UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Croatia

Discover Croatia

Discover Croatian cultural and nature heritage under UNESCO protection

Thanks to its great history, Croatia has an impressive number of museums, galleries and monuments of exceptional beauty, some of which are under UNESCO protection. You can even plan your trip based on UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Croatia – there are 8 sites in total: 7 Cultural sites and 1 Natural site to discover.

Starting from Istria, visit the Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the Historic Centre of Poreč, an outstanding example of an early Christian episcopal ensemble that is exceptional by virtue of its completeness and its unique Basilican cathedral. One of the best preserved monuments of Byzantine architecture and art in the world was built in the 6th century on the site of an early Christian church, in the time of Bishop Euphrasius and Emperor Justinian I.

In Lika region, there is the only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site - Plitvice Lakes National Park a beautiful area of lakes, caves and waterfalls that boast spectacular flora and fauna. Here the water flows over the limestone and chalk over thousands of years and have made 16 blue-green lakes that are separated by natural dams - absolutely breathtaking!

In Dalmatia, there are all other sites from the list – in Šibenik you can find The Cathedral of St James - a unique and outstanding building in which Gothic and Renaissance forms have been successfully blended. In Historic City of Trogir , an excellent example of a medieval town that has conserved its urban fabric with the minimum of modern interventions. The orthogonal street plan of this island settlement dates back to the Hellenistic period with fortifications, beautiful Romanesque churches and outstanding Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period. Further south, there is breathtaking area of Roman archaeological monuments: Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian , built between the late 3rd and the early 4th centuries A.D. and the cathedral that was built in the Middle Ages, reusing materials from the ancient mausoleum. This well-preserved Roman structures will take you back 2,000 years! Near Split, you can find Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards - cemeteries and regionally distinctive medieval tombstones (stećci), mostly carved from limestone, date from the 12th to 16th centuries CE and feature a wide range of decorative motifs and inscriptions that represent iconographic continuities within medieval Europe as well as locally distinctive traditions. On the island of Hvar, also near Split, you can visit Stari Grad Plain , one of the best examples of ancient Greek agricultural systems, a natural reserve and cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC with ancient stone walls and trims, or small stone shelters. perhaps in the whole of Central Europe. The original agricultural activity of this fertile plain, mainly centring on grapes and olives, has been maintained since Greek times to the present. The southernmost, there is the “Pearl of the Adriatic - Old City of Dubrovnik , a center for maritime trade in the 15th and 16th centuries. Dubrovnik boasts a number of Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance architectural monuments such as churches, palaces, monasteries and its impressive 2km long city walls along the coast. It is among the best-preserved medieval cities in the world, and the old town showcases the beauty of Croatian culture.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Croatia are making this area one of the most notable and fascinating global destinations. Discover all of them on the best and most interesting way - include UNESCO World Heritage Sites in your unique itinerary.

Highlights When Where
There are UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Croatia: 7 Cultural sites and 1 Natural site to discover.
Visit all UNESCO World Heritage Sites while on holidays in Croatia All year round Istria, Lika, Dalmatia