Dubrovnik, verdict by verdict

Dubrovnik is the Adriatic's most theatrical city: complete medieval walls you can walk end to end, a limestone old town polished by centuries of feet, and the sea at arm's length on every side. Inside the walls it is car-free and small, with forts, the Stradun, sea swimming and the cable-car view all inside a twenty-minute walk.

The price of that theatre is crowds and cost. Cruise-ship days turn the Stradun into a queue and everything inside the walls, from rooms to coffee, carries a premium; peak August brings the worst of both. Stairs, heat and polished cobbles are hard on limited mobility, a beach-first holiday at moderate cost fits better elsewhere, and winter is mild but many places shut.

Two to three nights is the right stay, and timing is the trick: walk the walls at opening and take the lanes early or after the last tender leaves, which is when the city looks like the pictures. May, June and September give warm sea with thinner crowds, and October is quieter and still swimmable. Add a day for Kotor or Mostar across the border or the Lokrum and Elafiti boats; the airport shuttle reaches Pile Gate in thirty to forty minutes.