House of travel Northern, Central & Eastern Europe Brochure 2017 | Page 30

Experience
Croatia
B
Fast Facts
Country Name: Croatia
Population: 4.3 Million
Capital: Zagreb
Currency: Croatian Kuna
Time Zone: 10 hours behind New Zealand
(except during daylight saving)
Electricity: Current is 230V, 50HZ
Plug is a 2 point round-pin adaptor
Festivals and Events 2017
26
22-26 Feb Boat Show, Zagreb
19-21 Jun INmusic Festival, Zagreb
25-30 Jun Hideout Festival, Novlja
28 Jun-05 Jul Love International, Tisno
Jul Dubrovnik Summer Festival
Jul Pula Film Festival, Istria
26 Nov 16-08 Jan 17 Advent Christmas in Zagreb
ehind the overwhelming beauty of Croatia lies a tumultuous history of conquest
by Greeks, Romans, Venetians, Turks and Hapsburg emperors, to name just a
few. The result is a country that has ancient ruins and medieval cities set against
a backdrop of sparkling seas, forests and waterfalls. The culture and cuisine are
equally diverse – like pastries crammed with cherries and fish straight from the
sea, sizzled in local olive oil. At the southernmost tip sits the Pearl of the Adriatic,
Dubrovnik, deservedly a UNESCO World Heritage City. Perched on cliffs above the
ocean, Dubrovnik’s stone walls encircle a 14th century town of towers, monasteries
and gardens. Terracotta roofs glow in the sunlight while church bells chime. It
would be easy to stay within Dubrovnik’s encircling walls but to do so would be to
miss out on cities such as Split, which recently celebrated its 1700th birthday.
Then there are the islands: Hvar, where the air is fragrant with lavender and
rosemary; Korcula, said to be Marco Polo’s birthplace; and the vineyards of Vis.
Take a ferry, charter a yacht or join a cruise and explore them yourself. Venturing
inland, the capital Zagreb is a rapidly developing vibrant, modern city, and gateway
to the Plitvice Lakes National Park. This is Croatia’s most popular attraction, and
another of the country’s UNESCO World Heritage sites. Sixteen lakes are linked by
spectacular waterfalls tumbling over travertine cliffs. The whole park, clad in dense
forest, is still inhabited by bears, boar, wolves and rare birds.