Majority of travelers that visit Zagreb and that have intention to use it as a starting point during their travel in Croatia, do not take their time to visit the north of the country. Yet, I hear time and again from those who actually do make the effort to visit it, how amazing is that part of Croatia, and that they will recommend it to all their friends and relatives. So why you should consider visiting Northern Croatia? First of all it is a large part that encompass three counties (Varaždin county, Međimurje county, and the Krapina-Zagorje county). The landscape in the north consists of hills and mounts, covered with lush vegetation, vineyards, and in between them are large and small valleys of meadows, agricultural fields, and forests. Driving through this region you will see old houses made of natural material, and the entire environment will make you feel as if you passed through some kind of a crack in time. Furthermore if you stop somewhere in such area and start walking through one of its many meadows and forests, do not be surprised if you see a deer or some other harmless forest animal that will be curious about your visit. In the region of North Croatia you could take a break in one of the local restaurants and have a thorough local experience, as often such restaurants are family based located inside a house where the host family lives, and often time the meal would be prepared by the ‘gramma’ of the family or someone of the same position who has a long history in cooking local traditional food. This experience provides an insight to cultural explorers into personality and mentality of the people of the Northern Croatia and, if you are good observer of a human nature
Majority of travelers that visit Zagreb and that have intention to use it as a starting point during their travel in Croatia, do not take their time to visit the north of the country. Yet, I hear time and again from those who actually do make the effort to visit it, how amazing is that part of Croatia, and that they will recommend it to all their friends and relatives.
So why you should consider visiting Northern Croatia?
First of all it is a large part that encompass three counties (Varaždin county, Međimurje county, and the Krapina-Zagorje county). The landscape in the north consists of hills and mounts, covered with lush vegetation, vineyards, and in between them are large and small valleys of meadows, agricultural fields, and forests. Driving through this region you will see old houses made of natural material, and the entire environment will make you feel as if you passed through some kind of a crack in time. Furthermore if you stop somewhere in such area and start walking through one of its many meadows and forests, do not be surprised if you see a deer or some other harmless forest animal that will be curious about your visit.
Do you sometimes have enough of chaotic and rushed environment of many places that, albeit beautiful, are crowded with tourists? I know exactly how you feel. This is the reason why so many people search for a place which is of equal beauty, but not as touristy, or almost completely (or even fully) secluded. Even though Croatia is a small country, you will always be able to find vast amount of peaceful places to spend an hour or two, a few days, or even a week. As a matter of fact, it is not uncommon that European tourists who come to Croatia with their cars, see a beautiful environment, mostly as they travel to their holiday destination on the coast, and decide to stop there. Once there and look more into it, they recognize its beauty and calm, and change their primary destination to the one which they have just discovered. One of such example is a Swedish family who was fascinated by the Mreznica river close to Karlovac, and have decided to spend their holiday there. But there are many more hidden places in nature where you can relax, reflect, and recuperate your strength. In fact, every region of Croatia has certain natural characteristics that add to the overall beauty of the country: thick mountain forests and mountain meadows, flat and gentle sloped grass covered hills, hundreds of Mediterranean islands with their pine trees scent and the sea that dissolves any worry. Then there is a region coved with hills where the Alps start, with little towns that sits on top of many of them. And finally there are Dinaric Alps, the Velebit villages that remind of some far distant time that can evoke both perfect relaxation away from society, as well as sharpen the faculties of the mind.
Do you sometimes have enough of chaotic and rushed environment of many places that, albeit beautiful, are crowded with tourists? I know exactly how you feel. This is the reason why so many people search for a place which is of equal beauty, but not as touristy, or almost completely (or even fully) secluded. Even though Croatia is a small country, you will always be able to find vast amount of peaceful places to spend an hour or two, a few days, or even a week. As a matter of fact, it is not uncommon that European tourists who come to Croatia with their cars, see a beautiful environment, mostly as they travel to their holiday destination on the coast, and decide to stop there. Once there and look more into it, they recognize its beauty and calm, and change their primary destination to the one which they have just discovered. One of such example is a Swedish family who was fascinated by the Mreznica river close to Karlovac, and have decided to spend their holiday there.
But there are many more hidden places in nature where you can relax, reflect, and recuperate your strength. In fact, every region of Croatia has certain natural characteristics that add to the overall beauty of the country: thick mountain forests and mountain meadows, flat and gentle sloped grass covered hills, hundreds of Mediterranean islands with their pine trees scent and the sea that dissolves any worry. Then there is a region coved with hills where the Alps start, with little towns that sits on top of many of them. And finally there are Dinaric Alps, the Velebit villages that remind of some far distant time that can evoke both perfect relaxation away from society, as well as sharpen the faculties of the mind.
In short, there are many of such hidden spots in Croatia – beautiful gems that only locals can take you to, where you would feel fully recharged and inspired. These are the places where I like to go to.
Croatia is a very diverse country, both culturally and geographically. At the moment it is one of the top tourist countries in the world, especially cities such as Dubrovnik, Split, islands Brač and Hvar, and national parks like Plitvice Lakes and Krka. These are probably the top destinations, but there are many more hidden gems both on the coast and in the inland of the country. Firstly, Croatia is one of the countries situated on the 45th parallel north, which is the halfway point between the North Pole and the Equator. It is said that this position would give it a "perfect" climate, where all four seasons are experienced every year. Speaking of climate in Croatia, spring comes in March or April, which is followed by summer starting in June. Summer weather then lasts until the end of September. October gets colder, and sometimes in that month the rainy season already hits Croatian, but that would happen more commonly in November. The rains generally stop in December when the weather gets significantly colder, which is then followed by snow and winter that lasts for several months, up until March. This is a typical continental climate that we experience in the inland. The coast of Croatia, particularly Southern part, on the other hand, enjoys Mediterranean climate, which gives nice weather year round, without snow. Secondly, history in Croatia goes back far back into the past, starting from over 100 000 years ago when Neandhertals lived in the area of Northern Croatia, remnants of which can be seen in museums such as in Krapina town. The latter also hosts the Museum of Evolution, a high tech museum depicting development of the Universe and humans, based on a theory of evolution. It is also possible to visit the caves where Neandhertals actually lived
Croatia is a very diverse country, both culturally and geographically. At the moment it is one of the top tourist countries in the world, especially cities such as Dubrovnik, Split, islands Brač and Hvar, and national parks like Plitvice Lakes and Krka. These are probably the top destinations, but there are many more hidden gems both on the coast and in the inland of the country.
Firstly, Croatia is one of the countries situated on the 45th parallel north, which is the halfway point between the North Pole and the Equator. It is said that this position would give it a “perfect” climate, where all four seasons are experienced every year. Speaking of climate in Croatia, spring comes in March or April, which is followed by summer starting in June. Summer weather then lasts until the end of September. October gets colder, and sometimes in that month the rainy season already hits Croatian, but that would happen more commonly in November. The rains generally stop in December when the weather gets significantly colder, which is then followed by snow and winter that lasts for several months, up until March. This is a typical continental climate that we experience in the inland. The coast of Croatia, particularly Southern part, on the other hand, enjoys Mediterranean climate, which gives nice weather year round, without snow.
Secondly, history in Croatia goes back far back into the past, starting from over 100 000 years ago when Neandhertals lived in the area of Northern Croatia, remnants of which can be seen in museums such as in Krapina town. The latter also hosts the Museum of Evolution, a high tech museum depicting development of the Universe and humans, based on a theory of evolution.
