Travel to Croatia Without Getting on a Plane with This New Virtual Walk Experience

18.08.2023 - 13:11 / travelandleisure.com

Traveling in person is of course the best way to experience the dramatic landscapes, gorgeous beaches, and breathtaking history of Croatia. But now, the country is allowing prospective travelers to see all that from their computers.

Thanks to the Croatian Tourist Board, travelers can take dozens of virtual walks across the country with 360-degree views in order to “test drive” a visit, the group shared with Travel + Leisure. The tourist board offers 63 different virtual experiences available in four different languages: English, German, Italian, and Croatian.

The “walks” are available to take on either the tourist board’s website or the Explore Croatia mobile app.

«We continuously invest in promotion and communication channels and keep up with modern trends,” Kristjan Staničić, the director of the tourist board, said in a statement provided to T+L. “Digitalization of Croatian tourism, along with sustainability, represents one of the key strategic directions of its further development, so in the future we will additionally upgrade this VR platform with new technological solutions, as well as materials for new destinations and language variants.»

Travelers can choose from popular spots like Dubrovnik’s Church of St Blaise, the island of Lokrum (which Game of Thrones fans may recognize as Qarth), the capital Zagreb, and more. Users can move around the screen and zoom in and out, tapping on each location for more history and information.

The virtual experience gives travelers a bird’s eye view of Croatia’s most beloved sights while also allowing them to delve down into a street-level perspective. 

When travelers do decide to go on an IRL vacation, they will have plenty of amazing spots to choose from like Croatia’s stunning beaches, Dubrovnik’s charmingly narrow streets, and the country’s hidden gem islands.

Croatia also isn’t the only destination that allows travelers to visit without having to leave home. During the pandemic, sights from the Great Wall of China to national parks started offering virtual tours. And while it’s now possible to visit these places in person, travelers can still take advantage of the computer-led experience for advance trip planning today.