Balkanology  ::  Explore Southeast Europe

Croatia | Links

There are dozens, possibly hundreds, of websites aimed at visitors to Croatia - this is in no way intended to be a complete list. Many of the more general sites listed in the Overview of the Balkans are also useful for planning a trip to Croatia.

Travel Information

• Croatian National Tourist Board

  Places to see, accommodation listings, and events. I'm not a big fan of this site - it seems to take a lot clicking to actually get the information I want, and has a disconcerting habit of switching from English to Croatian for no apparent reason.

• Visit Croatia

  This general-purpose tourist guide covers similar ground to the Tourist Board site but I find it easier to navigate. The selection of accommodation is rather limited.

• Croatia Traveller

  Jeanne Oliver has written several editions of Lonely Planet's Croatia guide. This is her own site, independent of the books, and has lots of tips for anyone planning a visit to Croatia.

• Croatia In Your Pocket

  IYP's guide to Zagreb is typically concise and useful, and regularly updated. The IYP site also includes guides to the coastal towns of Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Split, and Zadar - not to mention everything you ever wanted to know about the eastern city of Osijek.

• Dubrovnik Online

  City guide, including useful details of transport timetables (although they may not be fully up to date) and organised excursions to the surrounding region, including Bosnia and Montenegro.

• Plitvice Lakes National Park
  Northern Velebit National Park
  Mljet National Park
  Paklenica National Park
  Krka National Park
  Kopački Rit Nature Park

  Most of these site have information about the flora, fauna, and geology of the parks, and contact details for further information.

• Beaches of Croatia

  This site will help you find your perfect stretch of Adriatic coast, whether you are looking for a good place to bring the family, want to learn to windsurf, or even seek that most elusive of Croatian destinations: a sandy beach.

Transport and Practicalities

• HŽ - Croatian Railways

  Timetable and fare information about Croatian domestic trains. The site was redesigned quite recently to get rid of those so-uncool capital letters at the start of words, and possibly to make it more user-friendly as well - although I can still only get the timetable to work about 50% of the time. There are no details of international fares, and the "International Timetable" on front page takes you straight to the German Railways European Timetable.

• Jadrolinija

  The main ferry company operating domestic routes along Croatia's Adriatic coast - your first chance to get to grips with the notoriously confusing timetable. They also run some international routes to Italy. Make sure you enter your exact dates of travel as timetables vary considerably depending on the time of year and day of the week. It's not the most user-friendly site in the world but most of what you need to know is in there somewhere.

• G&V Line
  Krilo

  A selection of smaller operators of domestic ferry routes. G&V operates several catamarans, including the useful "Nona Ana" from Dubrovnik to Šipan and Mljet islands, continuing to Korčula and Lastovo in July and August. Krilo runs a catamaran from Split to Hvar town and Korčula. A longer list of local ferries can be found here.

• Zagreb Bus Station

  Details of buses from Zagreb to all points in Croatia and back again.

• Split Bus Station

  If you are travelling around Croatia there's a high chance you'll find yourself making a connection in Split at some time or other. Fortunately the online timetable is more user-friendly than its Zagreb equivalent.

• Dubrovnik Bus Station (Libertas)

  The front page can take a while to load, but if you are patient you'll see a schedule of Dubrovnik's domestic and international bus connections. Schedules change quite a lot depending on the time of year.

• Globtour
  CroatiaBus Zagreb
  Autotrans

  Three of the many bus companies operating in Croatia. Globtour (based in Herzegovina) have particularly useful buses on the Mostar - Dubrovnik - Montenegrin Coast route.

• Autobusni-Kolodovor Bus Timetables

  Database of bus timetables throughout Croatia - you can search for buses between any two places, or for all departures from a specific terminal. In theory this should be more convenient than using the other sites listed above, each of which shows only a small subset of routes. However I have found that timetables on autobusni-kolodvor.com do not always agree with those on the bus companies' own websites - so while it is a useful resource for getting a general idea of the number of buses on any route, the specific times shown should be treated with caution.

• Zagreb Airport
  Split Airport
  Dubrovnik Airport
  Croatia Airlines

• Croatian Youth Hostel Association

  Information and reservations for ten HI-affiliated hostels in Croatia.

From the Travel Pages

• Blazing saddles: Croatia on two wheels (cycling in the Dalmatian islands)

  The Guardian, 24 July 2010

• Slavic secret: Solta is steeped in history and rich in beauty

  The Independent, 03 July 2010

• Jewels of the Adriatic - your for the price of a ferry ticket

  The Observer, 21 June 2009

• City slicker: Split

  The Independent, 21 June 2009

• How Croatia splashed onto the music festival map (Petrčane)

  The Observer, 03 May 2009

• Mediterranean Island Guide: Croatia

  The Telegraph, 07 April 2009

• Sailing in Croatia: 1001 Dalmatians

  The Telegraph, 07 April 2009

• Croatia: canoeing with teenagers

  The Telegraph, 20 January 2009

• Find a budget base in Croatia (Istria)

  The Independent, 11 January 2009

• A touch of the Riviera in Croatia (Hvar Island)

  The Independent, 10 August 2008

• 48 hours in Dubrovnik

  The Independent, 26 July 2008

• Croatia is just the place to learn the ropes (Learn to sail in Korčula)

  The Independent, 29 June 2008

• Island hopping in Croatia

  The Guardian, 21 May 2008

• Five best Croatian islands

  The Guardian, 05 April 2008

• Hvar, Croatia's glam makeover

  The Guardian, 07 July 2007

• Rewriting Istria

  The Guardian, 08 November 2006

• Croatia's Coastline: on the long and winding road

  The Independent, 25 June 2006

• Croat of many colours (Plitvice Lakes)

  The Guardian, 15 April 2006

• Istria: For Foodies the Next Tuscany

  The New York Times, 22 January 2006

• In Croatia, a new Riviera beckons

  The New York Times, 17 July 2005

• New horizons (Sailing holidays)

  The Guardian, 11 June 2005

• Going to Zagreb

  The New York Times , 01 May 2005

• Viš Fizz

  The Guardian, 30 April 2005

• Where streets are paved with marble (Dubrovnik)

  The Observer, 15 August 2004

• Wonderwall (Dubrovnik)

  The Guardian, 17 April 2004

Background

• WWW.HR

  If you didn't find what you were looking for in the above list, try the WWW.HR portal's categorised directory of thousands of Croatia-related websites. Incidentally it also has the shortest URL I've com across while compiling the Balkanology listings.