Varaždin is the cultural, economic and administrative centre of Hrvatsko Zagorje. It’s a pretty, Baroque city, its skyline punctured by church towers, its centre lined with parks and gardens. It celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2009, renovating its National Theatre, hosting the world handball championships and increasing the profile of its many cultural festivals. In 2008 its Radar Festival played host to Bob Dylan. In 2009 the star was Santana.

Historically, Varaždin was a fortress town, a stronghold against Turkish raids. It passed through the hands of several owners, including the aristocratic Erdõdy family, until 1925. For a brief time in the 18th century, it was the capital of Croatia, hosting the Parliament (Sabor).

The city’s pedestrianised Baroque centre has a noble feel about it. The 14th-century Castle (042 658 754, www.gmv.hr; summer 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, winter 10am-5pm Tue-Fri; 10am-1pm Sat, Sun; 20kn) houses the City Museum, with displays of arms, local crafts and furniture. Varaždin Cathedral (Pavlinska 4), built in 1647, is distinguished by its Baroque entrance and 18th-century altar. In between the castle and cathedral, the Town Hall, built in 1523, hosts the changing of the guard every Saturday at 11am.

The main town of the Slavonia and Baranja region, Osijek is set on the right bank of the Drava, near its mouth into the Danube. Tree-lined avenues of pastel Secessionist mansions meld incongruously with a young weekend party scene, anchored by the cobblestone fortress of Tvrdja. Filled with cafés, nightclubs, top-notch restaurants and university students, Osijek is a welcome surprise for those here to explore the nearby castles and the Kopački rit Nature Park. As more businessmen and tourists arrive – a budget air link with the UK via Germany has been in place since 2009 – new places are opening and old ones expanding. Long-time hotel favourite Waldinger has opened a high-end restaurant; at Tvrdja, Kod Ruže is a relatively recent arrival with classic trappings of traditional rustic Slavonia but a menu that’ll make any city slicker smile.

About The Town

Slavonia’s regional hub was founded on the ruins of the Roman town of Mursa – strategically located on the right bank of the river Drava, close to its confluence with the Danube. The town thrived in medieval times, but was sacked and destroyed by Ottoman soldiers in 1526. During a century and a half of Turkish rule, the city was remodelled in an oriental style, and famously had an 8km (five-mile) long wooden bridge out into the marshes, celebrated as one of the wonders of the world, but was burned down by Croatian noble Nikola Zrinski in 1664. In 1687 the city was occupied by the Habsburgs, who built a mighty fortress and erased all architectural remains of the Ottoman period. The Tvrdja complex combined administrative and military functions, and was the heart of the town during its 18th-century revival. Its Holy Trinity Square was bounded on the north by an imposing Military Command, on the west by the building of the Main Guard, and on the east by the Magistrates’ Office, now the Museum of Slavonia (Trg svetog trojstva 6, 031 250 730; 8am-2pm Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat, Sun; 15kn), housing an assorted collection of local oddities.

In 1809, Osijek was granted the title of Free Royal City and this city became a thriving multi-cultural metropolis with trade and cultural links to Budapest. Europska avenija is a broad tree-lined boulevard in Habsburg style and contains well preserved art-nouveau townhouses – particularly Nos.12 and 22. Opposite is Osijek Art Gallery (Galerija likovnih umjetnosti; Europska avenija 9, 031 251 280; 10am-6pm Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat, Sun; 10kn), with works by Adolf Waldinger (1843-1904), who died poor but is rated one of Slavonia’s great landscape painters.

The centre of the Upper Town is Trg Ante Starčevića, a nice square criss-crossed by tram lines, full of shops and cafés, and marked by the 90-metre tower of the Church of Sts Peter & Paul (known as the Cathedral). Other architectural sites include the Moorish-style Croatian National Theatre, founded in 1907, and the Baroque Church of St James (1727) on Kapućinska, a street also notable for its busts of historical personalities. There’s a riverside promenade that leads to the Tvrdja citadel, and a dramatic pedestrian suspension bridge over the Drava. On the other side of the river are the city zoo and the recreational centre Copacabana, with swimming pools and a nice sandy beach.

During the Yugoslav war, Osijek avoided heavy destruction despite being on the frontline. Just over the river minefields are marked with yellow signs. De-mining is slow, dangerous and unfortunately never 100 per cent sure.

The Nature Park of Kopački rit, a few kilometres north-east of Osijek, comprises wetlands that are home to 260 species of birds.

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Located out in the Adriatic between Croatia and Italy, the small island of Lastovo is not an easy destination. Served by a single daily ferry and catamaran from Split in season, this is a holdover outpost of the Med as it used to be: spare, barren and decidedly untouristy. Its unforgiving isolation, which protected it against pirates, offers the same respite from the mad march of tourist development sweeping Croatia’s coast.

Seemingly cut off from the world by steep cliffs plunging directly into the sea, Lastovo was settled as a safe redoubt against the unending raids of Uskok, Turkish and Genoese pirates. Unlike most Adriatic port towns, Lastovo village is situated beyond the crest of the cliffs, its Venetian church spires entirely invisible from the sea. The entire island served as an impregnable defence from sea raiders during the centuries of war between the Venetian and Ottoman empires.

Lastovo’s stormy history has seen it claimed by Venetians, Ragusans, French, British, and eventually Habsburg rulers before being granted to Italy from World War I until 1945 – it was never a part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Mussolini hoped to make Lastovo the site of his ambitious if soft-brained resettlement programme to relocate the poor of overcrowded Naples to a sunny new island home in Dalmatia. Almost all of the Italians were repatriated to Italy after 1945, but the Lastovans still speak a Croatian heavily peppered with Italian words and phrases.

Lastovo was declared a National Nature Park in 2006 but tourists are still precious enough to be greeted with a smile and an invite to a glass of home-brewed travarica spirit. Cars pick up pedestrians. Grab a fishing rod and catch your dinner. Swim in a bay all to yourself. Kick off your shoes and really relax. This isn’t tourism. This is way-out-thereness, an antidote to the crowds. Think Robinson Crusoe, only with fine wine, seafood risotto and maybe a rented moped.

Lastovo village, at other end of the island from the port of Ubli, is a vertical maze of old stone houses and flower-covered, walled alleys clinging to the steep hillside. The tiny centre at the top of the hill offers a bar, two markets, tourist information and a restaurant. A path leads down to a small beach at Sv Mihovil.

During the winter carnival, Poklad, the cigarette-smoking effigy of a medieval Turk is submitted to various creative indignities while hoisted on a rope 300 metres above the town before being burned by costumed villagers dancing to traditional Moreška music shouting ‘UVO! UVO! UVO!’. Obviously, alcohol consumption is deeply involved.

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Mljet is Dalmatia’s most southern, most verdant and, some would argue, most beautiful isle. More than 70 per cent of this thin, 37km-long one-road idyll is covered in pine forest. A third of it is national park. Before Tito chose Istria’s Brijuni as his place for leisure, luxury and safari animals, Mljet was a prime candidate for the prestigious role. And though it never got to accommodate giraffes, Mljet remained a natural escape, underdeveloped and underpopulated.

According to legend, Odysseus was so enchanted by Mljet that he stayed here for seven years. Locals tend to stay for the day, arriving in someone’s boat in the morning, spending the time cycling and swimming, before heading back for dinner in Dubrovnik. Tourists coming with the ferry are plonked at sombre Sobra, on the north-east coast. Those in the catamaran go on to the western tip and Polače, named after mildly interesting Roman ruins. This is your best arrival point, with private rooms and cycle hire (although there’s a steep hill to start off with). It is five kilometres to the modern port of Pomena, where you’ll find the island’s only hotel, the Odisej, plus more private rooms, cycle hire places and restaurants. The hotel is the island’s link with civilisation, boasting a cashpoint and internet access. Note that it closes for the winter.

Halfway between Polače and Pomena is the main ticket office for the national park at Govedjari. Kiosks are also dotted elsewhere. If you’re spending the night on the island, you do not pay for park entry.

Around the lakes, the little stone-house settlements of Babine Kuće and Soline are nice for a wander. From Veliko Jezero, a hiking path leads to the 253-metre- high point of Montokuc, allowing views of Pelješac and Korčula. Hiking maps are sold at kiosks in Polače and Pomena. Other activities – windsurfing, diving – can be set up from the Odisej.

The rest of the island contains a few small settlements, centrepieced by the administrative capital of Babino Polje, and nothing else but nature. As nearly all tourists hang around the lakes, this is pretty much yours. There’s nothing by way of transport or refreshments but the reward is three sandy beaches near Sapunara, on Mljet’s far eastern tip. The main one can get a little crowded, but the other two, Podkućica and the beautiful Blace, are quieter, the latter attracting nudists. Locals can find you a private room or there is apartment rental.

On the south coast, a hard walk from Babino Polje or an easy boat excursion from the Hotel Odisej is Ulysses Cave, where the nymph Calypos is said to have held Odysseus captive. Seven years stuck in paradise, maybe it was the itch that made him leave.

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Pelješac is passed over by most visitors to Dubrovnik but locals are drawn to its very lack of tourists, fine wines, long shingle beaches and, most of all, the best mussels and oysters in Croatia. They are farmed at Ston, one of the two key destinations on the Pelješac peninsula, which sticks out 90km towards Korčula. The other is Orebić, a resort in its own right, a quick hop and a quieter alternative to Korčula. A windsurfing scene nearby gives it the younger edge that Korčula lacks. One road runs the length of the peninsula, and unless you have a car, your best bet is to head for Ston, where Pelješac meets the mainland, by bus from Dubrovnik, or cross from Ploče to Trpanj.

With your own transport, you can drive the 65km of vineyard-lined road, calling at wine cellars serving the famed Postup and Dingač reds.

Ston’s natural lake-like bay has hosted mussel and oyster farms since Roman times. In summer, locals sell 5kn oysters by the side of the road. Renowned restaurants from here to Dubrovnik feature Ston oysters on their menus. The Ostrea Edulis variety can only be found in Ston. Smaller than its Atlantic counterpart, it is served open on its flat side. The meat is also firmer and richer flavoured. It is also not cut off from its shell, so don’t tip it down your throat

Excellent beaches stretch either side of the main road too. On the north side, Divna, near the tiny village of Duba, some 6km from Trpanj, is secluded and sandy. Prapratno, 3km west of Ston, is also sandy. On the south side, Žuljana, before Trstenik, is a lovely village in a bay where you’ll find several beaches. The most beautiful is Vučine, 15 minutes’ walk south.

Ston is really two towns in one, linked by hilltop fortifications. Ston, called Veliki (‘Great’) to distinguish it from its smaller sister of Mali Ston, has its own historic walls (now open to the public), built to protect the salt pans there. Half the 14th-century towers and walls remain, surviving the earthquake of 1996 that destroyed houses in both towns. Damage is still visible.

Orebić has package hotels and standard restaurants, but has more to pack into a weekend. A major trading centre until the late 19th century, it contains grand villas festooned with greenery, built by retired sea captains. Its main sight is a Franciscan monastery (summer 9am-noon, 4-7pm Mon-Sat, 4-7pm Sun; 15kn) on a hilltop 20 minutes’ walk from the Hotel Bellevue. Built in the late 15th century, it houses Our Lady of the Angels, an icon said to protect sailors in the Pelješac Channel picturesquely spread below. Before you reach it, another trail leads to the summit of Sv Ilija, with views from 961 metres high.

Locals come to Orebić and nearby for its beaches. The nicest one is Trstenica, sandy, with a few bars and a section for naturists. It’s a 20-minute stroll east of the ferry terminal. Boats make regular journeys to Viganj, a popular spot for windsurfing. A north-western afternoon wind makes it ideal for intermediate surfers. Beginners are best going out on summer mornings, for the mild wind from the south-east. Campsite Liberan (020 719 330, www.liberan-camping.com) rents boards and has a windsurfing school; Perna (098 395 807 mobile, www.perna-surf.com), between Viganj and Orebić, specialises in kitesurf. The main diving club, OreBeach, outside Orebić (Šetalište Kralja Krešimira 121, 020 713 985, 091 1543 5532 mobile), is a modern centre with a hotel and restaurant.

Viganj has three churches. The oldest, the 16th-century St Liberan – more a chapel, really – sits on the main spit of beach that is the windsurfing hub. The other two, Our Lady of the Rosary and 18th-century St Michael’s, are on the way to a historic local point of interest: the Nakovana archaeological site, with evidence of the Stone Age.

As you approach Korčula from the mainland nearby, the crowded little houses on the edge of the island seem to be pushing each other out of the way to see if you are friend or foe. Holding them in, stern medieval walls centrepieced by the slim belltower of St Mark’s Cathedral stand guard over the narrow Pelješac Channel, protecting the riches contained on the sixth largest island in the Croatian Adriatic. So lush with dark pine forests, vineyards and olive groves the ancient Greek settlers called it Korkyra Melaina (‘Black Corfu’), Korčula has managed to avoid the tourist trap tendencies of its original Greek namesake 480km south.

No longer fought over by Turk or Venetian, Napoleon’s troops or Prince-Bishop Petar Njegoš’ Montenegrins, Habsburg Austrians or Mussolini’s Italians, by Partisan or German, Korčula is one of Dalmatia’s most relaxing getaways. The main town of the same name, set on the north-eastern tip of the island opposite the Pelješac peninsula, has one of the best-preserved medieval centres in Dalmatia. Historic Korčula is therefore the most popular regional destination after the more crowded Dubrovnik, with which it is often compared.

Tourists with modern-day demands are at last catered for at the Lešić-Dimitri Palace Korčula, a five-star luxury retreat with a spa and restaurant to match. The refurbishment of the four-star Marko Polo is another boon.

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Dubrovnik is a one-town tourist industry on its own. 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 year-round visitors. When a foreigner thinks of Croatia, he thinks of Dubrovnik’s proud, pristine fortifications set on an azure background. The travel brochure covers need little touching up. Anti-clockwise currents running up the coast from Albania mean that the Adriatic is crystal clear here.

Dubrovnik has the cream of Croatia’s five-star hotels, attracts the most notable celebrities and, in Gil’s, has a restaurant and cocktail bar second to none in the land. With the opening of the new cablecar to Mount Srdj and more talk of a golf course, Dubrovnik is expanding its attractions beyond the Old Town.

Introducing The City

As Ragusa, this was a hub of cultural, architectural and scientific achievement, backed by lucrative maritime trading and a progressive urban infrastructure. Ragusa was the name given to it by the Italianate refugees who had fled Epidaurum, today’s Cavtat, in the seventh century. A wily maritime power run by an enlightened council of local noblemen, Ragusa vied with Venice for Adriatic trade. The sovereignty of La Serenissima here was a short one. Rid of the Venetians by 1358, Ragusa, with its own currency and institutions. quickly blossomed.

The lower classes resided at the bottom of Mount Srdj and the streets north of Stradun, the dividing line. Although a class system was in force, there was no slavery; Ragusa had its own public health service.

With no royal intrigue – the Old Town is free of grandiose statues – Ragusa thrived. Whenever the Turks threatened, Ragusa paid them off. Citizenship was bestowed upon the skilled and the entrepreneurial, Jews included. Buildings of marble and stone replaced wooden ones. Ragusa’s sailors worked a profitable fleet of 300 ships. Some worked aboard Columbus’ to the New World in 1492 – ironically, the first step in robbing Ragusa of its riches when Atlantic trade links began to replace Mediterranean ones in importance.

As the economic tide was turning, a great earthquake struck in 1667. The rebuilding programme called for height restrictions in case of further disaster. A century later, Napoleon’s forces entered Ragusa in 1806. The republic was abolished.

Short French rule saw a swift improvement in the urban infrastructure. After Napoleon’s defeat, the Habsburgs moved in to control Ragusa until their demise in 1918. During this time, as the local nobility died out, the city was central to the Croatian revival against Vienna. When it became part of the new Yugoslav state, it took its Slav name of Dubrovnik. Ruled from Belgrade, Dubrovnik’s lack of overland transport links and outdated trades saw economic decline and mass emigration to the Americas. The city claimed by Croatian Fascists, Mussolini, Hitler and Tito’s Partisans was a living museum.

The city reinvented itself under Tito as tourist-friendly Dubrovnik. In 1991 these same tourists watched the news in horror as Dubrovnik was shelled day after day during a six-month siege. Painstakingly rebuilt, it has since reinvented itself for high-end tourism, most notably where hotels are concerned. Entrepreneurs have upped the ante on luxury lodging – Dubrovnik is now a similar price bracket to the French Riviera.

Where Boškovićeva meets the north flank of the iconic city walls that encircle Dubrovnik’s Old Town, a map plots the exact points where the shells fell during the six-month Serb and Montenegrin bombardment in 1991-92. It looks like a dartboard. Two out of every three buildings in the city were damaged. Today only the shinier red roof tiles indicate the brutality. Dubrovnik has been restored to its finest medieval glory and is open for business – as the summer hordes of tourists testify.

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Vis island has a special place in the hearts of many Croatians, who consider this a truly unspoiled example of the best of the Dalmatian coast. Its designation as a military base under Tito froze development for more than 40 years, allowing farming and fishing to remain the dominant activities.

Now tourism is taking over this remote island, one of the farthest from the mainland in Croatia. Vis has become a hot destination among those in the know who want a quiet getaway amid a gorgeous patch of clear sea, which provides great fish, swimming and diving.

While the party scene here may not be as raucous as on Hvar, Vis island’s gastronomy can compare with any Dalmatian destination. The natives, whose dialect is a Croatian-Venetian hybrid that is incomprehensible to many Croats, take real pride in their unique culture – and cuisine. Local fishermen and farmers provide ingredients for the food, including native specialities like viška pogača, a sardine-stuffed bread, while vintners provide indigenous wines, such as the red Plavac and white Vugava. 

Traditionally, the farmers and vintners are from around Vis town, the main port in the north-east closest to the mainland. Fishing, though less intense than it once was, is still centred around the more secluded village of Komiža, on the seaward side of the 17-kilometre-long island. Between these two main settlements are smaller villages, some famous restaurants and wonderful beaches.

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Outside of Dubrovnik, Hvar is the epicentre of the Dalmatian travel industry. Holidaymakers come to be around the yachts lined along the harbour of the namesake capital and among the revellers forking out more than top dollar (in Croatian terms) to party into the night. A massive overhaul of all the key hotels here in the Sunčani Hvar chain chain has been followed by a slower stage of development as the town comes to terms with its stardom.

The hub of it all is Hvar town harbour. In high season this pretty, petite Venetian capital of 3,000 locals on the island’s south-west tip overflows with 30,000 visitors every day. They swarm the attractive waterfront and adjoining main square, Pjaca, doing coffee, the nearby market and the modest sights by morning, the beach by day and the bars by night. Prices now match those of fashionable hotspots elsewhere on the Med. Sunčani Hvar’s Amfora Hotel broke new ground when it opened in 2008, its conference centre containing an outdoor meeting area and cascading pool area lined by bars, restaurants and gardens. Another new property, Villa Nora, provides Hotel Park with welcome competition.

Stari Grad was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2008, throwing focus onto this hitherto sleepy but delightful town and surrounds. The plain is an almost unaltered and outstanding example of a Greek land parcel system (chora) dating back to the fourth century BC, and with its new status have come new walking and bike trails, and the likelihood of further investment in the infrastructure of a town which offers a complete contrast to its trendy neighbour. A burgeoning café-and-gallery vibe fits well with the low-key attitudes of Stari Grad and Jelsa, further east along the coast. Both are fine examples of old neighbourhoods where stone houses, ornate colonnaded balconies and winding pedestrian promenades, polished by centuries of travellers, take top billing over discos and clubs. In Jelsa’s serpentine alleyways, for instance, quality eateries have sprouted up. Nearby Vrboska is also a delight with its tiny stone bridges, two marinas and just enough restaurants and bars to keep the yachties happy. There’s a sense in these towns that, except for a few mad weeks, it’s just you, the locals and ancient stone decor.

For a real insight into the complete history of this lavender-covered island, a thin strip extending east for 60km to the isolated but charming port of Sućuraj, go inland to Humac, Dol, Malo Grabje, Velo Grabje or Vrbanj. Now mostly uninhabited except for the odd konoba, the original islanders built their old stone houses safe from the pirates of Omiš and worked the land. In Humac you will find a delightful konoba of the same name; it runs tours of the nearby Grapčeva cave (099 577 1770).

In Dol you have Konoba Kokot, another gem of a traditional family restaurant and all around you will see the olives, grapes, lavender and Aloe plants that go into producing some of Croatia’s finest olive oil, wine and honey.

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Trogir was first settled by Greeks from island of Vis in 300 BC. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Old Town reflects the influences of subsequent Roman, Hungarian, Venetian, French and Austrian rule. Its walled medieval centre is a warren of narrow cobbled streets, radiating from the cathedral square of Trg Ivana Pavla II, flanked by a wide seafront promenade, the Riva. In summer, the harbour wall is lined with luxury yachts and tripper boats and the lively summer festival has mainstream entertainment on offer most evenings.

The Old Town stands on an islet, separated from the mainland by a man-made canal, and linked by another road bridge to Čiovo island. It’s a fine setting but the two single-lane bridges will be choked all summer until a new bridge is built further east. Trogir’s marina, with a cluster of bars and restaurants around it, lies on Čiovo. Just over Čiovo bridge are a couple of hotels, including, to the left, the recently opened four-star Hotel Palace. By the mainland bridge is the bus station and the ever-busy, open-all-hours market.

Entering from the mainland, you pass through the baroque Land Gate, guarded by a statue of local patron St John of Trogir. Here also is the Town Museum (Gradska vrata 4, 021 881 406). Set in the Garagnin Palace, it’s a low-key display of archaeology, books, antique clothes and documents, but the courtyard is lovely and often used for klapa – Dalmatian male-voice accapella – concerts in the summer.

Ahead stands the 15th-century Venetian Čipiko Palace, built for a rich Croatian family who then spread their wealth in Kaštela. Alongside, the three- naved Cathedral of St Lawrence (Trg Ivana Pavla II, 021 881 426) took 300 years to build and is famed for the magnificent western portal, built in 1240. The 47-metre-high Bell Tower affords magnificent views of the town and surrounds. Past it are the Town Hall, the Loggia and Clock Tower. The Loggia, with its Renaissance reliefs and sculptures, dates back to the 14th century though it was lovingly restored in the late 19th.

Just before you exit the Old Town onto the Riva is the Benedictine Monastery of St Nicholas, founded in 1064. It has a rich collection of works of art including a Greek relief of the God Kairos, believed to date to the third century BC but only discovered in 1928.

Exiting the Old Town via the Sea Gate, and turning right on the Riva, you come to medieval Kamerlengo Castle, now used as an open-air cinema and events stage with a tower that offers more great views. The town walls once connected the castle to St Mark’s Tower, at the other end of the lush football pitch. Unlike the crumbling castle, St Mark’s has been painstakingly restored and the open top floor is now a café; the interior has been given over to a small museum of Dalmatian music. Turn left from the Sea Gate towards the bridge and you pass the 16th-century loggia that used to house the fish market, since moved to the mainland side of town.

Čiovo has a string of good pebbly beaches, busy in summer when the apartment trade booms. A morning ferry from the Riva goes to Drvenik Veli and Mali islands, coming back early evening (not Fridays). Krknjaši Bay, on the east side of Drvenik Veli, is a remote pebble beach with the clearest of water and a summer-only seafood konoba, Krknjaši (021 893 073). Lodging is also available.

For a rustic dinner over a perfect sunset, drive to the summer-only Konoba Duga (091 582 8666 mobile). A bumpy track leads from the west part of Čiovo to the south side. Once there, you’ll find a lovely terraced beach and the restaurant. A ten-minute walk away is Laganini (091 883 1093 mobile), a newly opened beach lounge club in uvala Duboka, featuring live acoustic sessions, an open barbecue and a choice of couch, bean bag, sunbed or hammock to enjoy your cocktails.

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