If you drive in Croatia on the coastal route from Opatija to Dubrovnik, you can stop at any time and dive in clear water. There is no sand in Dalmatia’s beaches, once the playground of the leaders of Eastern Europe, and people lie on the rocks like lizards.

Istria Peninsula has a time of its own. Beautiful small fishing villages turned low-key resorts adorn the Adriatic shore, and old Roman colonies hold traces of the past civilization. Pula has a great amphitheater, the sixth-largest in the world. Opatija, which used to be the main resort of the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy, is experiencing a revival today. The city of Zadar is riddled with Roman ruins and is home to the mind-boggling sea organ that you can listen to for hours. Close by is Sibenik with its majestic cathedral, and two hours drive away lies Diocletian’s city in the center of fortified Split. Dubrovnik is the jewel, the flag city of Croatia promoted to rival in popularity across-the-water Venice while Zagreb is Croatia’s capital, for the one interested in politics. (Novigrad, Porec, Rijeka, Hvar Town, Starigrad-Hvar, Omis, Slano)