Highlights of Croatia: Dubrovnik, Split, Plitvice & Zagreb

Today you explore the breathtaking old town of Dubrovnik. With your expert local guide you enter through the Pile Gate and walk the marble-paved Stradun, the city's beautiful main street, past baroque churches, the Onofrio Fountain, the Franciscan monastery with its ancient working pharmacy, the Rector's Palace and the Sponza Palace. The highlight is walking the complete circuit of the mighty medieval city walls, some two kilometres of ramparts and towers with breathtaking views over the terracotta rooftops, the harbour and the shimmering Adriatic, a walk that reveals why fans know the city as King's Landing from Game of Thrones. In the afternoon you might ride the cable car up Mount Srd for a spectacular panorama, or take a boat to the green island of Lokrum. As the day ends, you savour the old town aglow. This evening, dine on Dalmatian seafood. Rest well.

Today you journey up the beautiful Dalmatian coast to Split, one of the most scenic drives in Europe. You leave Dubrovnik and follow the shimmering coastline northwards, the Dinaric mountains rising on one side and the turquoise Adriatic and its islands on the other. You might pause at Ston, on the Peljesac peninsula, famous for its great defensive walls (among the longest in Europe), its ancient salt pans and its celebrated oysters and mussels, perhaps tasting them fresh from the bay with a glass of local wine. You continue along the scenic coast, through vineyards and olive groves, arriving in Split, the vibrant heart of Dalmatia, in the afternoon. You take a first stroll along the palm-lined Riva waterfront and into the atmospheric lanes of the old town. As the day ends, you settle into Split. This evening, savour the buzz of a Dalmatian city. Rest well.

Today you explore Split and its extraordinary Roman heart with your guide. You wander Diocletian's Palace, the vast seafront palace built for the Roman emperor around 300 AD and now a living UNESCO World Heritage Site, standing in the colonnaded Peristyle courtyard, gazing up at the emperor's octagonal mausoleum (now the cathedral) and climbing the soaring bell tower for sweeping views, then following the buzz of cafes, shops and homes woven among the ancient stone cellars and lanes. In the afternoon you visit nearby Trogir, a jewel-like walled town on its own islet, a UNESCO site with a magnificent cathedral portal, Venetian palaces and a Kamerlengo fortress. You return along the Riva at golden hour. As the day ends, Split glows in the evening light. This evening, dine in a konoba on Dalmatian specialities and local wine. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey inland to Plitvice.

Today you leave the coast and journey inland to the emerald lakes and waterfalls of Plitvice. You travel up through the dramatic Dinaric landscape, the terracotta towns of the coast giving way to green hills, rivers and forest, arriving at Plitvice Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Croatia's most beloved natural wonder. This afternoon, with your guide, you begin exploring its fairy-tale landscape of sixteen terraced turquoise and emerald lakes linked by a cascading chain of waterfalls, following wooden boardwalks that wind across the astonishingly clear water and past the tumbling falls, the light glinting on the travertine barriers and darting fish. You take an electric boat across the largest lake. As the day ends, you settle into your accommodation near the park, amid deep, tranquil forest. This evening, savour the peace and fresh mountain air. Rest well, for tomorrow you continue to elegant Zagreb.

This morning you enjoy more of Plitvice's magical beauty before continuing to the capital. You walk further along the boardwalks and paths, perhaps to the mighty Veliki Slap, the park's tallest waterfall, and through the upper lakes, taking in the shifting turquoise and emerald colours and the thundering cascades in the clear morning light. Then you journey northwards through the green Croatian countryside to Zagreb, Croatia's relaxed and cultured capital, arriving in the afternoon. You take a first stroll through the leafy streets and grand squares of this graceful Central European city, perhaps pausing for coffee in the celebrated cafe culture that locals cherish. As the day ends, you settle into Zagreb, its red roofs and church spires glowing. This evening, dine in the lively Lower Town and soak up the elegant, easy-going atmosphere of the capital. Rest well, ready to explore the charming Upper Town tomorrow.

Today you explore elegant Zagreb with your local guide. You discover the historic Upper Town (Gornji Grad), with its cobbled lanes, the colourful tiled roof of St Mark's Church, the twin-spired cathedral, the atmospheric Stone Gate shrine and the medieval Lotrscak Tower, riding the world's shortest funicular between the upper and lower towns. You take in the bustling Dolac market with its red parasols, the grand Ban Jelacic Square, and the elegant boulevards, parks and Habsburg architecture of the Lower Town. You might visit one of Zagreb's fine or quirky museums, from the moving Museum of Broken Relationships to the Mimara gallery, before joining locals for coffee at a pavement cafe, a cherished Zagreb ritual. As the day ends, the city glows. This evening, enjoy a final dinner celebrating your journey across Croatia, from the walls of Dubrovnik to the waterfalls of Plitvice. Rest well ahead of your departure.

After a final morning in elegant Zagreb, perhaps a last coffee on a sunny square or some souvenir shopping in the Upper Town, you are transferred to Zagreb Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having experienced the very best of Croatia, the mighty walls and marble streets of Dubrovnik, the living Roman palace of Split, the emerald lakes and thundering waterfalls of Plitvice, and the charming Upper Town and cafe culture of Zagreb, all along a coastline of extraordinary beauty and warmed by genuine Croatian hospitality. The images stay vivid long after you land, the terracotta roofs of Dubrovnik from the walls, the colonnades of Diocletian's Palace, the turquoise cascades of Plitvice, and the tiled roof of St Mark's Church. Croatia offers beauty, history, coastline and genuine warmth in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return, perhaps next time to sail its beautiful islands.