Croatia rewards travellers who take time to look properly. Beyond the famous towns sits a destination with genuine variety. Plitvice National Park belongs on most itineraries. The wooden walkways winding past waterfalls make the queues worth tolerating. Krka rewards visitors looking for a quieter parallel — a worthy alternative or addition to Plitvice. The Adriatic shoreline reveals itself stop by stop. Zadar earns at least one overnight for the famous sea organ and sunset. Split offers Diocletian`s Palace as a living, travelbooksfood.com) working old town since the palace still functions as the city centre. Trogir often gets bypassed — the small island town between Split and Zadar deliver real charm without the crowds. Dubrovnik needs no introduction but the crowds during peak season are genuinely intense. Inland routes also deserve consideration — the Istrian peninsula with Italian-influenced hill towns. Pula sits at the southern tip of Istria. Rovinj further north delivers the kind of charm tourist brochures struggle to capture. Two or three weeks of unhurried touring leaves you wanting to return rather than wishing you had stayed home.