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Croatia can be split broadly into four main holiday regions. The south is home to Dubrovnik – many people’s number one destination and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Close to the border with Montenegro, property prices are amongst Croatia’s most expensive. Don’t expect much change from around £100,000 for a one-bedroom property anywhere close to the old town. Nearby, apartments priced from £60,000 are available.
The middle of the country, heading north, is the region that encompasses the city of Split. Located on the coast, and close to some of the best islands including Hvar and Brac, many people choose this area as their favourite because they consider it not so upmarket as ‘down south’ and a little more refined than ‘up north’ in Istria. Of course, like anywhere, between the two extremes lies the truth. Property prices in ‘middle Croatia’ start from around £45,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
Zagreb, the capital, is approximately a two-hour drive inland from the coast, closest to Istria. Home to almost a quarter of Croatia’s 4.5 million citizens, Zagreb’s property market is mainly an investment one currently, although the capital is an attractive city in its own right. To many people’s surprise, Zagreb – and most of Croatia – is more akin in appearance to Vienna or Budapest than it is other Balkan nations, such as Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
The country’s likeness to middle European cities is no coincidence. Croatia was under the Austro-Hungarian rule of the Hapsburg Empire for most of the 19th century. In Istria, the peninsula in Croatia’s far north, bordering Slovenia, the pretty coastal towns of Porec, Novigrad and Umag display their cultural heritage: relief work is commonplace on several building’s baroque exteriors.
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