Croatia

Croatia's coastline reads like a dare: over a thousand islands scattered down a sea so clear you can count pebbles five metres down. The way to do it properly is by boat, private if possible, dropping anchor in coves that cars will never reach, swimming before breakfast, eating grilled fish in harbour villages where the menu is whatever came in that morning. Dubrovnik's marble streets and city walls deserve their fame, especially at dawn or from a kayak below the ramparts. Hvar mixes lavender fields with a glossy harbour scene. Vis keeps things sleepy and delicious. Inland, Plitvice's lakes cascade through forest in impossible shades of turquoise. Add exceptional wine and olive oil, and Croatia becomes the Mediterranean as it used to feel, with better boats.