November 30, 2018 - Advent is the most popular winter event in Inland Dalmatia. Therefore, the town of Sinj has prepared an even more vibrant, diverse and beautiful program for all visitors to enjoy this year. 

Namely, for this special holiday season, citizens will be offered additional facilities, which should also attract Croatian and foreign tourists to Sinj this winter. 

The Advent program in Sinj will run from December 1st to 31st, organized by the City of Sinj, the Sinj Tourist Board, the Shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Sinj, the Sinj Cultural Center and numerous other associations.

During the Advent weeks, there will be many theater shows with unique themes and humanitarian actions, while many quality bands will perform on Saturdays.

The continuation of the Advent program will feature many educational workshops, plays, exhibitions, traditional performances of the Sinj Majorettes, concerts by City Musicians, Klapa Sinj, the Mixed Choir of Sinj and the Children's Choir, theater performances as well as a children's week organized by the Association Sinjski Ferali. 

This year, the Sinjski Ferali Association will contribute to the overall holiday mood, primarily by organizing a New Year's Eve party for the youngest citizens! 

For all of Advent, Alojzija Stepinca Promenade will have a rich offer of holiday houses providing sweets, mulled wine, and local specialties for the chilly winter days. There will even be many handicrafts and gifts for children to enjoy!

Important dates to remember:

On December 6 and December 23, Saint Nicholas and Father Christmas will gift the youngest.

And the best yet? An outdoor spectacle featuring OZON and VATRA will take us from 2018 to 2019 for a splendid New Year’s Eve celebration!

To read more about Sinj, follow TCN's dedicated page here. 

All photos by Željka Zrnčića

Fancy spending part of the festive season in a rather unusual location? It isn't Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar or Zagreb, but Knin, one of Croatia's most historically important cities, located in the rugged hills of the Dalmatian hinterland. Advent in Knin is, just like other locations across the country, looking like it's definitely worth a visit.

While Croatia is continuing to struggle with the self-limiting chains summer tourism places on the country, winter tourism has been helped hugely by Zagreb's advent success over the past three years. The Croatian capital has come on leaps and bounds, going from all but overlooked tourism wise, to being voted Europes best Advent destination for three years running. A title the city wants to win again this year.

The capital's continued success has rubbed off on other towns and cities up and down the country, with Dubrovnik's winter festival drawing more and more visitors each year, Split putting on an equally impressive show, and locations like Zadar, Rab and Pag following suit. It's not enough to say that Croatia desperately needs to try harder to free itself from the clutches of the three to four month long ''sea and sunshine'' destination box, but the chains are beginning to loosen with each passing year, and thanks to Zagreb's popularity at this time of year, other more overlooked Croatian cities are beginning to find their place.

As SibenikIN writes on the 28th of November, 2018, Advent in Knin is set to kick off very soon. The ice skating rink in front of the Franjo Tudjman school will be officially opened this coming Sunday at 17:00, and Knin's city administration, as well as the organisers of Advent in Knin have invited all those interested to be there.

In addition to the official opening the ice skating rink, the Christmas lights placed across the city will be turned on, and all the events for Advent in Knin 2018 are set to begin on Sunday, according to Huknet.

The ice rink will remain open until January the 2nd, 2019, and on Sunday a festive cottage serving drinks and food located next to the ice rink will begin its work. Advent in Knin will see to it that ice skating, as well as all of the required equipment for skating will be free for everyone.

The remaining five festive cottages partaking in this year's Advent in Knin festivities will be located in the park below the school playground and they will open considerably later, on December the 21st, when numerous cultural events are set to begin in the same location, also as part of Advent Knin's event programme for 2018.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel and lifestyle pages for more news on the numerous advent programmes for various locations across the country.

People are constantly complaining about politicians. It's a trend which knows no borders and isn't limited to any one particular place or nationality, but Croatia could quite easily win an Olympic medal in it if it was turned into a professional sport. The Vrgorac mayor however, will likely win a huge amount of praise for his latest unusual but righteous move.

While many politicians, mayors, deputy mayors (the list goes, and on, then on a bit more) continue to work in a ''politically cluttered'' city administration environment, where there are a huge number of people working and nobody really knows what they're actually doing, the Vrgorac mayor has decided on a somewhat different approach.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 21st of November, 2018, the Vrgorac mayor, Ante Pranić, has decided to dismiss Vrgorac's excess administration and turn their offices into a nursery. 

''We don't have an administration now, because of rationalisation, but we do have a professional set of staff for kids,'' the mayor wrote on Facebook.

Vrgorac mayor Ante Pranić took to social media to let everyone know about the brand new, additional room for another group of children located on the premises where Vrgorac's administration was once.

''When the citizens put their trust in us, chaos awaited us in the kindergartens. We didn't have a pedagogue or the professional personnel, but what we did have was a surplus of administration. We've put that in order. Now we don't have an administration, because of rationalisation, but we do have a professional set of staff for the kids.''

Pranić went on to write that he was accused of having dismissed Vrgorac's excess administration illegally. He said that today, the court verdict in regard to that had arrived and it turns out that nothing about it was illegal.

''The court says we've all done it by law,'' Pranić wrote on Facebook.

Stay up to date with the strange world of Croatian politics by following our dedicated page.

Inland Dalmatia was named the best destination of rural tourism in Croatia last month. The award was given by the Croatian National Tourist Board who chose the Dalmatian region over Motovun and Otočac, the other two destinations in the final selection of the same category. Inland Dalmatia covers all of Imotski, Sinj, Trilj, Vrlika and Vrgorac and the municipalities of Dugopolje and Klis.

October 28, 2018 - The incredible inland Dalmatia tourism success story continues, as Dalmatinska Zagora is named as the best destination for rural tourism at Days of Croatian Tourism 2018.

I am often asked where my favourite destination is, a question I find impossible to answer. There are so many great places to visit and live in this country, as well as such a variety of experiences that no one place would be a clear winner. Hvar, of course, will always be my first love, but other islands such as Korcula are fighting hard for my affections, while life in Varazdin Country with access to fabulous Zagreb has been a revelation. But there is one region in Croatia for which I have a real soft spot. 

Inland Dalmatia. 

It was with immense pride and almost a tear in my eye that I watched the fantastic inland Dalmatia team pick up a much-deserved award as the best destination for rural tourism at the 2018 Days of Croatian Tourism awards. It has been a real pleasure to watch tourism in inland Dalmatia blossom since my first visit there at the invitation of the Sinj Tourist Board, back in February 2013. 

I loved the energy of the young tourist board directors in this gorgeous region just behind the mountains near Split. One thing led to another and before long, I found myself doing a presentation (see above) to the tourist board directors of inland Dalmatia about a partnership for a new website called Total Inland Dalmatia. It would have been nice of Google not to choose that particular moment to show a Google Ad for Thai brides, but you can't have everything. There was support from the Central Dalmatia Tourist Board and even - ah, those were the days - a small grant from the Ministry of Tourism. Everyone agreed there was a need to better promote the richness of Klis, Sinj, Trilj, Dugopolje, Imotski, Vrgorac and Vrlika as one. 

And while Total Inland Dalmatia played a small part in the rise of inland Dalmatia as a destination, the local stakeholders have played a major role in developing the destination as one brand, and with an increasingly enticing tourism offer. And the progress is extraordinary.

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - the Rise of Imotski

Few destinations in all Croatia have experienced growth like Imotski in the last five years. Certain infrastructure projects such as the opening of a tunnel to the Makarska Riviera have helped immensely, but so too has the innovative tourism promotion, such as Austrians slacklining over the Red Lake. The increase in tourism overnights and the accompanying number of new villas with swimming pools has transformed Imotski into a very attractive destination - a chance to enjoy traditional Dalmatian hospitality and accommodation while being a short drive from the beach.  

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - the Rise of Sinj

The driving force for inland Dalmatia in the last few years has been the historic town of Sinj, most famous for its Alka knights' tournament, which has taken place each year to commemorate the victory against the Ottomans in 1715. 2015 saw the historic 300th Alka, and the Sinj Tourist Board took the Alka story as far away as New York, while the outstanding new Alka museum is the latest attraction in this fascinating historic town just 30 minutes by car from Split. 

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - the Emergence of Vrlika

I am a little embarrassed to admit I had never heard of Vrlika before I started getting involved with the region, but it did not take me long to realise what I had been missing. Check out the latest promotional video from Vrlika above, to see why you too should be heading to Vrlika next summer. For now you can stay - although the numbers are small, the first tourist accommodation rentals have become available in Vrlika in the last two years,a process of patience and encouragement from the Vrlika Tourist Board.  

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - the Roman Heritage of Dugopolje

Some imaginative diversification from Dugopolje, known by many as the motorway exit for Split, but also home to some great Roman heritage. Dugopolje was the first destination in Central Dalmatia to take part in the Roman roads initiative by Central Tourist Board Director, Josko Stella (pictured above).

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - From Roman Heritage to Trilj Blues

One of the things I quickly learned about inland Dalmatia is that the unexpected is always around the corner. A great addition to the Trilj calendar these past two years - the Thrill Blues Festival.  

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - Klis and the Game of Thrones Factor

If you are trying to develop a tourist destination, it always helps with the promotion is Game of Thrones decides to film there. And while the hit HBO series put Klis Fortress on the map, local authorities have done much in recent years to turn it into a fantastic tourist attraction. And one you can get to easily by bus. Here's how.

Inland Dalmatia Destinations - Vrgorac and a Unique Wine Festival

Thought you had experienced every type of wine festival possible? How about one which celebrates a distinctly Dalmatian beverage - red wine and goat milk, or bikla. You can top up your glass straight from the goat at the annual biklijada in Vrgorac. 

An amazing region with great energy. And where else would TCN choose for a teambuilding session? Here is what you can get up to on a day out in the region they call Dalmatinska  Zagora. . 

Congratulations to all the inland Dalmatia team both on the award and the progress you have made. I, for one, am looking forward to the next chapter.  

Want to learn a little more about inland Dalmatia? Here are 25 things to know about Dalmatinska Zagora.

An incredible achievement for the inland Dalmatia region!

October 18, 2018 - Continuing our look at Croatia as it once was through online videos, a look back at one of the most important cultural events in the Croatian calendar, and certainly the proudest - the Sinska Alka Knight Tournament, back in 1931 and a1969. 

For the third year in a row, the town of Sinj will participate in the national youth volunteer project ’72 Hours Without Compromise'.