Dubrovnik

City walls at opening time, then an early boat to Lokrum

Walk Dubrovnik's city walls the moment they open, using a Dubrovnik Pass from Pile Gate; the 2 km circuit takes one and a half to two hours. Then see the Franciscan monastery, Big Onofrio's Fountain and the Stradun to the Rector's Palace. Take an early boat to Lokrum the next morning, before the heat and crowds.

The full circuit is about 2 km and takes most people one and a half to two hours with stops, so carry water. Come down for the Franciscan monastery by the gate and Big Onofrio's Fountain, then follow the Stradun east to the Rector's Palace and the cathedral before the cruise groups peak.

Eat lunch outside the walls, then walk out to Fort Lovrijenac, whose terrace looks straight back at the walls you walked in the morning. Late in the afternoon, ride the cable car up Mount Srđ and stay for sunset over the Elaphiti islands.

On day two, catch an early boat from the old harbour to Lokrum and spend the morning swimming off the rocks and walking among the pines. Back in town, explore the stepped lanes north of the Stradun, then have a drink at Café Buža on the rocks below the southern walls. In the evening, look into Lazareti in Ploče for a concert or club night, and eat dinner in Lapad or Gruž, where prices drop.

Why to eat outside Dubrovnik's walls, plus Ston oysters and rozata

Old Town menus in Dubrovnik repeat grilled fish, black risotto and seafood pasta at high prices, so budget for one serious meal inside the walls and eat simply outside them. Plan a trip to Ston for oysters from the Mali Ston channel, and finish meals with rozata, the local caramel custard.

The quality is usually good and the fish fresh, but rents inside the walls are high and prices follow.

The dish to plan around is outside the city, at all. The bay at Mali Ston, about an hour up the coast, farms oysters and mussels, and a lunch there is the best food day of a Dubrovnik stay. Back in town, finish dinner with rozata, a set custard with caramel sauce flavoured with a local rose liqueur, which is the city's own dessert.

Gundulić Square, just south of the Stradun, holds a small morning market with fruit, dried figs, lavender and homemade liqueurs. For drinks, try rakija, the fruit brandy found all over Croatia: šljivovica from plums, loza from grapes and orahovica from walnuts, all strong. Kraš chocolate from the shops makes an easy gift.

Plan for the season. Between November and March nearly all the top restaurants close, and the ones left open cater mainly to locals, which can be a pleasant change.

Cavtat, the Elaphiti islands, Mljet and Ston by boat and bus

Dubrovnik has easy day trips by boat and bus. Cavtat is a half day by city bus or boat, Lokrum sits just off the walls, the car-free Elaphiti islands of Koločep, Lopud and Šipan are a short ferry ride, Mljet National Park has two saltwater lakes, and Ston has long medieval walls and oyster beds.

Cavtat is the easy half day: a small harbour town near the airport with a seafront promenade, reached by city bus or by boat from the old harbour. Lokrum is closer still, just off the walls, with a botanical garden, a small salt lake for swimming and peacocks wandering the paths.

The Elaphiti islands, Koločep, Lopud and Šipan, are car-free or nearly so and make a relaxed day by ferry from Gruž. Lopud has a sandy beach on its far side, rare in this part of Croatia. Further out, Mljet is largely a national park of pine forest and two saltwater lakes, with a monastery on an islet, and catamarans run there in season.

Ston, up the coast to the north-west, has defensive walls that run up and over the hill and saltpans still worked by hand. Go for lunch at Mali Ston. Organised tours also cross into Montenegro for the fjord-like Bay of Kotor and into Bosnia and Herzegovina for Mostar and its rebuilt bridge. Both mean border checks that slow things down in summer, so carry your passport and expect a long day. In winter, many boat services thin out or stop, so check timetables before planning an island day.