Zagreb Airport is the most common entry point for international flights into Croatia. UK travelers can get there via Croatia Airlines or Wizz Air. Flights into Croatia tend to be expensive, so the most common means of travel for mainland Europeans is by train. You can also enter the country from Italy by ferry, which can be picturesque and entertaining but very slow.

Trains connect Zagreb to Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Slovenia and Serbia-Montenegro, while many ferries link Croatia to Italy.
Travellers with their own vehicle can use four border crossings between Hungary and Croatia, 29 between Slovenia and Croatia, 23 between Bosnia-Hercegovina and Croatia and seven between Yugoslavia and Croatia.

The established tourist season in Croatia is from April to September; winters are very cold and unpopular for travelers. September may be the best month to visit, as the crowds and heat are over with but the sea is still warm. September visits also let you take advantage of off-season rates.

Zagreb is likely to be nice during September and the cultural season is in full swing at this time. May and June are also ideal times for all outdoor activities (except skiing). Watch out for battalions of school students on class field trips at the end of May and beginning of June.
July and August are the most expensive months to visit Croatia as the tourist season swings into gear.

If a summer trip fits better into your schedule, you will be able to take advantage of extra ferries as well as the season’s organized sight-seeing and adventure excursions. July is also the most popular month for festivals in Croatia.

Top Tips for a Croatian trip:

- Advance planning is usually not required for accomodations in Croatia. In well-visited areas, it is usually not difficult to find accomodations in a private guesthouse, called a pension, which is hundreds of kuna less expensive than even moderately-priced hotels. However, private owners may charge more for a stay of less than 4 nights.

- Croatian coastlines are uniformly rocky, not sandy. Bring your watershoes along with your sunscreen.

- While Croatia is a safe, stable democracy today, remote areas of the country along former front lines of the war of independence remain uncleared of landmines. No foreign tourist has ever died due to a landmine in Croatia, but be sure that you are able to recognize landmine warning signs; the standard sign says “PAZI MINE!” with a skull and crossbones.

I just came back from my holiday in Croatia, and thought it would be great to share my trip to Zagreb with the world. Check out my guide to maximising your week in Croatia.

Day 1: Zagreb– At the airport, find the Tourist Information Center and purchase a Zagreb Card. The card provides you with 72 hours of unlimited public transportation in Zagreb, discounts at nearly all of the museums as well as many restaurants and shops, and many other concessions. Holders of the card receive a booklet with a list of the card’s possibilities. Take the shuttle from the airport to the bus station and into town to find accomodations. Zagreb offers two youth hostels as well as many mid-rage and a few posh hotels. It is also common to arrange inexpensive accomodations in family-owned pensions, or guesthouses. Walk the streets of Gornji grad, the upper town, which houses Zagreb’s art and archaeological museums.

Day 2: Museums– Explore the entirety of Croatia’s cultural heritage without leaving the city center. Start at the Arheološki muzej, the archaeological museum, for an understanding of prehistoric and ancient Croatia. Highlights include the Zagreb mummy and bandages with the world’s oldest known Etruscan inscription. Continue to Musej Mimara, with 3,700 works of pre-20th century art including Rembrandt, Goya, and Degas. Finally, follow the flow of time to the contemporary art museum, Muzej suvremene umjetnosti.

Day 3: Walking Tour and Medvedgrad– Meet at the Tourist Information Office in Ban Jelacic Square at 10am for a two hour walking tour around Gornji grad. The tour stops at most of the main sights and provides historical background information about the city and its people. After lunch at Ivica i Marica, specializing in local, natural ingredients, embark on your own tour by hiking up Medvedgrad, the small mountain overlooking the city. At the top sits the preserved fortress Medvednica, offering superb views.

Days 4 & 5: Samobor–Take the bus from the city center, approximately a 30 minute ride. Samobor is a lovely, well-preserved medieval town endowed in 1242. It’s also said to be the home of Croatia’s best kremšnite, a well known treat of puffed pastry filled with custard. Take in Baroque castles and monasteries from the 17th century, and taste the famous cake as one of the main square restaurants. If you’re looking for a top-shelf souvenir, some of Europe’s best crystal is cut in Samobor. Tourism in Samobo has traditionally focused on scenery and hiking, as the town is located in the foothills of the picturesque Žumberak Mountains separating Croatia and Slovenia. Nature loving visitors will especially enjoy Samobor, as it borders the nature park Žumberak - Samoborsko gorje.

Days 6 & 7: Karlovac– Also within easy reach of Zagreb is Karlovac, less than an hour’s drive away at the junction of 4 rivers. Its location makes it a favorite destination for swimming, rafting and kayaking. Outfitters can plan a trip for you on fairly short notice. Explore the fortress and museums, but save time for Karlovacko, the famous brewery. Karlovac can be reached by bus or train.

Welcome to the most insightful and interesting holiday blog on the bloggosphere.

The Team.