Remember when The Beach catapulted Thailand’s Koh Phi Phi to the top of every traveller’s bucket list? Now, it seems, it’s Dubrovnik’s turn in the spotlight – this time thanks to the ubiquitous HBO series, Game of Thrones. So much so that the local mayor plans to cap the number of visitors at 4,000 a day. Don’t let this put you off though – Dubrovnik is still one of Europe’s most charming historic cities, and you can combine a stay just along the coast with the odd day dipping into its charms. 

“We want to try to encourage tourists to venture north, beyond Dubrovnik, to Split and further, where there’s so much to see and do,” says Alan Mandić, Scott Dunn’s representative in Croatia and one of the country’s leading experts on the beautiful, historic region of Dalmatia.

In recent years, Split has become the world’s leading destination for yacht charter. Hundreds of thousands of budding sailors descend on the Adriatic every summer, hopping between the region’s 1000+ islands (Hvar and Korkula are two of the prettiest). “Greece has amazing archipelagos but the islands are much further apart,” explains Mandić. “In Croatia, everything’s on a much smaller scale, making for a much friendlier environment for sailing novices and first-timers.” The beauty of cities like Split and Zadar, he adds, is that you have the beaches on your doorstep but within half an hour you’re in the mountains, kayaking or climbing: “Geographically, the country is so diverse. It combines the best of the East, the Balkans, and the best of the West – that enduring Italian charm. If you’ve done Italy five or six times, Croatia will be a refreshing change.”