The France Press (AFP) news agency has run an article about Fužine, a Croatian town in the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar, describing this destination as a mountain hideaway where more and more travellers are heading to, in order "to dodge the soaring temperatures by the sea."
The article recalls that "just an hour's drive southwest from the capital Zagreb, the village of Fuzine is offering tourists a mountain oasis, where temperatures are up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) lower than on the coast."
"The scenery is beautiful and the climate is great," the media outlet cites an American tourist as saying while he was taking in the view. The tourist made the trek to the sleepy mountain hideout after spending a few days in the coastal resort of Split.
The AFP informs that "forests cover over 60 percent of the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar southwest of the capital, often called 'Croatia's Switzerland'."
"Its climate is marked by harsh, snowy winters, and in the summer daily temperatures rarely exceed 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and nights are crisp."
Like much of southeast Europe, Croatia has been hit by a string of heat waves throughout the summer, with the mercury regularly passing 37 degrees Celsius. The Adriatic's azure waters offer little relief, with authorities also recording water temperatures of 29 Celsius along the coast. For tourists in Fužine, the area provides the best of both worlds. With the seaside town of Rijeka just a 20-minute drive away, travellers can soak up the sun along the shore and then retreat to the mountains for relief, according to the article headlined "Croatia mountain hideaway booms as tourists flee summer heat".
Last year, more than 50,000 tourists visited the Gorski Kotar area, mostly Germans, Italians, Dutch and French, it says, among other things.
(Hina/FaH)
News
