Dalmatia – the sunny side of Croatia

Dalmatia is Croatia’s Adriatic coastal region – a long, narrow strip between the Velebit mountains in the north and the Bay of Kotor (Montenegro) in the south. Today it’s made up of four counties: Zadar, Šibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia (ours), and Dubrovnik-Neretva.

Characteristic landscape: karst geology, Mediterranean vegetation, a coast of bays, peninsulas, and offshore islands – Dalmatia alone has over 900 islands and reefs, many uninhabited. Behind the narrow coastal plain, mountains rise to 1,700 m / 5,600 ft (Biokovo, Dinara). The climate is true Mediterranean: hot, dry summers; mild winters; about 2,700 hours of sunshine a year – more than the French Riviera. Two local winds shape the weather: the northeasterly bura (dry, cold, strong) and the southeasterly jugo (warm, humid, usually bringing rain).

A history in layers

Walking through Dalmatia is walking through layers of rule:

• Illyrian settlers in the Bronze Age
• Greek colonies from the 4th century BCE
• Roman Empire with the province of Dalmatia and its capital Salona (modern Solin)
• Byzantine Empire after Rome fell
• Slavic settlement from the 7th century on
• The Republic of Venice from 1420 to 1797 – over 350 years of sustained Venetian influence still shapes the architecture of Trogir, Primošten, Zadar, and Hvar
• Then Habsburg, then Yugoslavia, and since 1991 Croatia

You see this history everywhere: Roman stonework, Venetian windows, Austrian barracks, Yugoslav apartment blocks, new villas – often within a few meters of each other.

What Dalmatia offers

The sea – clearer than at most European coasts, with countless swimming coves, calm waters between the islands, deep color.

The islands – from tiny uninhabited specks to famous names: Hvar, Brač, Vis, Korčula, Šolta. Ferries run from Split, Trogir, and Šibenik – daily in season.

The old towns – seven UNESCO World Heritage sites in Dalmatia alone: Trogir, Diocletian’s Palace in Split, the walled city of Dubrovnik, Šibenik’s cathedral, the Stari Grad Plain on Hvar, the Stećci medieval tombstones, and the craft of dry-stone walling.

The food – see Dalmatian cuisine. Lots of fresh fish, olive oil, wine, slow eating.

The nature – national parks Krka and Paklenica, nature parks Biokovo and Telaščica, countless lesser-known hiking areas.

Central Dalmatia: where we are

The stretch between Šibenik and Makarska is considered the heart of Dalmatia. It combines the densest cultural landscape in the country (Split, Trogir, Salona, Klis, Šibenik), some of the best beaches (Zlatni Rat on Brač, the coast around Makarska), and a base from which day trips in every direction are realistic. Poljica is right in the middle – almost everything important is within an hour’s drive.

Split-Dalmatia Tourist Board Prilaz braće Kaliterna 10/I, 21000 Split Tel: +385 (0)21 490 032 · dalmatia.hr