’s northwest region along the Adriatic Sea. It has a population of approximately 58,000 people. Pula is one of Croatia’s major port areas. It is also an industrial center. The city is very Roman in culture and tradition because it was a former colony of Rome in 178 B.C. At present, Pula has still preserved some of its ancient Roman architectures. The most famous are the Roma and Augustus temples built during the 1st century A.D., the Arch of the Sergii, and the Porta Aurea triumphal arch constructed in 1st century B.C. Aside from this, the cool blue beaches of the city has made Pula a very attractive tourist center in the country.

Sailing in Croatia is available almost everywhere. Typically, you can sail the country’s shores 365 days a year. But, the best time to cruise the Croatian coast is from the months of April (spring season) to October (autumn season). During this period, the weather is so nice and the sea relatively calm. However, the spring season sometimes has rain showers. Nevertheless, with the country’s approximately 3,000-mile long coastline and 1,180 islands, you can never have enough of Croatia’s coasts.

One of Croatia’s gorgeous coasts is located in Kvarner. It has been attributed by many sailors and tourists because of its stunning coastline and rugged mountain range. The place also has a very flattering and mild climate. Because of this, many visitors have judged Kvarner as a very suitable place to have a vacation. Most of the place’s tourists are upper class or elite individuals.

For more info on yacht charter Croatia visit D. Browall’s website http://www.sboats.com – The Ultimate Guide to a Sailing Holiday.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D._Browall

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By Dita Kiki

Everyone knows that Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia, but only a few know that Varazdin was once the capital of the country. The city is said as the biggest baroque center in Europe after Prague. I have always wanted to visit Varazdin, especially after I read lots of review saying that it’s some kind of “Little Vienna”, as the Austria-Hungarian royalties chose it as their settlement.

Varazdin is around 100 km in north of Zagreb, and only around 60 km from the town I am living in, Bedekovcina. With that short of a distance, I also didn’t understand why it took us so long to finally pay a visit to Varazdin. I have been living in Croatia for 4 months, begging my boyfriend, Kiki, to take me there every single weekend, with no result. I have to thank his best friend Ginger-head that came up with an idea of a small excursion last Saturday. The first places that crossed my head were: Varazdin, or Medvedgrad. Shortly we decided to go to Varazdin.

We left pretty early, around 10 from home. The main destination was the city museum (Gradski Muzej) that is located in a very beautiful baroque

Baroque Furniture
The museum keeps original collection of artworks, decorations, and furniture from 18th century
castle in the heart of Varazdin. Kiki drove very slowly so we needed more than an hour to get there. On the way, we stopped by a gas station to tank up the car, buy some snacks, and fill the bottles with water. Not only that, we’ve got an extra fun: Ginger-head slipped on frozen asphalt and fell on his ass. He cursed quite loudly that made people turned their head and had some laughter. He is always very generous in giving amusement to others!

We got to the city around half to midday, driving around the center twice as the GPS didn’t show the correct way. We found a parking spot that was in area 2, cost us 5 kunas per hour. From the parking lot, we walked toward the center that was not so far. The city center looks more Istrian-like for me than Central Croatian-like. The pathway was stoned, no car is allowed to pass the city center. Because we were there on Saturday, all shops were closed, although there were still quite a lot of people walking around. We went directly to the Gradski Muzej that was clearly directed by the city plans and pointers

Hangman
It means that around the place, a baby boy has just been born
in every corner of the city. The museum works only until 1 pm on weekends, so we needed to hurry. The ticket costs 25 kunas each, but I paid 15 by showing a student card. The main building was well preserved, there were 3 levels visitors can see. There were replicas of the old baroque-fashioned living room, bedroom, dining room, etc. There was one section dedicated for weapons and guns, and another for old ceramic and clocks. Outside the building, there is a pedestrian pathway where you can hike and walk up the garden, serves you some benches you can sunbathe if you’ll come in a warmer period. There is a watchtower building in the gate which was not as well preserved, and there was a souvenir shop you can buy something for keeping memories.

Right at the exit way, there was a bar called SoHo in which we had a round of drinks. Pretty disappointing for me, as they didn’t serve Heineken, and quite expensive if I remember it well. We then walked down the city while trying to find somewhere to have lunch. As I am being in Zagreb everyday, I found Varazdin very different from it.

Castle of Poznanovec
The abandoned castle we went into
It maybe no longer serves as the capital city of the republic, but you would agree with me that It reflects the old glory. As Zagreb develops with industries, sky scrappers, traffic jams, and ugly flats, there is no such business in Varazdin. The buildings are nicely arranged, the pedestrians walk slowly, the traffic lights are classic and elegant, and there are plenty of parks where you can just sit and breathe.

We decided to have lunch in one local restaurant serves Italian cuisine. There was no that much options as it was Saturday, lots of places were not really working. After eating, we headed to a city close to it, called Lepoglava. There is a big prison in Lepoglava, as the main landmark of the city. We went there to have another round of drink in one restaurant called Buffet where all the bartenders, waiters, and servers are the prisoners who are getting ready for being back in society. Had your beers served by (probably) murderers were such an experience. Although I must say, they were totally friendly and nice, you wouldn’t even know. We ended our journey by going to another town called Sekirisce to have another round of drink in a bar called Serfa, which has this superstitious story of witches and stuff. On the way there, we found this suicide man hang on the phone wire above the road we were driving on. We stopped right underneath so that I can take picture, and Ginger-head needed to pee. He said that the hangman symbolized that somebody around had just given birth to a baby boy. And that explains the big dick of the hangman. Also on the way, we stopped to check one abandoned castle in Poznanovec. This is no tourist attraction at any way. We just went in to check out the building. I was scared of the dog barking sound echoing in the building, and of the cow (or goat) thorax bone we found in the yard, Kiki was thinking about making a tourism project out of the castle, and Ginger-head was surprised that we didn’t find any junkies inside the abandoned building. What three different mindsets!

Is cycling your thing?

The Istria Tourist Board has a website dedicated to cycling in Istra.

A wide range of valuable Istria cycling information targeted at tourists and local fans of recreational and professional cycling is provided.

The site is available in six languages – Croatian, Italian, German, French, Dutch and English and gives lots of information about the Istria cycling project which was launched in 1995 when the marking of trails and their entry into classic cycling maps was initiated.