Archive for 'Architectural Gems in Croatia'

If you are looking for a holiday in Croatia that combines perfect tourist attractions, wonderful beaches and sunny days, good food and wine, and adventure, you will find few destinations as perfectly suited as Istria. The region is often divided into two categories: the coastal tourism hotspot that is “Blue Istria,” and the calmer and lush inland area known as, “Green Istria.” While the former offers all of the attractions, resorts, restaurants, bars, and facilities that one might want for a fun and relaxing vacation, the latter affords stunning landscapes that are just waiting to be uncovered and explored!

Those who love hiking, spotting animals, admiring stunning surroundings, and exploring lush landscapes, ancient ruins, and diverse marine life will find that one of Green Istria’s most charming attractions delivers all this and more: the Brijuni National Park. An ideal spot for adventure while enjoy a perfect getaway, it is a must to add to your itinerary while staying in a vacation rental in Istria.

Pula is a town in which coastal views, generous amounts of ancient Roman ruins, and a generally pretty and historic core all come together to create a charming picturesque spot to enjoy a vacation in Croatia. We have holiday rentals in Pula to choose from but it can also be readily visited as a must-see stop if you find a villa in Istria and plan on renting a car and exploring the wider region. And though the town does not have an endless list of things to see and do, it has plenty of brilliant attractions and charms to recommend it. Here are our favourite things to see and do during a holiday in Pula.

If you’re looking for a scenic and walkable city that is packed with history, culture, excellent restaurants and bars, nearby beaches, and more, then few places could truly hope to compete with a vacation rental in Dubrovnik. A serious looker of a city with the kind of incredible historic centre and impeccable landmarks that made it become a filming location for the cinematic fantasy setting of the medieval towns of Game of Thrones, it is a magical place to come and wander about. In fact, we’ve previously highlighted how you can go on a tour of the key spots from the beloved HBO series as you explore the city.

However, even if you’re not a fan of the show, there are endless reasons to go strolling about the centre and endless incredible gems that you might stumble upon on your travels. From little family-owned eateries, to unique boutiques, to pretty squares with cafes, to architectural gems, to charming streets that are beyond picturesque, as you walk around historic Dubrovnik, you never know what you might find! You might even find wonderful things in surprising packages. For example, you may well wander past the 15th century Dominican monastery and church of Saint Sebastian, which looks like many other churches in the city from the exterior. However, there is much more to this fascinating building. It is, in fact, home to a rather remarkable collection of artworks and more by Croatian artists and designers. 

Istria is often most popular as a seaside getaway destination as its beautiful coastline boasts lots of pretty coastal towns but, in addition to this part of the region in Croatia, there is the inland, “Green Istria.” This part of Istria is lush and green and scenic, with a landscape dotted by exceptionally pretty little villages, orchards, olive groves, vineyards, and rolling hills. It is also well-known for its incredible gastronomic heritage and, therefore, there are lots of delicious things to snack on as you explore this gorgeous part of the world. However, if you have found a villa in Istria and you are taking time to venture into Green Istria, whether you are staying on the coast or inland in the midst of it, then we recommend that you make a point to plan a day-trip to the unbelievably picturesque town of Motovun.

Motovun is a picture-perfect gem of a 14th century walled town that was fortified by the Venetians and rises up on a hillside that overlooks green pastures and hills all around in the Mirna River Valley. With the deep green Motovun forest at its base and the old walls, church tower, and pretty houses with terracotta roofs crowning the town, Motovun truly looks like something that has been plucked straight from the pages of a fairytale and that has been frozen in time. Throughout the streets of the town, once you have climbed the little road that stretches up the hill and passes through the houses and business on the outskirts into the wall historic core of the town, you will find an elegant and atmospheric cluster of astounding Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance buildings that house restaurants, coffee houses, artists’ studios, and little shops. 

The county of Split-Dalmatia is an ideal spot to find a vacation rental in Croatia as it is one of the most beautiful parts of the country with an incredible coastline and a wide variety of tourist attractions. When one looks into these tourist attractions of the region, they will quickly discover that the most popular usually fall into one of a few categories: famously lovely beaches, incredible churches or historic fortresses, natural gems, museums, and scenic spots boasting panoramic views. One especially interesting spot, that is a must-see for those who have found a villa in Split-Dalmatia and are planning a day trip to the charming port town of Hvar, is the town's fortress. This fascinating gem is not only a picturesque architectural wonder but it also combines several other of the types of attractions of the region under one roof as it is also a museum, boasts a rich and intriguing history, and affords one of the best views in the entire country.

Perched high atop the town, the Fortress or Fortica (also known by the locals as the Španjola) takes in views down over the cluster of incredible historic buildings of the old town of Hvar, the bay, its surroundings, the sea, and all the way out to the Pakleni islands. This view is often made even more impossibly lovely by the incredibly vibrant hues of this landscape on a sunny day with the bright cerulean of the skies reflected in rich blue waters, the Mediterranean greenery that is so lush in this area, and the creamy white stone of the buildings below gleaming in the light with the rich terracotta of the tiled roofs atop them all, all painting a vivid scene. It is equally an ideal place to go during the day for the clearest views to see far out of the water or to go at sunset and watch the rich glow that makes the city even more magical and pretty. At night, the building is lit up beautifully to crown the city perfectly and can be seen from all around.