Croatian Coast: Islands and Ancient Cities

Croatia's Adriatic coastline is one of the most beautiful in Europe: 1,244 islands, crystalline turquoise water, and a string of UNESCO-listed cities built from pale white limestone. It's been discovered — Dubrovnik fills up in July and August — but venture beyond the headline destinations and you'll find a coastline that still has room to breathe.

Split is the place to start. The old town is built inside the palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian — not adjacent to it, not near it, but literally inside the walls. People live in apartments where Diocletian's guards once stood watch. Bars open in what were once imperial reception rooms. It's extraordinary.

From Split, the islands are easily accessible by ferry. Hvar is the celebrity option — glamorous, expensive, and beautiful. Vis, further out and harder to reach, is the anti-Hvar: unspoiled fishing villages, quiet bays, excellent local wine. Korčula, said to be the birthplace of Marco Polo, is a walled medieval town on a small island that most day-trippers miss entirely.