If you're in Croatia for three or more weeks, we have a sneaking suspicion that you may be there visiting family - in each case, your days will be filled with meeting relatives and being force-fed three course meals, kolace (cakes) and home-made rakija (brandy).

We joke, of course. Well, kind of. If not partaking in any family visiting, well then - the world - or Croatia - is your oyster! Take advice from the previous pages of our Itineraries section, as you may like to combine one week spent relaxing by the seaside with two weeks of travelling around.

It's more than reasonable to think about travelling through all of the coastal regions of Croatia (from Istria in the north and its resorts like Porec and Rovinj to Dalmatia in the south, i.e. Dubrovnik).

Alternatively, you could go inland - obviously to Zagreb - but even further than that. The area around Zagreb, to the north and especially to the east isn't frequently visited by travellers, so if you want to pick something off the beaten track, why not consider this region?

Where to go in Croatia for three weeks?
Because you have the time, we would definitely recommend taking a bit of your holiday to experience Zagreb. So much of Croatia is about its wonderous coastline, and that's hardly surprising. But Zagreb is Croatia's capital and its largest city - and its a bustling, busy place in its own right, with plenty to see and do.

After that (or at some point), travel the coastline. Head towards Istria to spend some time before travelling by bus down the coast.

Alternatively, Jadrolinija have a coastal ferry route that starts in Rijeka and ends in Dubrovnik (or, obviously, vice versa) that stops off in Split, Stari Grad (Hvar) and Korcula along the way. This doesn't operate every day, so you could stop off at each of these places along the way, spend some time there, and the rejoin the ferry route for its next stage.

We would still recommend spending a large part of your holiday in Dalmatia, exploring the various islands and resorts. Definitely spend some time in Dubrovnik - two or three nights at least.

Oh - final tip. You'll probably want to end up your vacation on the coastline, because if you travel the opposite way, you will miss the sun and sea experience too much! So start inland, and then head towards the seaside.