It’s summer time in Croatia and so far living up to our expectations: intense heat, a stunning coastline, fresh seafood and gorgeous villages and towns filled with holiday makers. Over a third of our 3 months in Europe will be in Croatia with a plan to start in the capital of Zagreb in the central north and make our way down to Dubrovnik in the south.

We have timed our arrival in August along with what seems like most of the population of the European continent, and with the peak season comes peak prices and traffic. That said though, we are Sydneysiders and anything Croatia has thrown at us yet still feels very reasonable in comparison to home ($2.40 an hour for city parking is ‘peak pricing’ here people!).

Zagreb was our kick off point, arriving by train on a Sunday to a ghost town. The host of our apartment confirmed that everyone was away on summer break, except for her of course. It is pretty, clean, safe and small with under 1 million in population, and the unusual distinction of being home to the Museum of Broken Relationships. All of the items on display have been donated from people around the world, along with their personal stories – as a visitor it is a strangely emotional experience and certainly unique, definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Zagreb.

Zagreb’s cathedral at twilight

The church of St Mark and its colourful roof

With the lure of the water pulling us west we made a beeline from the city and hit the water on the west coast of the Istrian Peninsula, a piece of the country that was under Venetian rule for approx. 400 years and has resulted in a very Italian look and feel to its architecture and cuisine. The region is famous for its truffles and olive oil, and a popular destination for Europeans. All of the towns and villages we passed through along the coast had colour and charm as we stopped for swimming, coffees and icecreams, but the port town of Rovinj stole our hearts.

It had the perfect blend of everything – cosmopolitan bars and restaurants, charming boutiques, cobbled laneways to get lost in and crystal clear water that could be accessed all around the headland, that is after you navigate the rock cliffs to get to it. We quickly figured out that beachside in Croatia is a world away from beachside in Australia – little to no sand, rocks and pebbles underfoot and often the use of steps or a ladder to get in and out of the water. And if sunbaking is on the agenda you’ll need a mat of some sort before you find a small patch of concrete to lay your towel down, so yoga mats and reef shoes have now been added to our luggage haul!

Rovinj at sunset

From cocktail bar to the sea

Glorious day at Rabac

Magical laneways filled with lovely stores

Bubbles and a sunset view

Glimpses of sun in the narrow laneways

Towards the southern point of the Istria Peninsula is the town of Pula, home to a Roman ampitheatre that rivals the Colosseum and is over 2000 years old. Standing at a height of almost 30m at its highest point the arena is literally standing in the middle of the city and is now used for concerts and film festivals (Jose Carrera was in town just the week before us), a little more civilised than the gladiator fights it was built for!

The Roman ampitheatre in the centre of Pula

Mood lighting by night

Equally impressive is the Temple of Romae and Augustus, also dating back to the 1st century AD and positioned in one of the town squares. In fact scattered throughout the town were remnants of archways and pillars and old gates of the original city walls. Pula is a lovely stop in the area and definitely worth a visit but doesn’t have the waterside appeal of some of its neighbours including Rovinj, Rabac, Opatija and the tiny fishing village of Volosko that we sought out after reading an article referring to it as a secret gem away from the crowds, which it was.

So that was week 1 in Croatia, and another month ahead of us yet!