travel
pic: L.RICHARD MARTIN JR
BUZZ
RECOMMENDS
pic: COMIC PIE
CROATIA
Watson Thomas arrives in September to find the
partygoers gone, but the Croatian spirit very much intact.
W
hat do you get when you cross
a picturesque spot in the
Mediterranean with some of the
summer’s hottest electronic music
festivals? Answer: a very busy Croatia.
It is no secret that the country is very rapidly
growing in popularity. This is particularly true of
the summer season, when hordes of tourists-in-theknow come to take advantage of beautiful beaches,
30-degree heat and remarkably low-end
living costs. Arrive a little later in
the year, however, and Italy’s
young, energetic cousin exudes
a different type of charm
altogether.
First stop: Split. Armed
with a seafront so dramatic
that it seduced a Roman
emperor, Split’s old town is
a mass of Riva, restaurants
and ruins.
There’s much to be
discovered within the
labyrinthine walls of the
Diocletian’s Palace, where cafés and
coffee bars sit alongside some of the finest Roman
ruins this side of Pompeii.
A lack of an outdoor strange and ridiculously large
crowd doesn’t make Croatia a vacuum of sound.
Rise early to experience the haunting harmonies of
the resident Klappa performers echoing through the
newly quiet streets. As the sun sets, groups of elderly
locals serenade themselves along the Riva while
musicians play to wine-supping audiences outside
the Cathedral of St Domnius.
The festival crowds might have vanished but the hot
temperatures hang around for a little while longer,
which makes for ideal beach lounging. The walkway
to Marjan beach, which only weeks ago would’ve
been teeming with sun-seekers, is now almost
completely deserted save for a handful of locals.
Travelling there in autumn, rather than the hectic
summer months, will mean that you can safely enjoy
the sunshine without having to share your patch
of beach with hundreds of other people. Arrive any
time before 11am this time of year and you’re
guaranteed to pick your own spot on the
beach.
Next stop: Zadar. Yet another
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