The Rough Guide Map Croatia (Rough Guide Map) £4.49

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Croatia (The Bradt Travel Guide) by Piers Letcher  (4)

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Book Description
INTRODUCTION
With nearly 2000km of rocky, indented shore and more than 1000 islands, many blanketed in luxuriant Mediterranean vegetation, Croatia boasts one of the most dramatic stretches of coastline that Europe has to offer. Despite the region’s popularity as a package destination for over four decades, exploitation of the coastal settlements has been kept in check, and there are still enough off-the-beaten-track islands, quiet coves and stone-built fishing villages to make you feel as if you’re visiting one of southern Europe’s most unspoilt areas. As a bonus, many of Croatia’s coastal towns and cities are living museums of Mediterranean culture, generously sprinkled with historical remains from Roman times onwards. The rest of the country isn’t devoid of interest either: inland, a varied profusion of mountains, lakes and bird-inhabited wetlands provide plenty of interest for the nature lover.

The country has come a long way since the early 1990s, when within the space of half a decade – almost uniquely in contemporary Europe – it experienced the collapse of communism, a war of national survival and the securing of independence. Croatia is now once again an optimistic, welcoming and safe destination, and visitors will be struck by the tangible sense of pride that independent statehood has brought, and the feeling of togetherness and unity that the experience of war has engendered. National culture is a far from one-dimensional affair, however, and much of Croatia’s individuality is due to its geographical position straddling the point at which the sober central European virtues of hard work and order collide with the spontaneity, vivacity and taste for the good things in life that characterizes the countries of southern Europe – a cultural blend of Mitteleuropa and Mediterranean which gives Croatia its particular flavour.

Not only that, but the country also stands on one of the great faultlines of European civilization, the point at which the Catholicism of Central Europe meets the Islam and Orthodox Christianity of the East. Though Croats traditionally see themselves as a Western people, distinct from the other South Slavs who made up the former state of Yugoslavia, many of the hallmarks of Balkan culture – patriarchal families, hospitality towards strangers, and a fondness for grilled food – are as common in Croatia as in any other part of southeastern Europe, suggesting that the country’s relationship with its neighbours is more complex than many Croats will admit.

National sensitivity about such matters has its roots in Croatia’s troubled relationship with the Serbs, who arrived in southeastern Europe at around the same time, some fifteen hundred years ago, and whose language is almost identical to Croatian. Historical circumstances later drove the two groups psychologically and culturally apart, even though they often continued to live together – the fact that so many areas of Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina were ethnically mixed is one reason why the break-up of Yugoslavia was such a tragically messy affair. Despite the events of recent years, however, the destinies of Croats and Serbs look set to remain intertwined: there’s still a sizeable Serb minority within Croatia, and Serbs who fled the country in the wake of the Croatian army’s campaigns in 1995 are (officially, at least) being encouraged to return.

Bringing life back to war-damaged areas and resettling both Croatian and Serbian refugees is just one of the problems faced by a country which continues to suffer many of the ills experienced by post-communist societies in general: the collapse of outdated industries, high unemployment, low wages for the majority, and the rise of a new entrepreneurial class which is often flamboyantly corrupt. Tourism was always Croatia’s biggest source of income before the war, and the return of holiday-makers to the Adriatic coast has been eagerly welcomed by the Croats. Unlike many of her Eastern European neighbours, however, Croatia was initially slow to receive aid and investment from the West, until elections in January 2000 removed a nationalist, anti-Western government from office. Since then, the country has applied for EU membership, and its international standing has improved immeasurably.

Synopsis
The Rough Guide to Croatia is the most comprehensive handbook to this spectacular destination. A 24 page full-colour section introduces Croatia's highlights, from the medieval city of Dubrovnik to the beaches of the Dalmatian coast. Throughout, there are discerning reviews of all the best places to stay, eat and drink - to suit any pocket. Finally, the Contexts section provides an authoritative background on Croatia's history, politics and culture.

The Rough Guide to Croatia (Rough Guide Travel Guides) by Jonathan Bousfield £8.99

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4 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (4 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   161 of 163 people found the following review helpful: There's nothing rough about this guide, 3 Aug 2001 By A Customer This review is from: Croatia: The Rough Guide (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback) As someone who has lived and travelled extensively in Croatia, I can say that this book is definitely worth taking along. It provides an insight into Croatia that goes beyond all others that I have encountered (for example, Lonely Planet, Croatia Insight Pocket Guide, and the Nelles Guide). It deals with the whole country, not just the coast (i.e. the most obvious tourist parts). This guide takes in most parts of the country that any visitor is ever likely to go to (and a few that are off the beaten track). Jonathan seems to know his subject, and writes fluidly and confidently about the country. He also addresses (albeit thinly) the touchy subject of Croatia's recent history. I'm not sure what his sources are, but he seems well informed and remains refreshingly faithful to the feel of Croatia. Indeed, historical references litter this work. In bite-size pieces he describes Tito, Communism, the turbulent past of the coast, the economy past and present, and the various empirial influences on the country. This guide contains very few errors, factual or typographical. This contrasts with the Lonely Planet (LP) guide, which contains several factual errors. Nevertheless, both guides are respectable and worthwhile works. However, this guide has the edge over the LP guide in every respect. It's just more complete. The information on getting about and about facilities is better. Its lists of clubs and bars are very good too (I wonder how Jonathan knows the bars so well!) For example, its treatment of Zagreb is more complete and simply gives you more than the LP guide does. Its maps are pretty good too but I would recommend you buy a decent street map of you are visiting Zagreb. Although neither guide contains many photographs, I think those in this guide are more representative (and seem to be more recent) than those in the LP guide. I've compared this guide only with the LP guide because the other offerings are really not contenders. They are too thin (physically and in content), deal only with the touristy parts and just don't have the valuable information that this guide does. (One could also suggest that some of the other guides contain rather a lot of information that is freely available on internet.) I didn't shed tears going to Croatia with the LP guide, but Jonathan's guide has the edge and when in Croatia I actually refer to it more often than the LP guide. There is still no substitute for speaking to the locals, but this guide comes closer than the rest, and that's why I give it 5 stars.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: Fact filled guide for anyone interested in Croatia, 24 May 2005 By  "hypnlp" - See all my reviews Absolutely crammed with information, history, culture, etc. Invaluable for anyone interested in Croatia, whether for a short holiday or for moving to the area. It had far more information that I personally needed, but there's no harm in that.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   10 of 11 people found the following review helpful: Quality, 26 Oct 2004 By  Wily Manc "WM" (Manchester, Greater Manchester, GB) - See all my reviews I think that Rough Guides are seen as the best travel guides around, and having used this particular book in Croatia, I will stick with that series. I can't say I visited a lot of the country (and therefore didn't use the whole book, but it was very accurate and informative where I did use it. Plus the sections on history and language were just unexpected bonuses. I recommend this guide highly.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 4 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews Excellent Croatia guide I found this book invaluable during a recent Croatia driving holiday. I travelled the entire coastline and some of the islands using this book both as a guide to help judge where... Read more Published on 19 Sep 2002 by polanders Search Customer Reviews