The former European tourist magnet of Croatia is now well on its way to full recovery from the war of the 1990s, but its recent past means that you can still find affordable accommodation in Croatia even if you want to stay right at the beach or in the very city centre of historic hubs like Dubrovnik and Zagreb. Tours, beach sports and night life are other features that can be enjoyed without digging a deep whole in your pockets.
Croatia borders the Adriatic sea; the part of the Mediterranean Sea separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula in southern Europe. The climate in Croatia is pleasent mediterranean climat with the exception that the winters here can get rather cold for a mediterranean country. Tourist from northern Europe prefer to visit Croatia in spring or in fall when the climate is mild but not as hot as it can be during the summers.
While most people who visit Croatia chose to stay at hotels on in B&Bs some people choose to rent villas which often can be a lot cheaper. If you spend the same money you would to stay two weeks in a mid-level hotel you can choose from everything froma house on the beach and Croatia villas to town houses in the centre of towns and picturesque cottages. If you rent a house or villa you also get the opertunity to sample local markets and try local cooking in your rented kitchen. Croatia is famous for its mediterranean cooking and a cook book will make a great souvenir to bring back home from Croatia.
Some of more notable tourist spots along the Adriatic coast are Dubrovnik, Omi¡alj, Ploe, Split, Zadar, and Pula. The city of Dubrovnik is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and is located in the far South of the country, It is nicknamed “Pearl of the Adriatic”. Dubrovnik is one of the most well known tourist resorts on the mediterranean coast and is often used as a starting point for people that want to explore the Adriatic sea by boat. Plenty of charter agencies offer sail and motor boats with or without crew and it doesn’t have to be insanely expensive if you’re a group splitting the bill.
Dubrovnik is more expensive than other parts of Croatia, this is true both for accommodations and for dinning experinces and entertainment due to the fact that the city is popular among European tourists. It should be noted that there are a few Croatia hotels that cater for the budget conscious traveller, a hostel is probably your best choice especially during peak season. If you travel as a group a rented low-end property is another option.
Less crowded towns like Omi¡alj and Pula offer more value for money and have retained much of their village charm from the olden days. Omi¡alj is located on a cliff 80 meters up and offers fantastic views of the Adriatic Sea, the town is home to a long row of cultural and historical monuments, including a 13th century church as welll as the ruins of the old Roman town Fulvinium. In Pula you will also find the largest surviving Roman amphitheatres in the world, another sign of this city’s historic connection is the fact that the city plaze still is in the same place it was during the Roman rule. Pula is a very old city, it was built by Illyrians about 3000 years ago and was allready a very old town when the Romans occupied it in 177 B.C. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the entire Istrian peninsula was pillaged by the Ostrogoths.