Tourism Croatia

Numerous mineral and thermal springs of Croatia were already being taken advantage of by the ancient Romans. The area of Croatian Zagorje abounds in thermal springs. Medical tourism developed in Varazdinske, Stubicke, Krapinske and Tuheljske spas. The towns with the longest tradition of medical spa treatment in western Slavonia are Daruvar and Lipik, in the region of Kordun - Topusko, and in eastern Slavonia near Valpovo, Bizovacke Toplice. The most notable treatment centres at the coast are the Umag, Opatija, Crikvenica, Hvar, Veli Losinj, Vela Luka, and Makarska resorts, and in central Istria, Istarske Toplice. All these centres are well equipped for treatment, prevention and rehabilitation. Visitors can take advantage of numerous hotels, mainly of higher categories, as well as private accommodation.

Tennis
The tennis centre "Bol" with 20 tennis courts and a central tennis stadium with 2,000 sitting seat capacity is located in Bol. Every year, 4 - 6 international tennis competitions are held there. Umag is the seat of the top level national and international ATP tournament - Croatia Open, with a high fund for prizes.

Congress tourism
Croatia is prominent in the field of international congress tourism - 75 comletely furnished congress halls with capacity of more than 4,000 participants and 6,900 rooms in congress hotels. Many specialised congresses are organised in tourist centres (Zagreb, Brijuni, Opatija, Porec, Umag, Rovinj, Pula, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Dubrovnik). Thus, Croatia affirms its role as an international congress centre.

Fishing
Fishing is permitted in numerous rivers, streams, creeks, lakes and the sea. Fishing is especially intense on the Gacka river in Lika and in the Kopacevski Rit in Baranya. License to conduct recreational and sports fishing in the sea for Croatian or foreign citizens shall be issued for a period of: one (1) day, three (3) days to seven (7) days for thirty (30) days, for the current calendar year (annual license). A special permit by the local authorities is needed only for underwater fishing. Fishing in fresh water usually requires a permit. Fishermen can obtain all the necessary information in the Fishermen's Association of Croatia in Zagreb, Trg Sportova 11.

Hunting
Hunters have good reasons to come to Croatia for their vacation. There are over 70,0000 large and 80,000 small game, i.e. a total of 768 hunting areas - in lowlands, along rivers, in high mountains, in thick oak forests and on spacious meadows. Slavonia and Baranya in the northeast of Croatia offer great possibilities of varied hunting. The game that can be hunted are deer, boar, weasels and ferrets, wildcats, dormouse, skunk, hare, pheasant, thrush, quail, wild duck, wild goose. In the mountainous areas of Gorski Kotar there are mountain goats and bears. The wild goat is hunted in Dalmatinska Zagora and and on Biokovo, and the muflon is preyed upon on the Peljesac peninsula and the Adriatic islands.  Small and feathered game is characteristic of Istria, while the islands of Cres and Losinj are noted for specific species of wide-antlered deer. In order to hunt, a permit is required. All information pertaining hitherto is available from the Hunting Association of Croatia in Zagreb, Vladimir Nazor street 61

 Mountain climbing

Numerous diverse mountain areas are well suited for mountain climbing. Many well-marked paths testify to the long tradition of this recreation in Croatia. The mountain climbing/hiking season in our country practically lasts all year long. Our mountains are not high - Croatia is the only country in the European southeast without a single summit above 2,000 metres, but is remark- able for their attractiveness. The most notable attractions mountain hikers are: the Risnjak national park, the entire Velebit mountain, mountains of Gorski Kotar, as well as numerous mountain destinations in the proximity of major cities. The markings  in the mountains are standardised: a red circle with a white spot in the centre. Thin trees are exceptionally marked by two red stripes with a white one in their midst. Some 50 m before a crossing, the x mark is placed. Presently, there are around 250qualified  group outing guides for summer and winter forays in Croatia. They are active on an amateur basis, and they are united in guide stations. The stations provide guides to larger groups and less experienced hikers, especially in cases of areas that are difficult for orientation or in the technical sense. Most of the stations are located in mountain climbing associations, but some are also independent.

Lovers of mountain climbing and hiking over numerous mountains of higher and lower altitude can take advantage of  more than eighty mountain lodges and shelters. Special maps designating footpaths and marked mountain trails and all the accompanying information are also available.

Alpine climbing - all the significant rock formations in this respect belong to the Dinarian mountains and consist of limestone - they abound in climbing problems of all degrees of difficulty. As they are all situated near the sea, they are specific in affording climbing in almost summer conditions even in the wintertime, e.g. Kozjak, Biokovo, Paklenica in Velebit where the Anica Kuk rock is internationally renowned (traditional springtime alpinist gathering).

Sports climbing - our most frequented climbing sites are Mlini, Dvigrad, Rovinj and Vranjska Draga in Istria, Veli Vrh near Rijeka, Samarian Mountains in Gorski Kotar, the Unije island, Paklenica and Tulove Grede in u southern Velebit, Stomorica near Omis, Marjan above Split, Brela near Makarska, Gorsko Zrcalo in Medvednica, Pokojec at Ivanscica and Kalnik.

Major skiing centres: Delnice, Mrkopalj, Platak (major skiing centre of the Rijeka area), Tuk, Bjelolasica (the sporting- recreational winter centre “Bjelolasica” is being developed in Vrelo beneath the Bjelolasica mountain)