Trogir

The aura of an open-air museum flows through the lanes of Trogir. Anyone who was standing at the bus station a moment ago and is now crossing the bridge, that is, going from the mainland onto the old-town island, involuntarily wonders at not having to pay an entrance fee here. Historic house façades and worn marble paving look as though they had been installed specially for a Hollywood film. In fact, though, Trogir's roughly ten thousand inhabitants have altered the townscape of their home so little over the centuries that UNESCO quite rightly declared the centre a World Heritage Site in 1997.

Between Split and Trogir lies the airport, which is flown to from Germany several times a day. With so-called budget airlines, flights can be had, with clever booking and a suitable travel period, from as little as 60 euros for both legs. Anyone asked to pay more than 120 euros per leg had better look around for alternatives - and thereby save a few euros of the holiday budget. If you are staying near Split, you had best use the well-developed bus network. The buses run every twenty minutes, are quaintly seated, seem far less reliable than they actually are, and the prices are correspondingly cheap. Anyone who prefers the wide view over the sea to a small-town panorama, or who sets store by upholstered seats, can also come to Trogir on one of the ferries. These depart daily in Split, Mali and Veli Drvenik. If you travel in your own car, you can reach the new coastal motorway via Switzerland, Austria and Italy. It is far more practical than the small country roads and may be driven on at up to 130 km/h. Simply take the exit signposted towards Trogir and you are there!

Even more exciting than marvelling at the roughly 200 sailing boats and yachts permanently lying at anchor is to have fresh fish prepared for you in the town harbour of Trogir: many restaurants come up with folklore shows in order to attract even more guests. After all, the Adriatic is so rich in fish and the day's catch wants bringing to the people. If you want to convince yourself of the wealth of the marine fauna, you can also hire a boat at the harbour and sail out to fish. And even if you arrive with your own boat and are looking for an anchorage for the night, you are welcome here. The marina offers a 10-tonne crane, showers, a water filling station and all further amenities. The bottom is in places only one metre below the water surface - the further you go into the northern channel, the more careful you should be. If you want to drop anchor here, it is best to reserve sufficiently early - Trogir harbour, after all, enjoys a bad reputation only among fish!

The beach of the Hotel Medena is not reserved for overnight guests. Anyone can hire jet skis here, use the tennis courts or have fun on the water slide and the giant trampoline. And most people do just that - which makes for a correspondingly turbulent scene on the beach four kilometres from Trogir!

The island of Čiovo in front of Trogir's old town is beautiful for more than just bathing. The small streets are just as picturesque and idyllic as most of the many bathing bays left in their natural state. Anyone who wants to enjoy both should walk to the beach. The two-kilometre walk will pass in a flash, and after the "hike" the cool sea water is all the more refreshing!