Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for March, 2007

Finally Zagreb is getting the respect it deserves. Travel writer Robert Cross visited recently and was utterly charmed by the city–as I always am! It was great to read that he was as impressed by the pizza as me and ate at my favorite restaurants–Boban, Kaptolski Klet and Zinfandels (see more on Zagreb restaurants). His Zagreb sightseeing seemed to have left him with a strong appreciation of the city’s artistic and architectural heritage and staying at the Hotel Palace and Zagreb Sheraton wasn’t too shabby either (see more on Zagreb accommodation). Go to article.

Another article  traces the history of Zagreb’s Gay Pride parade and announces the date of this year’s Pride parade–from June 27 to June 30.  This year, organizers are seeking to increase its visibility as part of their goal to increase the visibility of the LGBTIQ population in Croatia who suffer from discrimination and lack of acceptance. See more on gay and lesbian travel in Croatia.

If you travel to Croatia from central Italy this summer you’ll have a choice of ferry companies connecting Pescara with the Croatian coast. As last summer, Sanmar has daily ferries from Pescara to Stari Grad on Hvar Island and Split on its fast Jetfoil. Plus they offer bus transfers from Naples, Caserna and Salerno in southern Italy. The service starts June 16 and ends September 9 with extra boats at the height of the summer season. See more options for ferries from Italy to Croatia.

Easter is a big, big holiday in Croatia with festivities occurring all throughout the country. (Read more about celebrating Easter in Croatia)

It’s clearly a great time to visit Croatia but where do Croatians go for Easter? A recent survey of travel agents in Croatia indicates that those who can afford it are choosing China and Cuba this year. Cuban music has become a staple of Croatian nightlife; I wonder if we’ll soon be seeing more Chinese restaurants sprinkled around the country. Closer destinations popular among vacationing Croatians include Prague and Rome. Why not?

Croatians that stay in country  head to the coast, of course. (The interior highlands are still chilly). The top coastal destinations for Easter are Umag, Porec and Rovinj in Istria and Opatija in Kvarner. The most popular Dalmatian island is Brac Island.

And where is Dubrovnik on this list? I wonder if the walled wonder is getting a little pricey for the average Croatian. Or maybe it’s already booked up?

Once again, BlueLine (an affiliate of SEM) will be covering the popular Split-Hvar-Vis-Ancona ferry routes. Not much has changed since last year with a daily boat running between Split and Ancona at the height of the summer season and near-daily ferries in the shoulder season. Ferries from Ancona to Hvar are three-times weekly and there’s a Saturday connection from Ancona to Vis in the busy summer season.  See all timetables from Ancona to Croatia.

Zadar’s passenger pier is undergoing reconstruction that will run to the end of May. As a result passengers on the Zadar-Ancona ferry line will embark and disembark at the port of  Gazenica, (5km southeast of Zadar on the road to Sibenik).  Bus transportation will connect the port of Gazenica with the port in Zadar. Go to article.