Croatia is quite a small country, the 127th in the world to be exact.
But don’t be fooled by size – this country has a lot of stories to tell about its rich history, culture, its mentality and locals.
Most of the visitors will indeed fall in love with its coast and the crystal clear sea, they’ll be thrilled about the food and inspired by its cultural and natural heritage.
The country offers a lot of interesting facts you might be surprised to learn in this article. So let’s go through some of them and put the most interesting ones on your “To-Do or To-Visit” list when traveling to Croatia.
The country of 10 UNESCO heritage sites
Croatia has the most cultural treasures in Europe protected by UNESCO. Although Croatia is quite small in area, it is a country blessed with rich cultural heritage. There are hardly any cities or regions that do not have these cultural assets. Decide which of the 10 treasures you would like to discover on your next Croatian holiday:
1. Plitvice Lakes National Park
2. Diocletian’s Palace in Split
3. Old town of Dubrovnik
4. Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč
5. Historic town city of Trogir
6. Cathedral of St. Jacob in Šibenik
7. Plain of Stari Grad on the island of Hvar
8. Medieval gravestone cemeteries Stecci
9. Fortress of St. Nicholas in Šibenik
10. National Park Paklenica and Northern Velebit National Park
The country of a thousand islands and nature wonders.
Croatia offers everything a nature lover could want for a relaxing vacation – never mind if you love the sea, the mountains or the pure and untouched nature – Croatia has it all.
Approximately 10% of Croatia’s territory consists of impressive natural beauty – 11 nature parks, 8 national parks and 2 nature reserves attract countless tourists each year.
Some of the most popular islands are Brač, Hvar, Korčula, Vis, Krk and Cres, but that’s only the beginning. Once you start exploring, you’ll never reach the end because there is always at least one more island to visit – Croatia has a total of 1244 islands!
Oh and if you love the sun, you won’t want to ever leave with Croatia’s 2,715 hours of sunshine per year.
The country with the best cuisine
If one would describe the Croatian cuisine you’d probably hear the following: fresh ingredients, sea food, olive oil, good wine and lots of truffle.
Seafood is an important part of the Croatian cuisine. Famous for its stunning coastline stretching along the Adriatic Sea, it’s no surprise that seafood plays an important role in the typical Croatian cuisine. Get ready to enjoy the freshest seafood of your life, straight from the Adriatic and onto your plate.
Seafood dishes go best with the premium wines the country also prides itself on producing.
So you’ll be able to taste the finest and most various wine sorts when visiting Croatia. Tip: ask the locals about their wines, homemade wines can be the best
Croats also enjoy the blessings found in the Istrian region – the famous truffles. In fact, one of the largest white truffles ever found was discovered by Giancarlo Zigante in the Motovun forest in 1999, weighing 1,31 kg.
And the best for the last – there’s a reason why the distinctive flavor of Croatian olive oil has won many awards as the best oil in the world. The Istrian extra virgin olive oil comes from a combination of olive growing traditions dating back to the Roman Empire, Istria’s unique microclimate and the dedicated expertise of the makers.
You’ll for sure taste the best of the best when visiting Croatia.
Additional fun facts about Croatia:
- Soccer is very popular and Croats have a great passion for it. This is the most popular sport in the country, and it’s not uncommon to see locals passionately discussing it. Remember the 2018 World Cup? For this very reason!
- Croatia is home to the worlds’s smallest town called “Hum” with a population that changes between 17 and 23.
- If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you might recognise King’s Landing, where majority of this was filmed in Croatia’s coastal fortress city Dubrovnik.
- The first parachute, pen, necktie, light bulb, torpedo – these are all Croatian inventions that are used in everyday life today
Croatia is full of interesting facts, these are just a few of many. Learn more while you and your family enjoy your holiday in one of our Plant Villas!
