Accommodation Dalmatia hotels, holidays and travel

See Dalmatia

Croatia's lengthy stretch of coastline, together with its islands, is big enough to swallow up any number of tourists. At the northern end, the peninsula of Istria contains many of the country's most developed resorts, along with old Venetian towns like Poreč and Rovinj, rubbing shoulders with the raffish port of Pula, home to some impressive Roman remains. Inland Istria is characterized by sleepy hilltop villages, often dramatically situated, such as Motovun, Grožnjan, Roč and Hum – each mixing medieval architecture with rustic tranquillity.

The island-scattered Kvarner Gulf, immediately south of Istria, is presided over by the city of Rijeka, a hard-edged industrial centre and the Adriatic's most important transport hub. Close by are a clutch of resorts that were chic high-society hangouts in the late nineteenth century and retain a smattering of belle époque charm: quaint, diminutive Lovran, and the larger, more developed Opatija and Crikvenica. Not far offshore, the Kvarner islands of Cres, Lošinj and Krk have long been colonized by the package-holiday crowds, although each has retained its fair share of quiet seaside villages and tranquil coves, while the capital of Rab, south of Krk, is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in the northern Adriatic.

Beyond the Kvarner Gulf lies Dalmatia, a dramatic, mountain-fringed stretch of coastline studded with islands. It's a stark, arid region where fishing villages and historic towns cling to a narrow coastal strip rich in figs, olives and subtropical vegetation. Northern Dalmatia's main city is Zadar, whose busy central alleys are crammed with medieval churches. From here, ferries serve a chain of laid-back islands such as Silba, Ugljan, Pašman and

the ruggedly beautiful Dugi otok – none of them sees many package tourists, and they're enticingly relaxing as a result. Despite being the site of an unmissable Renaissance cathedral, middle Dalmatia's main town,

Šibenik, is the least compelling of the region's urban centres, but makes a good staging post en route to the waterfalls of the River Krka just inland, and the awesome, bare islands of the Kornati archipelago.

Croatia's second city, Split, is southern Dalmatia's main town, a vibrant and chaotic port with an ancient centre moulded around the palace of the Roman emperor, Diocletian. It's also the obvious jumping-off point for some of the most enchanting of Croatia's islands. The closest of these to the city is Brač, where you'll find lively fishing villages and some excellent beaches, while nearby Hvar and Korčula feature smallish towns brimming with Venetian architecture and numerous beaches. Slightly further afield, the islands of Vis and Lastovo, which were closed to tourists until the late 1980s, remain particularly pristine.

South of Split lies the walled medieval city of Dubrovnik, site of an important arts festival in the summer and a magical place to be whatever the season. Much of the damage inflicted on the town during the 1991–95 war has been repaired, and tourists have been quick to return. Just offshore lie the sparsely populated islands of Koločep, Lopud and Šipan – oases of rural calm only a short ferry ride away from Dubrovnik's tourist bustle. Also reachable from Dubrovnik is one of the Adriatic's most beautiful islands, the densely forested and relaxingly serene Mljet.

(Source: The Rough Guide to Croatia by Johnatan Bousfield)