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Croatia

While longer cruises are expensive, one of their advantages is that the per-day cost is generally lower.

Cruise passengers are taking longer trips, including epic 100-night journeys

While the average length of cruises is getting shorter, anyone looking for a magnificently long journey can satisfy their cruise cravings.

  • Brian Johnston
Split promises a quintessentially Mediterranean panorama of peacock-blue sea edges, green hills and brown rocky mountains beyond.

Port guide: Split, Croatia

This Croatian port city isn’t as famous as Dubrovnik, but you might find it a much more enjoyable, lively and authentic experience.

  • Brian Johnston
You might consider a half-day excursion, or ride on the cable car in Dubrovnik’s old town.

Port guide: Dubrovnik, Croatia

This Mediterranean port city is derided as an overcrowded medieval theme park, but never mind. You’ll probably love it.

  • Brian Johnston
Dubrovnik.

Everyone tells you to avoid this overcrowded tourist town. I went anyway

A visit to this notoriously crowded European city showed me that overtourism is only a problem if you lack imagination.

  • Brian Johnston
Cycling the Bosnian Ciro Rail Trail, here on the outskirts of Dubrovnik, above the Adriatic Sea.

The spectacular European rail trail with a chilling past

Legacies of the Balkan conflict of the early 1990s linger like scars in the landscape. But behind it all, there’s great beauty.

  • Andrew Bain
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The entrance of the Armerun Hotel in Šibenik in Croatia.

I found the best hotel in Croatia’s less-crowded hotspot

You’ve probably never heard of this town, or hotel, but you’ll be glad you chose it over busier Split or Dubrovnik.

  • Flip Byrnes
One of the great advantages of small ships is they can dock right in the heart of European old-town ports.

In a region famous for wild party cruises, this trip defied expectations

Having seen the reality TV show Below Deck, shot on the Dalmatian Coast, I was worried I would be the frumpy middle-aged woman in a sea of glamorous youngsters.

  • Kristie Kellahan
Business class seats are the same size as economy.

I swore I’d never fly this airline again. Ten years later, I’m back on board

Croatia Airlines’ overhead bins can’t fit wheelie bags, the food is overpriced and don’t bother flying business class – the seats are the same as economy.

  • Kristie Kellahan
Summer in Perast, on Kotor Bay.

This region offers the joys of Europe, without the crowds

My journey begins in one of the continent’s infamously overrun tourist cities but it quickly moves on to places as yet undiscovered by the hordes.

  • Brian Johnston
Zagreb’s main square and cathedral.

Europe’s most underrated capital has everything, except crowds

Here you can feel absorbed into the fabric of a growing, rapidly changing city that goes about its own business, rather than a place that feels like Disneyland.

  • Brian Johnston