By Adriatica.net

Once you are in Europe, visiting the Croatian sea with its 1185 islands is really an experience you shouldn’t miss - moreover after the recognition Croatia received from Lonely Planet in February 2005.

You can take flights to Croatia from each European country. If you are in Warsaw, you can easily fly to Zagreb, to the capital of Croatia.

Zagreb will welcome you with a charm of truly European lady known for large city parks, beautiful buildings from the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy era and fountains under yellowish evening lights, while gourmet restaurants, numerous coffee-shops and hotels with casinos will make your stay in Zagreb pleasant experience.

From Zagreb, you can rent a car and reach luxurious hotels and 5-star villas with private beaches within 1,5 hours. In Croatia, driving has become more comfortable: new highways are leading all the way to the coast.

For long-weekend holiday at the seaside choose towns like Opatija (noted in MICE industry maps) or small luxurious Lovran. There you can enjoy various activities from sailing and diving to wellness and fitness facilities. If staying longer, visit Pula and its best-preserved roman Arena in Europe, or Poreč and its Eufrasiana church protected by UNESCO, or national park Brijuni with opened safari and golf facilities.

Brijuni National Park, Lovran-Villa

Some of the guests of Croatia are quite impressive: Bill Gates, Naomi Cambell, Barry Ecclestone, Tom Cruise and many others.

Croatia at glance:
■ 2600 hours of sunshine per year
■ sea temperature during summer: 25 - 27°C
■ over 85 underwater locations where diving is permitted
■ 450 hunting grounds
■ 11 lighthouses possible to rent for a holiday
■ 8 National Parks
■ 6 monuments from UNESCO heritage

Did you know that:
■ the marble from island Brač, Croatia was used at building the White House in Washington
■ the origin-country of the tie is Croatia
■ the first pharmacy in Europe was established in Dubrovnik in 1317
■ the town called Hum (Istria) is the smallest town in the world according to Guiness book of world records
■ the fountain pen was invented by the Croatian Slavoljub Penkala
■ one of the greatest world travelers, Marco Polo, was born on the island of Korčula, Croatia
■ the biggest truffle in the world, weighing 1310 grams was found in Istria
■ Nikola Tesla, world known inventor who worked with Edison and patented almost 700 patents was from Croatia.

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