Dubrovnik & Islands Holidays

You might get that funny déjà vu feeling strolling through the streets of Dubrovnik, in Croatia. That’s because this postcard-pretty city has been splashed all over our screens the last few years. It’s best-known for taking a lead role as King’s Landing in the legendary Game of Thrones series. But it’s also been a backdrop in the Knightfall TV show and the 2017 movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Walk along the top of Dubrovnik’s city walls and you’ll soon see why it’s a film director’s dream, plus a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Higgledy-piggledy alleyways, the hole-in-the-wall Café Buza cocktail bar, kayakers paddling the bay – every few steps show you something different. Even more Instagram angles are provided by the cable car that chugs up the nearby mountainside, and the sunbed-strewn Banje Beach on the outskirts of town.

You can either go for a proper city break and hole up in central Dubrovnik, or dodge the crowds in one of the nearby chill-out spots along the Dalmatian Coast. Half an hour’s drive down the road, Cavtat’s stocked with a selection of footprint-free beaches. A 45-minute journey the other way gets you to Slano. This place is in the thick of a mountain-bundled bay, so the scenery’s really something.