Croatia has best that Eastern Europe has to offer in a nutshell: forested hills, rustic villages, idyllic islands, walled medieval cities, Roman ruins, Adriatic coastline and a vibrant culture. Sitting on the fault line where Western and Eastern Europe meet, Croatia has weathered its share of difficulties, but has absorbed Latin, Venetian, Hapsburg and Slavic influences to create own distinctive whole.

April to September for the good weather-or the 15 th century in independent Ragusa (Dubrovnik)

Wandering through the walled medieval city of Dubrovnik-a rhapsody in limestone, cobbled streets and terracotta tiles Fossicking in Split, a city built around Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace Sunning yourself in the Venetian harbour town of Hvar, where the sun shines 300 day a year Visiting the country’s surprisingly cosmopolitan capital, Zagreb Watching the tumbling cascades at Plitvice Lakes National Park

Read Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Gry Falcon. A classic account of a 1930s trip through the region; Slavenka Drakulic’s Café Europa, an insightful series of essays on Croatia and Eastern Europe

Watch How the War Started on My lsland by Vinko Bresan,a contemporary black comedy

Eat cevapcici (grilled, spiced meatballs), a Balkan classic; pasticada (beef stuffed and roasted in wine and spices)

Na zdravlje (to your health)

Untouched fishing villages on the Dalmatian coast; European café culture; terracotta rooftops and baroque cathedrals; paprika and garlic; crystal-clear seas and beachside promenades; al fresco dining-meat on the grill

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is set in Dalmatia; cravats and ballpoint pens were invented by Croatians; there are spotted dogs in Dalmatia

The Kvarner coast and its offshore islands are a microcosm of the influences that have formed Croatian culture. Rijeka, Croatia’s third largest city, owes its architecture to Hungary, which ruled the city in the late 19 th century. The opening of a rail ling to Vienna in 1857 made Opatija the resort of choice for the Austrian aristocracy. Venetian influence pervades the islands of Cres, Losinj and Rab, while Krk was the seat of Croatia’s native nobility, the Frankopan dukes.