Croatia

An Island Coast

Croatia's mainland coast runs for some 1,800 kilometres, but its islands add more than twice that again. The Kvarner Gulf holds Krk, Cres and Lošinj, with Crikvenica on the mainland opposite, while further south the Dalmatian coast runs from Pirovac, Primošten and Rogoznica past Split to Brela, with the island of Hvar offshore.

Roman Stones and Venetian Ports

In Pula, a first-century Roman amphitheatre still stands near the harbour, and in Split the old town grew inside the palace of Emperor Diocletian. Bell towers in the Venetian style mark nearly every small port, from Punat and Njivice on Krk to Šepurine and Pirovac near Šibenik.

Bora and Summer Light

Summers are long, dry and bright, and webcams show marinas filling with yachts from June to September. In winter the cold bora wind can whip the Kvarner sea into white streaks under a perfectly clear sky, one of the most striking sights the cameras catch.