Karlovac
Fifty-five kilometres out of Zagreb, Karlovac is frequently ignored by tourists speeding west towards the Adriatic coast.
In fact it’s a welcoming place for a stop off, its historic centre surrounded by a ring of strollable parkland. It was founded in the sixteenth-century as a purpose-built Austrian military settlement, occupying a defensible position at the confluences of the Kupa, Korana and Mrežnica rivers.
The star-shaped fortress walls were mostly pulled down in the nineteenth century, to be replaced with the verdant park that nowadays constitutes the town’s key attraction. The southern end of the park runs down to the banks of the Korana river, a hugely popular bathing spot in summer.
Aquatika Aquarium
On the opposite side of the Korana river, the Aquatika aquarium displays freshwater fish from all over inland Croatia. Stars of the show include fat whiskery catfish and the various kinds of sturgeon, some of whom spend different parts of their life-cycle in both fresh and sea water. There’s a cafe on site, and plenty of nearby riverside walks.
Museum of the Homeland War
Occupying a former Austrian barracks in the outlying village of Turanj is the Museum of the Homeland War (Muzej domovinskog rata), remembering Karlovac’s role on the front line of the 1991-95 conflict through a display of military hardware, video and photographs.
By car: Karlovac is a straightforward 55km drive from Zagreb along the A1 motorway.
By bus: buses leave Zagreb for Karlovac every half an hour and take 50 minutes.