DESTINATIONS — CROATIA & THE BALKANS
Sail away with me
Life on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast is smooth sailing, finds Katie McGonagle
I
t’s colder than it looks, I realise, as I lower myself gingerly rung by rung off the back of the ship and into the calm waters of the Adriatic Sea. The sun is shining and bringing out brilliant shades of turquoise in the clear waters, but this early in the season, it hasn’t quite worked its magic on the temperature, which is still a few degrees lower than I’d like.
Nonetheless, I take the plunge
and a few seconds of swift breaststroke later, I’m basking in the shallower, warmer waters that lap Zlatni Rat, a golden pebble beach that moves its position with the wind. Even when a little on the chilly side, the Dalmatian coast is absolutely stunning: unspoilt, unhurried and awash with natural beauty spots tucked away in its tranquil coves and tiny islands. I’m here with Orbital Travel, which branched out from its core Nile cruising product to introduce Croatia last year. The operator
enjoyed such a strong uptake of sales to the destination that, in February, it added small-ship cruising with local company Katarina Line. My cruise – from Split to
yachting favourite Hvar and low- key island Braç – is just a taster of the usual week-long island- hopping itineraries, but it’s enough to convince me the growing numbers of Brits who flock to Croatian shores each year have got the right idea. So all that’s left is to brace yourself and dive in.
l SPLIT: GATEWAY CITY Weekend-break favourite Dubrovnik has tended to be the first port of call for visitors to Croatia, but second city Split is deservedly becoming better known. It’s easy to reach, with a flight time of under three hours from Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted. Flights also serve the destination from Bristol, Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Belfast and Edinburgh.
These include low-cost services from the likes of easyJet, Norwegian, Wizz Air, Thomson and
Jet2.com, plus scheduled flights from British Airways and Croatia Airlines. Once there, most tourists head to the historic centre,
Diocletian’s Palace, a half-hour drive from the airport. Despite its
name, this isn’t just one building; covering three hectares, it’s a network of ancient structures and winding streets built at the turn of the fourth century as a home for Roman emperor Diocletian, who retired there in AD305. Protected by Unesco since 1979, it’s one of the best-preserved Roman palaces, particularly in its sub-structure, which has been used
as a filming location for cult TV series Game of Thrones, and the Temple of Jupiter, now St John the Baptist church. But you don’t have to be a fan of ancient history to get lost in its narrow alleyways or appreciate its quirky eccentricities, whether it’s the two Egyptian sphinxes shipped in for decoration by the Roman emperor, or the
washing lines strung up between the apartments of the 1,000 or so residents who still live
there. Then there is the enormous statue of medieval bishop Gregory of Nin, which sits just outside the Golden Gate. As the first priest to conduct church services in Croatian instead of the official Latin, the reforming bishop was something of a people’s hero, so local superstition has it that if you rub the statue’s golden toe,
28 May 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 49
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PICTURE: ORBITAL TRAVEL
FAST FACT British Airways began twice-weekly
flights from Heathrow to Split this month, running until September 20, from £98 return
ba.com
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