Croatia

One of the republics that emerged from the former Yugoslavia, Croatia occupies most of the coastline of the old federation and before the destructive war of independence was a very popular holiday resort, sunny Adriatic beaches mixing with ancient cities like Dubrovnik and Split. The period of reconstruction after the war is over, and Croatia is taking its place again as a great destination, both in its own right and as a port-of-call on a longer tour. Croatia is steeped in history, with ancient Roman and Greek ruins, Venetian trading posts and Austro-Hungarian public buildings rubbing shoulders amongst a varied landscape of rocky coasts, plains, lakes, mountains and forests.