Dubrovnik

Few cities announce themselves like Dubrovnik. You come round the coast road and there it is below you: a tight oval of orange roofs inside a complete ring of stone walls, with the sea on three sides. For more than four centuries this was the Republic of Ragusa, a small, rich trading state that bought its independence with diplomacy rather than armies. Its churches, palaces and marble main street all survived, and in 1979 the whole Old Town was placed on the UNESCO list.

The catch is that everyone knows. Summer days bring cruise passengers, tour groups and heat bouncing off the limestone. The trick is timing: the walls at opening, the Old Town after the day-trippers leave, and the middle of the day on an island or a beach. Start with our Dubrovnik travel guide.

Dubrovnik Airport sits at Čilipi, about 20 km south-east of the city, and an airport shuttle meets every flight. There's no railway. From Split and the rest of Croatia, the Pelješac Bridge now lets you drive the whole way without crossing into Bosnia. Our getting there guide has the details.

Sleeping inside the walls puts you in the middle of it all, with steps to climb and bells at dawn. Ploče gives you the view back over the Old Town, Pile keeps you close to the buses, and Lapad and Babin Kuk have the beaches. We compare them in our where to stay guide.

Walking the city walls comes first, then an unhurried loop through the Old Town. After that, look outwards: Lokrum is ten minutes by boat, and Kotor and Mostar make full days out, covered in our day trips guide. The rest is in our things to do list.

This is seafood country. Try crni rižot, risotto turned black with cuttlefish ink, and oysters from Ston, where they've been farmed since Roman times. For dessert, order rozata, the local version of crème caramel scented with rose liqueur. Wine comes from the Pelješac peninsula, where the Plavac Mali grape makes big, dark reds.

Ragusa's motto, Libertas, is carved over Fort Lovrijenac and still means a great deal here. The city abolished the slave trade in 1416, ran one of Europe's first quarantine stations, and lasted as a republic until Napoleon ended it in 1808. Its patron saint, Blaise, holds a model of the city in statues all over town. In 1991 and 1992 Dubrovnik was besieged and shelled, and the scars are still visible if you know where to look.