6 of the sunniest places to visit in Croatia

Main image:  Pakleni Islands (Julien Duval)

In this sunny land where Central Europe meets the Mediterranean, Croatia is just what the doctor ordered. With more than 200 sunny days a year, you’ll get your healthy dose of vitamin D as you explore Croatia’s glittering Adriatic coast and tranquil inland regions. Sun-drenched islands, mellow coastal resorts and historic cities in the rich heartland – they’re all bursting with colour. Here are five of the sunniest places in Croatia to soak up those rays.

1. Osijek

Straddling the River Drava in Croatia’s north-eastern region of Slavonia, Osijek offers an elegant option for a city break. Stately Austro-Hungarian architecture fills Osijek’s old town, especially in the cobbled baroque streets of the 18^th-century Habsburg fortress. The city’s many students bring a pleasant buzz, and there’s a wonderful choice of cafés and restaurants where you can bask in the sunshine.

Head to the Drava and enjoy the longest riverside promenade in Europe – a seven-and-a-half-mile walkway and bike path where you can revel in the sunshine while strolling or cycling. As soon as the weather warms up, everyone flocks to the riverside beaches. For a deeper taste of nature, it’s only a 15-minue drive to Kopački Rit Nature Park, a wondrous watery world of wetlands where the Drava meets the Danube. Take a boat trip, rent a canoe, hike or cycle through 68 square miles of this serene green landscape.

2. Trogir

This UNESCO-listed island town is a real beauty, its bijou old town still showing many of the 15^th-century walls that surround Trogir’s medieval heart. Wedged between the mainland and the much larger island of Čiovo, Trogir’s old town is a labyrinth of marble lanes and some architectural marvels. You can’t miss the splendid 13^th-century Cathedral of St Lawrence, with its intricately carved portal and soaring belltower that blends Gothic, Renaissance and baroque.

Go through the stone gate on to the broad Riva waterfront and adjust to the laid-back rhythms of the café terraces. Make your way towards the hulking 15^th-century Kamerlengo Castle, whose stone towers you can climb for sweeping views of the harbour. You’ll see why it makes an excellent venue for summertime classical and pop concerts. If you fancy a swim, head to Trogir’s main beach on the mainland or one of the many pebbly stretches scattered around Čiovo’s coastline.

3. Hvar

Sunny Hvar deserves its nickname, as it’s officially Croatia’s sunniest island. With nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, this Dalmatian beauty spot has more than enough to tempt you. There’s Hvar Town, with its imposing Spanish Fortress – the place for the best views – and lively beach clubs. Or head to quieter and more laid-back Stari Grad and its charming old town of cobbled lanes winding past Venetian stone houses. Take a walk out to Unesco-listed Stari Grad Plain, where you can see the vineyards and olive groves planted by the Greeks back in the 4^th century BC. You’ll be very tempted to stop in one of the wineries for a leisurely wine-tasting.

Hvar’s countless fields of lavender add their scents to the sultry summer air. Take in the aroma as you make your way to the island’s family-friendly resorts such as Vrboska and Jelsa, whose sheltered beaches are shaded by pine trees.

4. Zadar

With 3,000 years of history, Zadar is an enchanting blend of ancient and modern. A Roman Forum stands in the same square as the Romanesque Cathedral of St Anastasia and the 9^th-century St Donatus Church – now used as an atmospheric venue for classical concerts.

But if you step out on to Zadar’s broad waterfront promenade and you’ll come to two public art installations that have become just as much a part of the city’s fabric. Listen to the haunting sounds of the Sea Organ as underwater pipes play to the movement of the waves, then check out the circle of solar panels that make up Greeting to the Sun, which glows once the sun goes down. And speaking of sunsets, this is where Alfred Hitchcock declared in 1964 that he had seen the most beautiful sunset in the world. Check it out for yourself as you settle on the waterfront with a sundowner.

5. Pelješac

The long thin peninsula sliding into the Adriatic Sea north of Dubrovnik is much more than just a route towards the Dalmatian islands of Korčula and Mljet. Fans of Game of Thrones will be very familiar with the Walls of Ston, the forbidding 14^th- and 15^th-century fortifications that loom over the village of Ston and feature in the television series. A mere 15-minute walk away is another centre of pilgrimage – this time for seafood lovers who know that the oysters that are harvested in the village of Mali Ston are among the most delicious in the world.

Appetite duly whetted, that’s your cue to head into the vineyard-covered peninsula stop by some of the celebrated boutique wineries that produce some of Croatia’s finest wines. All those long hours of sunshine work their magic on vineyards producing full-bodied reds including Dingač, Postup and Plavac Mali and fruity whites such as Rukatac.

6. Lošinj 

They call Lošinj the island of vitality, and you certainly feel rejuvenated as you wander round this extraordinarily fragrant island in the Kvarner Gulf. Wild herbs are everywhere, bringing their heady scents to the Venetian-style towns of Mali Lošinj and Veli Lošinj, whose sheltered harbours are lined with brightly coloured houses built by sea captains. There’s even the Lošinj Aromatic Garden – a particularly delightful form of open-air aromatherapy.

Follow the pine-shaded footpath and cycling trail around Čikat Bay, which was much loved by the Austrian emperor Franz Josef in the 19^th century and who turned it into his own summertime playground. Wade into the astonishingly clear turquoise waters for a lazy swim lulled by the scent of pine, followed by a freshly grilled fish at a waterside restaurant. Watch the sun go down from the lofty Providenca viewpoint and café south of Mali Lošinj, where the views are as sublime as the food.

Feeling inspired?

For more information, head to the official Croatian Tourist Board website.

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