Croatia: Dalmatian Coast

Book excerpt: New from Bradt is Croatia: Dalmatian Coast, a travel guidebook that focuses exclusively and in detail on this popular part of Croatia. Co-authored by travel writer Piers Letcher, who wrote six editions of Bradt’s guide Croatia, and longstanding Dalmatian resident Jane Foster, Croatia: Dalmatian Coast offers intimate local insights into where best to stay and eat, and what to see and do in this gorgeous southeast European enclave. With rugged limestone mountains, crystalline turquoise waters and pine-scented islands, Dalmatia has for centuries delighted explorers – and this is where most of today’s visitors to Croatia still head. With its balmy Mediterranean climate, this is a land of silvery-green olive groves, hillside vineyards, pebble coves, waterside villages, stone cottages, wooden fishing boats and pink-flowering oleander. Meanwhile, the Dalmatian mainland is home to the well-preserved port cities of Split, Zadar and Dubrovnik (with its UNESCO-listed, pedestrians-only old town), where sturdy fortifications protect exquisite Romanesque and Baroque churches, and bustling fish markets display mounds of wide-eyed sea bream and glistening octopus. With this Bradt guide sharing a local’s first-hand experience, you'll be sure to eat well: think fresh fish, local seasonal fruit and vegetables, and home-produced olive oil, whether consumed in excellent, family-run agrotourism eateries or newly Michelin-starred restaurants. You’ll drink great wines too, informed by the author’s knowledge of Dalmatian wines and wine-tasting. For many visitors, Dalmatia’s greatest allure involves exploring its dramatic landscapes and unspoilt nature. Castaway-style islands such as Hvar, with its rustic-chic seafood eateries and candle-lit cocktail bars, are much loved by yachters who sail around the uninhabited islets of Kornati National Park. Then there's windsurfing off Bol on Brac, scuba diving off Vis, and sea-kayaking or paddling around the Korcula archipelago too. On the mainland, rugged mountains and gaping gorges offer yet more challenges for adventure-sports enthusiasts – try hiking the soaring limestone heights of Mt Biokovo, free-climbing in Paklenica National Park or rafting down the Cetina Gorge, in the hinterland behind Omiš. Little wonder that land- and water-based adventure sports are treated to a full chapter in Bradt’s Croatia: Dalmatian Coast – the perfect companion to your visit.