Croatian lakeside and river towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed lakeside and river towns in Croatia, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Slavonski Brod
This riverside city in eastern Croatia on the Sava — which doubles as the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina — Slavonski Brod has a walkable centre with a so…
Metković
A compact Croatian river town where red-tile rooftops climb a wooded hill crowned by a white church, set along the Neretva near the Bosnian border and within…
Pazin
Pazin, the administrative seat of Istria County in west Croatia, sits above a karst sinkhole into which the Pazinčica river disappears — a geological feature…
Obrovac
This small town in northern Dalmatia's Zadar County, Obrovac sits in the canyon of the river Zrmanja, with scenic surrounds and a handful of cafés and restau…
Krapina
This compact valley town in Croatia's green Zagorje hills, Krapina sits along a river with forested slopes rising on all sides, vineyard-dotted hillsides nea…
Ozalj
Yellow-and-white hilltop castle complex rises above the tree-lined Kupa River in this modest Croatian town, offering striking views from the bridge and easy…
Desmerice
A pocket-sized Croatian hamlet south of Ogulin, Desmerice spreads across the slopes of Zagorska Kosa ridge down to the shore of Lake Sabljaci, with eroded ro…
Vukovar
Vukovar, a Croatian town on the Danube in eastern Slavonia, holds Croatia's largest river port at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube, and carries one…
Butoniga
This tiny Istrian hamlet above a broad reservoir lake, surrounded by forested hills and vineyard slopes, with elevated viewpoints offering sweeping water and…
Trilj
A small inland Dalmatian town on the Cetina River, northeast of Split, with an unusually lively café and restaurant scene for its size and vineyards in the s…
Daruvar
This spa town in the foothills of the Papuk mountain in Slavonia, northeastern Croatia, Daruvar sits along the Toplica River and holds a winemaking tradition…
Otocac
A small Croatian town in the Lika region where the Gacka river runs directly through the centre, Otočac sits in mountain terrain in the northwestern part of…
Slunj
Modest Croatian town where the Korana and Slunjčica rivers meet in mountain terrain, Slunj sits on the main route between Karlovac and Plitvice Lakes Nationa…