CROATIA

Location - South east Europe; Capital - Zagreb; Population - 4.3 million; Currency - Kuna MORE CROATIA

I flew from London to Split and visited my favourite part of Europe, the beautiful coastline of Croatia along with the mountains and emerald-green rivers of Bosnia - April 2013.

Croatia is soon to join the Euro but until then its currency is the Kuna

Boats in the calm waters of Split harbour - Split

The picturesque waterfront of Split

The Cathedral is within the Diocletian's Palace, the home of Roman Emperor Diocletian - Split

At the heart of Diocletan's Palace, and right next to the Cathedral, is the Peristil. This colonnaded square is a gathering place for drinks and live music in the evenings - Split

The Cathedral belfry rises above the Peristil - Split

A rest-stop on the way up the Cathedral tower - Split

It's perfect for taking in the harbour, marina, the old town, Marjan Hill and the off-shore islands - Split

Houses rise up Marjan Hill behind the harbour - Split

The ACI Marina is home to the bigger, more luxurious boats - Split

Dalmatian singers stand in the open roofed Vestibule, next to the Peristil - Split

Walk through the Vestibule for a rear view of the Cathedral - Split

A love-hate relationship? I love the place! Split

Marmontova is a shop-lined street lying outside Diocletian's Palace but within the old city walls - Split

Parallel to Marmontova are the grand buildings of the Prokurative surrounding Trg Republike (Republic Square) - Split

Diocletian's Palace was built at the end of the 3rd century AD and is now a maze of alleyways, bars, restaurants, boutiques and fast-food outlets - Split

You won't walk far in the city without coming across some sort of homage to local football team Hajduk Split - Split

As far as I know this relates to one of the Hajduk Split fan bases. Tell me if you know more - Split

Vocni Trg (Fruit Square) is located just off the Riva waterfront - Split

A covered walkway within the old town - Split

The Basement Halls belong to the Diocletian's Palace and lie either side of the Bronze Gate entrance - Split

Narodni Trg is a lively central square full of bars and restaurants - Split

A cultural show of song and dance was in full swing when I had a brief overnight stop in May 2018 - Split

The square is also home to the 15th century Town Hall - Split

Riva is the waterfront promenade that's full of life on weekend afternoons and evenings - Split

Riva is made up of restaurant after restaurant and bar after bar, with a splattering of ice-cream parlours for good measure - Split

Evening-time along the Riva - Split

Split harbour leads to the islands of Brac, Solta, Hvar and many more islands along the Dalmatian Coast - Split

The waterfront between the harbour and marina hosted a lavish opening ceremony in April 2013. I like this cute, cartoonish homage to cycling - Split

The ACI Marina - Split

The Roman city of Salona, a few kms from Split at Solin, is worth a trip if you're really into ruins; this is the amphitheatre - Split

A modern ruin on the way up Marjan Hill - Split

A quality panorama of Split from Vidilica cafe

A network of paths around Marjan Hill and the peninsula lead down to Kasjuni and Bene bays - Split

And you can catch a glimpse of Hajduk Split's Poljud Stadium - Split

..also pictured here at Bacvice Bay - Split

On the southside of Marjan Hill are a couple of pebbly beaches at Jezinac-Zvoncac - Split

. A far busier and livelier beach is on the east side of the city at Bacvice - Split

Dusk greets a ferry arriving at Split harbour from Hvar - Split

Hvar-bound ferries take the narrow channel between Brac island and Solta - Split

Coming into port at Stari Grad, Hvar

Stari Grad port is linked to the town of the same name by a coastal path, an enjoyable walk if you don't have too much luggage

After a 15-minute walk Stari Grad comes into view

Palm trees line the Riva - Stari Grad, Hvar

Buy fish at source the local way - Stari Grad, Hvar

Fishing boats at Stari Grad, Hvar

Stone houses crowd the narrow streets of the old town - Stari Grad, Hvar

The Tvrdalj was a summer house of 16th century poet Petar Hektorovic - Stari Grad, Hvar

St Stephen's Church - Stari Grad, Hvar

A 40-minute bus ride links Stari Grad to Hvar Town on the west coast of the island

Trg Svetog Stjepana is the central square of Hvar Town, lined at its far end by St Stephen's Cathedral

.. and looking in the opposite direction. Plenty of outdoor cafes and restaurants give the square an atmosphere - Hvar Town

At the end of the square is the Mandrac, a closed-off harbour - Hvar Town

Narrow hillside streets and alleys paint the picture of Hvar Town

Greenery grows up and over the stone houses - Hvar Town

Light brown is the building colour of choice in the old town - Hvar Town

The distant Citadel stands over the harbour at Hvar Town

Catamarans ply the Split-Hvar route direct to Hvar Town, while the vehicle ferry docks at Stari Grad. And there's plenty of other destinations to choose from - Hvar Town

When the sun's shining it's an excellent place to relax at a pavement cafe or on a pebble beach. In high season the island is a serious party town - Hvar Town

A small beach lies next to the Franciscan Monastery east of Hvar Town

Carry on past the monastery to this harbour - Hvar Town

The 16th century Citadel - Hvar Town

A pebble beach outside the huge Amfora Hotel a short walk west of Hvar Town

The trail up to the Citadel commands beautiful views of Hvar Town and the Adriatic Sea

The Pakleni Islands lie just off Hvar

The defensive walls lead down to Hvar Town

Most of coastal Croatia retains its traditional brown-tiled roofs, helping the area to retain its identity and add a touch of class - Hvar Town

Explore the Citadel and take in the views - Hvar Town

Through the Citadel ramparts to the Pakleni Islands - Hvar Town

Galesnik is the tiny island, behind which is Jerolim followed by Marinkovac to the right - Hvar Town

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LINKS

http://croatia.hr - Croatia tourist board

www.autobusni-kolodvor.com - Croatia bus timetables

www.hzpp.hr - Croatia train timetables

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.