Your ultimate guide to Croatia
Discover Croatia's best things to do, attractions, restaurants, bars and nightlife
Zagreb Advent guide
Zagreb in winter? I bet you never imagined it could be so much fun, what with an Advent programme that embraces pre-Christmas markets and live music in several destinations. Sausage vendors, mulled wine stalls and igloo-shaped rakija bars help to stimulate the senses. Wooden-roofed stalls sell everything from craft toys to traditional sweets, fruit preserves, speciality biscuits and gingerbread hearts. The music programme features a month-long season of outdoor gigs and DJ high-jinks.
In pictures: the best destinations in Croatia this autumn
Thanks to its gloriously sunny weather, beautiful beaches and pristine seas, Croatia is among the most popular countries in Europe to visit in summer. But there's more to Croatia beyond its beaches. Its oldest towns contain world-famous, protected architecture but are deluged with tourists in the high season. These historic cities lose none of their appeal in autumn when you can enjoy them unfettered by swarms of tourists. Similarly, some areas of inland Croatia, such as Zagreb and the regions of Lika and Gorski Kotor, really come into their own in this season; the forested foothills offering a riot of autumnal colours and a completely different experience to off-season visitors.
In pictures: light-painting the Spomenici (monuments) of Croatia
Chinese self-taught photographer Xiao Yang travels the world exploring urban and man-made environments. As she travels, she takes stunning shots, usually at night, employing a technique known as light painting. She has travelled throughout the Balkan region. Here, we revisit her winter 2015/2016 trip to Croatia and the photos of Spomenici and abandoned places made in collaboration with Mark O'Neill.
The best of Croatia
The 51 best things to do in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a one-town tourist industry on its own, with endless things to do all year round. As stunning as the clear blue sea around it, the former centre of the independent Republic of Ragusa invites superlatives and attracts the lion's share of Croatia's visitors. Read on for our insider's guide to the best things to do in Dubrovnik. RECOMMENDED: More great things to do in Dubrovnik. Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. You can also find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world, or take a look at our list of the 50 best things to do in the world right now.
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The incredible monuments of Bjelovar-Bilogora county
Bjelovar-Bilogora county is steeped in history, reflected in its attractive Habsburg buildings, its Austro-Hungarian spas and its post-war memorials. These three monuments provide distinctly different architectural value, which anyone visiting Zagreb, central Croatia or Slavonia should see. This article is sponsored by the Bjelovar Bilogora county TB and The Croatian National Tourism Board: 'Croatia Full of Life'.
Croatia's 'island of vitality' opens itself to restorative weekends aimed at men
Losinj Hotels & Villas' award-winning Hotel Bellevue is launching a restorative weekend getaway aimed at men. The five-star hotel is the brand's principle wellness resort and holds the famous Bellevue Spa Clinic, which was just renovated in 2018. Located in Čikat Bay, the complex will play host the men's health and wellness weekend between October 4 and 6. In addition to the usual wellness treatments available from Bellevue Spa Clinic, the weekend offers a specially constructed calendar of event and activities specially designed to interest, destress and relax a male clientele. There will be a welcome dinner at the hotel's fusion restaurant Matsunoki, which combines Japanese and Mediterranean foods. On the weekend's second day, attendees will be offered the chance to experience some of the natural beauty of the island with a selection of outdoor activities including FootNet, SUP, kayaking and much more in the natural embrace of the island. Lunch will be served by the waterside and will be comprised of local wines and Mediterranean specialities. In the afternoon, guests will take their pick of treatments at the Bellevue Spa before that evening's seafood-based dinner at the hotel's sister property, the nearby Boutique Hotel Alhambra which will have a theatrical cabaret theme and will be followed by cognac and cigars at Villa Augusta. On Sunday, a hiking tour around Čikat Bay concludes the weekend. The two-night Gentlemen's Getaway Weekend starts from EUR 351.00 per person (a
Osijek on a plate
Fresh pasta from Istria, served with generous shavings of truffle, sumptuous seafood accompanied by zesty wedges of lemon and the traditional green chard; Croatia's cuisine has become one of the more famous facets of a holiday on the country's coast. And deservedly so. Locally-sourced flavours and ingredients are nearly always found alongside summertime coastal dishes although, with an ever-expanding gastro scene, some of Croatia's top chefs are now looking to employ adventurous techniques which allow them to experiment with such time-honoured dishes. However, Croatia's gastronomical offer extends much further than the seasonal menus of the seaside. And, after turning their attentions to the famous coastal platters of Istria and Dalmatia, the next area ripe for culinary rediscovery must surely be Slavonia. Čobanac © Maja Danica PečanićThe county of Osijek Baranja, located in the far east of Croatia and at the heart of the flatlands known as the Pannonian Basin, is Croatia's great unknown gastronomic star. Here, as in Istria and Dalmatia, flavours and components are selected from nearby, creating a menu in which ingredients complement each other naturally. But, the difference here is the wealth of ingredients on offer. Dalmatia is characterised by its crystal clear Adriatic, glorious sunsets and the spectacular backdrop of the Dinaric Alps. The rock which lies beneath accounts for much of what you'll see there, from the shingle beaches to the mountain ranges. But, it won't
Lošinj's Hotel Bellevue celebrates art and beauty at an exclusive pop-up exhibition
Lošinj Hotels & Villas has announced an exciting new pop-up exhibition at the five-star Hotel Bellevue, a collaboration with leading galleries and curators Josip Konta Art Studio, Galerija Libar Gallery and Patrizio Contemporary Gallery. This autumn season, from September 28 to October 5 2019, guests at the luxurious hotel can experience the rejuvenating 'Art & Beauty' package which offers exclusive access to a curated collection by iconic artists including pop-art icon Andy Warhol and a visit to the Croatian Apoxyomenos, one of the world's best-preserved ancient Greek statues - plus art-inspired treatments at the Bellevue Spa Clinic. Launching on September 28 with an opening reception, the gallery open daily from 10am until 6pm for one week and offers guests the opportunity to meet with prominent curator Goran Margeta and international art dealer and historian Dr. Marco Antonio Patrizio. The pop-up exhibition is the collaboration between academic sculptor and painter Josip Konta, one of the most prominent names of the contemporary Croatian art scene; Croatian art gallery Galerija Libar and art advisor and collector Dr Marco Antonio Patrizio. Visitors can see works from domestic and international artists Julie Knifer, Getulio Alviani, Piero Gilardi, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Bernard Aubertin, Giorgio de Chirico, Andy Warhol, Edo Murtic, Ivan Picelj and many more. The hotel's award-winning Bellevue Spa Clinic will also feature a dedicated menu of pampering treatments inspired by fam
Ten brilliant reasons to visit Bjelovar-Bilogora county
Bjelovar-Bilogora County in central Croatia might not strike you as a must-visit region, not least if you're one of its residents and rarely see tourists making the trip there. However, you can sometimes live in a place for so long that you become blind to its best aspects and it takes the eyes of a stranger to point out just how charming your home actually is. Mentioned as far back as Roman times for its therapeutic thermal waters, the county has played a huge part in the history of Croatia and has monuments and traditions from throughout the ages to prove it. Aside from its history, the county is full of fun and contemporary things to do and see.This article is sponsored by the Bjelovar Bilogora county TB and The Croatian National Tourism Board: 'Croatia Full of Life'.
The culture trail of Vukovar, Ilok and Vinkovci
So what is the coolest, most compelling example of Croatian design? It’s actually a 4500-year-old collection of symbols engraved on a grey pot called the Vinkovci Orion. Looking rather like a superbly conceived set of contemporary pictograms, the symbols are the best-known product of the so-called Vučedol culture, a civilization of pastoralists and metalworkers who settled in the region in around 3000BC. It’s a story told with passion and verve by the gripping new Vučedol Culture Museum near Vukovar, a bold new building that slants dramatically out of a hillside, rather like a secret base you might have seen in a James Bond movie. The museum has significantly boosted tourism in an area that was already on the rise: in Western Europe people might talk about the Bilbao Effect. Here it’s the Vučedol Effect. Sat beside a gorgeous stretch of the Danube river, historic Vukovar and the nearby wine-producing town of Ilok have been quietly touted by in-the-know travellers for quite some time. Driven by growing awareness of the new museum, the Vukovar-Vučedol-Ilok strip is now one of the fastest-growing destinations in Croatia, picking up the European Union’s EDEN prize for cultural tourism in March 2108. Substantially damaged during the war in 1991, the town is nevertheless returning to what it was before the conflict: a pretty Baroque town sprawled along a bewitchingly attractive stretch of Europe’s greatest river. Many of Vukovar’s most handsome buildings have been returned
Croatia's best cities
20 great things to do in Pula
Istria’s historic main city of Pula is symbolised by its Roman amphitheatre, scene of a surprisingly wide range of outdoor events every summer. Festivals of film and electronic music, and concerts by everyone from Elton John to José Carreras, fill the 2,000-year-old arena, with its near intact walled ring. Roman remains also form Pula’s city centre, dominated by a hilltop Venetian fortress. With docks rather than beaches nearby, many head south for out-of-town seaside fun in Verudela and Medulin. RECOMMENDED: more great things to do in Pula. Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. You can also find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world, or take a look at our list of the 50 best things to do in the world right now.
What's happening in Zagreb
Popular destinations in Croatia
Croatia's best bars and restaurants
The best Dubrovnik restaurants
Dubrovnik restaurants are beginning to offer the culinary quality and variety that should be expected of such a luxury destination. And dining in Dubrovnik needn't cost an arm and a leg: many places offers simple, wholesome dishes at wallet-friendly prices.
The best Zagreb bars
People in Croatia's capital city always give themselves time to linger and socialise over drinks. Whatever the time of year, new Zagreb bars are always raising and lowering their banners across the city centre and beyond, while traditional landmarks stay firm. Time Out's experts discover the best places to sip across town.
