Posted: 10/18/21 | October 18th, 2021
“Come, have a taste,” the guy stated as he poured me a full glass of red white wine “to taste.”
“That’s quite good,” I stated after increasing the glass to my lips.
Satisfied, the guy filled the glass to the brim as well as said, “Here! That’s one glass for you! welcome to Zagreb…and Croatia!”
It may have been indicated as a welcome drink, however in actuality, it was a good-bye drink to the end of three amazing weeks in the country.
This was my second go to to Croatia. eight years ago, I came for a sailing trip. The location is popular for sailing: annually (at least, before the pandemic), tens of countless tourists would board boats in Split or Dubrovnik as well as hop along the coast, soaking up the sun, partying, as well as just acting crazy. The popular (and infamous) Yacht Week can only be referred to as bacchanalian debauchery.
So, it was a wild very first go to for sure.
I originally had no intent of coming back this year. My organized path with the Balkans had me bypassing Croatia all together, moving north with Serbia as well as Bosnia instead. At best, I may pass with Zagreb on my method northwest.
But, as it is so frequently with travel, my plans change.
While in Greece, I satisfied up with my buddy Eli, who said, “I’m holding a boat excursion in Croatia for my birthday.” A great deal of the other people I was in Greece were joining, so I thought, “Maybe I’ll come too.” While in Albania, I discovered out that even a lot more of my buddies were going, so I said, “Screw it, I’m in!” Bosnia as well as Serbia would have to wait. I was going to spend a week on a boat, before heading up with the center of the country toward Zagreb before heading into Slovenia.
Except, because of a series of travel incidents not worth going into detail about, I didn’t end up on the boat trip after all. (I did at least make it to Hvar to celebrate Eli’s birthday as well as that of Packs Light’s Gabby Beckford. That hangover lasted for days.)
Since I was already in Croatia, I made a decision I would utilize my time there to check out some off-the-beaten-path destinations. Leaving the coastline as soon as possible, I headed as much as Plitvice Lakes national Park, then Slunj as well as Karlovac before veering west to Istria as well as then back over to Zagreb.
In the process, I discovered a great deal about the country.
For starters, I discovered that you truly requirement a vehicle if you plan to get off the coast. A get in touch with at the tourism board had provided me all these out-of-the-way destinations, but, lacking a vehicle as well as with bus routes infrequent or nonexistent, I only made it to a couple. And, in Istria, I had organized to see the region’s little towns as well as Roman ruins as well as go on truffle hunts, however after adding up the expense of taxis back as well as forth everywhere, it was just as well expensive.
For these itineraries, I would have needed a car.
Second, there are some extremely unique vacationer zones in the country. There’s the Dalmatian coast, with its mega-yachts, high prices, tons of parties, as well as hordes of tourists as well as celebrities. There’s the northern region of Istria, with its a lot more laid-back, Italian feel, rustic little towns, higher numbers of European tourists, as well as a higher focus on food.
There’s the interior, which sees far fewer tourists however uses small villages; beautiful, aquamarine lakes colored from the limestone; copious bike paths; as well as verdant national parks. Finally, there’s the funding of Zagreb as well as the eastern region of Slavonia, which frequently get overlooked in favor of the coast.
But the thing I discovered the most is that Croatia is vastly underappreciated.
Now, you’re most likely thinking, exactly how can a country that sees so lots of tourists as well as is written about so extensively be underappreciated?
Croatia sees 19.6 million tourists per year. And, even during this summertime when Delta was in full swing, tourism was only down 30%.
But the focus of the country’s tourism as well as the majority of those articles is mainly on Hvar, Split, Dubrovnik, Istria, or the famed Plitvice Lakes. So much of the rest of the country is mainly ignored. I saw few tourists in Karlovac, Rastoke, or Slunj. Zagreb didn’t have a great deal either, in spite of it being the funding city. Slavonia? barely a spirit goes there.
Here are some other comparisons: Slavonia has only 1.4 million results on Google. however Istria has 20.1 million. Hvar has 22.9 million. Dubrovnik has 37.9 million. Split has 113 million.
Once you get off the coast, it feels like you have the country to yourself. (And that’s typical for lots of “popular” destinations. a lot of visitors to Iceland stay with the southern region, seldom venturing north. few tourists head to the rural region of Isaan in Thailand.)
So if you’re believing “Croatia is quite touristy,”you’re only half right. It’s touristy on the coast. however the interior? The capital? Not so much. as well as I was there during height season.
When I shared my plans with locals, they were shocked I had so lots of little towns on my itinerary. “Tourists don’t go there,” they would say.
To me, Croatia is an example of a country that gets a great deal of press, however when you peel back the onion, you see that it’s only about a few hot regions while much of the country is empty.
Maybe things will be different after the pandemic is over as well as everybody can travel again. who knows? however I do understand that ideal now, the non-coastal parts of Croatia are just waiting on intrepid travelers who want to do a lot more than hang out with the overbearing crowds in Dalmatia.
P.S. – I likewise discovered Croatian white wine is delicious. The country makes 69 million liters per year however only exports 22 million (and a lot of goes to Europe). white wine has been grown in this region for countless years however I never believed of it as a location for white wine since so bit makes it to the US. They have a lot of varietals that are special to the country. drink some if ya can!
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