Croatia’s 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Set against a backdrop of Adriatic coastline and undulating countryside, Croatia’s UNESCO World Heritage sites provide plenty of day trip ideas for cultural travellers. This country, at the confluence of central and southern Europe, has a remarkable history and has long been celebrated for its expansive national parks and traditional old towns. And in more recent years, it’s become a location for big screen productions with several of its most notable UNESCO sites appearing in the popular television series Game of Thrones.

So, if you’re thinking of broadening your historical horizons on holiday or you just want to see where Daenerys kept her dragons, here’s a rundown of Croatia’s 10 UNESCO sites.

Despite being a relatively small country, Croatia has ten UNESCO World Heritage sites. There are also 15 sites currently listed on UNESCO’s tentative list. But we’ll save those for another day.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia’s largest national park, Plitvice Lakes, is situated in the hinterland between the country’s capital, Zagreb, and the seaside city of Zadar. It’s a haven for hikers and nature lovers with a series of 16 beautiful lakes formed by natural dams, conjuring everchanging colourful scenery – the result of gypsum and gypsum-depositing plants. Linked by cascading waterfalls, the lakes are regarded by UNESCO as a ‘magnificent natural architectural phenomenon’. They can be explored by wooden walkways and trails and the surrounding forest is home to bears, wolves and many rare species of bird. It’s no wonder Plitvice Lakes is a hugely popular attraction and the perfect place to explore on an escorted tour of Croatia’s Adriatic coast.

Trogir

Located around 27km west of Split, the next UNESCO site on our tour of Croatia is the Historic City of Trogir. Described as an ‘excellent example of urban continuity’, the city’s original street plan dates back to the ancient Greeks and has continued to be adorned with exceptional public and private buildings by subsequent rulers. Most notable are the Roman churches, exceptional Renaissance and baroque buildings, and the Cathedral of St. Lawrence, which displays the development of Dalmatia’s architectural styles over several centuries.

Stari Grad

This ancient agricultural plain sits on the island of Hvar as the best-preserved Greek landscape in the Mediterranean. Serving also as a nature reserve, many of the UNESCO site’s vineyards and olive groves have remained almost unchanged since the land was first colonized by the ancient Greeks in 385 BC. Still to this day, dry stone walls and shelters can be found dotted throughout the area, making it a historic haven worth exploring if you’re hopping between the islands of Brac and Hvar on holiday.

Great Onofrio fountain, Dubrovnik Old Town

Dubbed the Pearl of the Adriatic, the city of Dubrovnik became a major Mediterranean power after the 13th century. The city walls, built between the 8th and 16th centuries, rank among the world’s most imposing and best-preserved medieval fortifications.

You can still walk along the wall’s two-kilometre circumference past 15 towers, five bastions, two corner towers and a fortress. It’s these walls which have preserved the original character of the city centre and earned Dubrovnik a significant place in the history of city planning.

Despite a devastating earthquake in 1667 and the ravages of the more recent civil war, careful restoration means visitors can still see Gothic, Renaissance and baroque buildings and a pavement worn smooth through centuries of use. You can also discover the city’s ancient monastic gardens as well as visiting the nearby islands of Lokrum and Sipan as part of a wonderful week on the Dubrovnik Riviera.

Split

Croatia’s second largest city, Split, is situated in the middle of the country’s coastline around 165km northwest of Dubrovnik. This is where you’ll discover one of the best-preserved palaces from Roman antiquity at the centre of the historic old town. Built by Emperor Diocletian for a place to rest during his retirement, the Palace of Diocletian was once a vast fortified complex hemmed in by Venetian walls overlooking the Adriatic. Remains of the structure can be found throughout Split’s historic core alongside the medieval Saint Domnius Cathedral and rows of Italian Renaissance merchant houses.

A walk around the narrow UNESCO-listed streets unveils the palace’s four gates – Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron – as well as sites from Game of Thrones, including the dungeon where Daenerys kept her dragons. A guided city tour of Split is included in this escorted two week tour along the Dalmatian coast.

Porec from the 6th century Euphrasian Basilica

On the west coast of the Istrian Peninsula, the coastal resort of Porec provides the setting for another of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites in Croatia. The Euphrasian Basilica was built during the 6th century under the reign of Bishop Euphrasius. It’s considered Porec’s cultural crown jewel and an outstanding example of architecture, blending both Byzantine and classical styles.

Thanks to the episcopal ensemble existing in its entirety – including vestry, baptistry and bell tower – this is a rare find and one of the best preserved early Christian churches in the whole of the country. Make sure you step inside for marble colonnades, gem-encrusted mosaics and red roof views from the top of the bell tower.

Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards

Spread across central and southern Croatia, the next UNESCO site on our list can be found in ancient cemeteries dating back to medieval times. Stećci (the plural of Stećak) are monumental headstones, slabs and chests, usually hand carved by stone masons from limestone rock. There are thought to be just over 4,400 of these tombstones scattered throughout the country, many of which are elaborately decorated and inscribed with epitaphs and scenes of life.

Although most stećci are weather-worn and in poor condition, they still make quite remarkable links to the past. The archaeological site, Mala Crljivica, features just over 100 stećci and can be found just 55km east of Split. Another notable collection of stećci in Croatia can be found at the Church of St Barbara just outside the village of Dubravka, close to the border with Montenegro.

Sibenik

There are two examples of Venetian Works of Defense from the 16th and 17th centuries located in Croatia. These are the Defensive System at Zadar and the St. Nicholas Fortress in Sibenik. Both are included within a collection of six separate sites recognised by UNESCO, that span more than 1000km from the north of Italy to the Adriatic coast.

These formidable fortresses were first introduced at the advent of gunpowder and when battlegrounds were dominated by cannons. A significant shift in military approach was called for and the resulting polygon-shaped forts, with bastions on the corner of each wall, were to become the next step in the evolution from medieval castles.

The defense systems in Croatia were used to defend the coastline. Zadar, especially, was the military hub of the Venetian empire and still to this day you can see the bastioned walls and Renaissance-style gates guarding Zadar’s historic old town.

St James, Sibenik

Situated between Split to the south and Zadar to the north, the city of Sibenik is home to one of the most notable examples of Renaissance architecture in the whole of Croatia. The Cathedral of St James is constructed entirely from limestone taken from a nearby quarry and marble exported from the island of Brac. Featuring unique design techniques within the crown-topped dome and a typically ornate façade and interior, the church took just over 100 years to build thanks to a succession of Italian and Croatian architects.

Step inside and you’ll discover lofty arcades and heavenly stained-glass windows as well as an exultation of daylight emanating from the cathedral’s dome. It’s a complete treat for the senses with fascinating statues and a striking frieze exhibiting the artistic progression from Gothic to Renaissance style.

Paklenica National Park

Last but not least in our list of UNESCO sites in Croatia is the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians. Spreading across Europe and occupying regions in more than 18 different countries, this relatively untouched temperate tree system is an example of ecological patterns and processes that have survived since the Ice Age. Not only that but the area, as a whole, makes up UNESCO’s largest World Heritage Site.

Tip toeing through this ancient sun-dappled landscape is a magical experience. Paklenica National Park, close to Zadar, and Northern Velebit National Park, further north along the coast, are the best beech forests to explore if you’re travelling to Croatia.

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