Inland and cities

Away from the sea, Croatia has a capital full of cafes, fertile farmland, wetlands, lakes and old towns.

Zagreb

Zagreb is Croatia's capital and largest city. It has an Upper Town with medieval streets and a Lower Town with 19th-century squares and parks. Highlights include the cathedral, St Mark's Church with its tiled roof and the Dolac market. The city is known for its cafe culture and museums.

Slavonia

Slavonia, in the east, is a flat region of farmland between the Sava, Drava and Danube rivers. Osijek is its main city, and the Kopački Rit nature park is a large wetland important for birds. Vukovar, on the Danube, is discussed in the section on the war years.

National parks

Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice has a series of lakes joined by waterfalls and wooden walkways. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and swimming in the lakes is not allowed.

Krka

Krka National Park is known for its waterfalls on the Krka River.

Others

Paklenica, Risnjak and Northern Velebit offer mountain walking, and Brijuni, Kornati and Mljet are on or near the coast.

Historic towns

Varaždin in the north is known for its baroque centre. Motovun in Istria sits on a hill. Đakovo has a large cathedral in Slavonia.