Croatia

Croats settled the region in the seventh century and formed a kingdom that was recognised in the year 925. From 1102 the Croatian crown was joined to Hungary's, and for centuries the country was a frontier: much of the coast and islands came under the Republic of Venice, the interior under the Habsburgs, and a swathe of territory under the Ottomans, whose advance was held along a militarised border.

After the First World War, Croatia joined the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later Yugoslavia. The Second World War brought a brutal Nazi-aligned puppet state and a partisan resistance; afterwards, Croatia became a republic of socialist Yugoslavia under Tito, himself a Croat.

Croatia declared independence in 1991 as Yugoslavia broke apart. The war that followed, until 1995, included the siege and shelling of Dubrovnik, the destruction of Vukovar, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands before Croatian forces retook rebel-held areas. Croatia joined NATO in 2009, the European Union in 2013, and the Schengen Area and the eurozone in 2023.

Croatia is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, and the church, saints' days, and pilgrimage sites such as Marija Bistrica are woven into national identity, which also carries a strong Central European and Mediterranean self-image rather than a Balkan one. Regional identities are pronounced — Dalmatia on the coast, Istria in the northwest, hilly Zagorje, and flat, Pannonian Slavonia.

Coastal life runs on a slow rhythm the locals call pomalo — "take it easy" — with the evening promenade, long lunches, and a strong café culture. Klapa, the a cappella close-harmony singing of Dalmatia, is on UNESCO's heritage list, along with lacemaking, the Sinjska Alka tournament, and other traditions.

Sport is a national obsession far out of proportion to the country's size — football above all, with the 2018 and 2022 World Cup runs, plus water polo, handball, basketball, and tennis.

About a quarter of Croatia's 3.8 million people live in and around Zagreb, the capital, an Austro-Hungarian city in the northern interior. Split is the largest coastal city and the hub of Dalmatia; Rijeka is the main port; and much of the coast and islands live off a summer tourism season that swells the population enormously for three months and empties it the rest of the year.

The economy leans heavily on that tourism, along with shipbuilding, agriculture in Slavonia, and services. Emigration of young people to Germany, Ireland, and beyond since EU accession, and one of the world's lowest birth rates, have left many inland towns and islands ageing and shrinking.

Daily life is comfortable and unhurried, organised around family, the local konoba, coffee that lasts an hour, and — on the coast — the sea.

Croatian food splits along the coast–interior line. Dalmatia and Istria eat Mediterranean: grilled fish and squid, black risotto coloured with cuttlefish ink, pašticada (beef braised in sweet wine and prunes), olive oil, and, under a metal bell called a peka, slow-roasted meat and potatoes. Istria adds truffles, wild asparagus, and fuži pasta.

The continental north eats heartier, Central European food: štrukli (baked dough with cottage cheese), roast meats, sausages, sarma, and freshwater fish stew (fiš paprikaš) in Slavonia. Cured pršut ham and sheep's cheese from Pag appear everywhere.

Croatia is a serious wine country, from Istrian Malvazija and Teran to the big Dalmatian reds Plavac Mali and Dingač; rakija fruit brandy is the aperitif and digestif, and strong coffee is constant.

Dubrovnik, its walled Old Town rising straight from the sea, is the headline — walk the ramparts, then escape by boat to Lokrum or the Elaphiti Islands. Split is built inside and around the Roman emperor Diocletian's retirement palace, still lived in and full of bars and shops, and is the gateway to the islands of Hvar, Brač, Vis, and Korčula.

Inland, Plitvice Lakes National Park is a staircase of sixteen turquoise lakes linked by waterfalls and wooden walkways, and Krka has falls you could once swim beneath. Zadar has Roman ruins, a sound-making Sea Organ, and famous sunsets; Šibenik has a UNESCO cathedral built entirely of stone.

The Istrian peninsula in the northwest feels almost Italian, with hilltop towns like Motovun and Grožnjan, Roman Pula and its arena, and truffle country around Buzet. Zagreb anchors an interior visit, with its Upper Town, museums, and Advent market, and the Kornati archipelago and Mljet's saltwater lakes reward those who get further off the main routes.