In spite of Croatia’s travails in the Nineties, Dubrovnik and its islands have quickly regained their pre-war popularity as Mediterranean family favourites. There are miles of beaches (visit www.croatia-beaches.com) and locals say it is warm enough to swim in the sea from April to October, an even more impressive claim when you consider that about 15 per cent of visitors to Croatia are said to swim in the nude.
But it’s not all sea, sun and sand. The luminescent quality of the white-walled old town formerly earned it the title of pearl of the Adriatic, and recent restoration of its Unesco-listed buildings and polished-stone pedestrianised streets secures the epithet. Celebs and boutique hotels have begun to appear, too.
The annual Dubrovnik Summer Festival (July 10 to August 25, www.dubrovnik-festival.hr), now in its 59th year, takes place mainly in the open air throughout the medieval city, and includes a concert by John Williams, the American pianist and composer, and music, theatre, opera and dance from all over the world. It also has its own “fringe” or alternative theatre festival.
Croatia Airlines (0870 4100 310, www.croatiaairlines.hr, from pound;128 return) and British Airways (0844 493 0787, www.ba.com, from about pound;136) both fly direct from Gatwick in two and a half hours, while Flybe flies from Birmingham and Exeter (0871 700 2000, www.flybe.com, from pound;160).
For more information, visit www.visitdubrovnik.hr, or contact the Croatian National Tourist Office (020 8563 7979, www.croatia.hr)
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