ESSENTIALS

Getting there & around

British Airways flies to Split from Heathrow and London City, Croatian Airlines from Heathrow and Gatwick, and EASYJET, Jet2.com and Norwegian from various UK airports. Ryanair, EASYJET and Norwegian all fly to Zadar. Both cities are around an hour by car from Šibenik. ba.com croatiaairlines.com ryanair.com easyjet.com jet2.com norwegian.com Average flight time: 2h45m.

Driving is straightforward in this part of Croatia — though certainly easier outside of peak summer season, with less traffic on the roads. Watch out for relatively low speed limits (90km/h or 55mph outside settled areas) and have a parking plan before you enter busy towns, particularly at the coast.

When to go

Shoulder season is the time to visit southern Croatia and the Dalmatian Hinterland. May, June, September and October see fewer crowds near coastal areas, and the sting goes from the peak summer temperatures (mid-30Cs). September sees the Adriatic at its warmest, too.

Where to stay

Heritage Hotel Life Palace, Šibenik. hotel-lifepalace.hr

Places mentioned

Agrotourism Kapic. kalpic.com Knin Fortress & waterfall. visitknin.eu

Krka National Park. np-krka.hr Skradin. skradin.hr

Etnoland Dalmati. dalmati.com

More info

croatia.hr dalmatiasibenik.hr sibenik-tourism.hr

How to do it

UNFORGETTABLE CROATIA has a week at the Heritage Hotel Life Palace in Šibenik, including flights to Split as well as car hire, from £995pp.