Hoping to escape relentless heat waves, more tourists in Croatia are heading to an upland getaway to dodge the soaring temperatures by the sea.

Croatia has been long renowned for its spectacular Adriatic coastline dotted with over a thousand islands and islets.

But 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," said American tourist Gerald Bostwick as he took in the view.

Bostwick made the trek to the sleepy mountain hideout after spending a few days in the coastal resort of Split.

"I would rather stay here. There is a cool breeze. You can sleep easily, temperatures are better," the retiree from Denver told AFP.

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 Fuzine, 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.

"We go to the coast, have a swim and then return here," said Zeljko Maric, a retired economist from Zagreb.

"Here, one needs a blanket at night."