Croatia: Top 5 Must See Destinations

The country of Croatia is undoubtedly one of the best places to visit in a trip to Europe. It is lined with beautiful coasts and natural wonders, and filled with monuments and structures of historical importance, which are the major reasons why tourists flock to the place. There are many amazing tourist spots in Croatia, and here are the top five ones that you definitely shouldn’t miss. Have fun!

Plitvice Lakes

This is the ultimate place for nature lovers who are visiting Croatia. The Plitvice Lakes is a system of more than fifteen lakes connected to each other, all surrounded by a lush forest of tree species whith wonderful foliage. Everyone will surely have a great and relaxing time walking across the lovely lakes over the wooden bridges. It is interesting to note that the waters of the different lakes consisting Plitvice Lakes have different colours, some of them green while the other are blue. While walking in this National Park, keep your eyes peeled for some of the rich animal life and bird life that make up the diverse wildlife in the area, like brown bears, wolves, and lynx, eagles and owls.

Euphrasian Basilica

This religious structure is located in Porec, Istria and was built sometime in the 6th century. It boasts of early Byzantine architecture, and despite the numerous renovations that it went through due to damages caused by fires and earthquakes, the basilica was still able to retain much of its original structure. Aside from the Basilica itself, the different beautiful mosaic and wall paintings of the Euphrasian Basilica, especially the ones on the altar, draws the attention of the people who visit it.

Diocletian’s Palace

This Roman palace is located in Split, and was built by the emperor Diocletian of Rome. This palace served as his retirement home, where he resided after his tenure in the Roman government. After being the emperors resident for a while, the place remained vacant for years, before the nearby residents started to stay in the palace. To this date, there are shops and even restaurants in the palace walls which are worth a visit after touring the place.

Pula Arena

Another remnant of the Roman’s occupation of Croatia is the Pula Arena. The arena, which was built in the 1st century AD,  is located in Pula and is one of the best preserved ancient structures not only Croatia but in the whole world, with most of the walls and columns still intact. The arena is so big that it is said to seat more than 25,000 people, and up to now there are still some activities and events hosted in Pula Arena during summer.

Hvar

The lovely Island of Hvar is just one of the thousands of islands that make up Croatia. Start your tour of Hvar by taking a tour of the surrounding countryside and enjoy the relaxing and laid back atmosphere of the agricultural countryside where you’ll find robust olive groves and fruit orchards, and beautiful fields of flowers. At night, head back to the coast where the marina is located, and enjoy the nightlife in the various restaurants and clubs that line the beaches.

Photo by magnusvk on Flickr