Visovac Monastery Island

In the middle of the emerald Visovac Lake — a widening of the Krka river inside Krka National Park — sits the perfectly proportioned small island of Visovac, entirely occupied by a Franciscan monastery founded in 1445 by monks who fled the Ottoman advance across Bosnia. The island is one of the most enchanting sights in Croatia: pale limestone chapel and cloister buildings, dark cypress trees, and the clear green lake in every direction. The monastery is a working religious community with a small guest house, and its atmospheric small museum contains rare 15th-century Croatian illuminated manuscripts, a stunning collection of vestments, and — most remarkably — an original 1487 first-edition Croatian translation of Aesop's Fables, one of the earliest printed books in the Croatian language. Access is by scheduled boat trips only, running roughly hourly from Skradinski Buk (2 hours round-trip including 30-minute stop on the island). A soft-spoken Franciscan monk gives the guided tour of the church and museum in Croatian, English, Italian or German depending on group. The monastery church has excellent acoustics and hosts occasional summer classical concerts. Rules are strict: modest dress covering shoulders and knees, silence in the cloister, no photography inside the museum.