Croatia vs Montenegro

Croatia: extraordinary water, mostly pebble

Croatia's beaches are defined by the Adriatic's exceptional clarity, a vivid turquoise-to-cobalt that makes every cove photogenic, and by a mostly rocky or pebble character that surprises visitors expecting sand. Zlatni Rat on Brač is Croatia's most famous beach and one of the few sandy ones. The hidden coves reachable only by boat on Vis, Hvar and Korčula are genuinely beautiful, and island-hopping gives access to dozens of different beach experiences. The beaches around Dubrovnik itself are unremarkable.

Best for sand

Zlatni Rat, Brač (rare exception)

Best scenery

Hidden coves on Vis, Hvar, Korčula

Montenegro: rare, genuine sand

Montenegro's greatest beach advantage is sand, actual fine sand, particularly in the south. Sveti Stefan is the country's most iconic image: a pink-sand beach curving around a small island joined to the mainland by a causeway, now the exclusive Aman Sveti Stefan resort. Velika Plaža near Ulcinj stretches 13km, the longest beach on the eastern Adriatic, and is almost deserted outside August. The Bay of Kotor's beaches are calmer and flatter than the open Adriatic, good for families and paddling.

Best for sand

Sveti Stefan, Velika Plaža, Ulcinj

Best for families

Bay of Kotor beaches

Dubrovnik: spectacular, and its own victim

Dubrovnik is genuinely one of Europe's great urban sights. The 2km walk atop the medieval city walls, with vertiginous views over terracotta rooftops to the clear Adriatic below, is among Europe's finest urban experiences. The pedestrianised old city is extraordinarily preserved: the marble-paved Stradun, the Rector's Palace, the Franciscan Monastery and its medieval pharmacy. The problem is stark: in July and August, Dubrovnik takes up to 10,000 cruise-ship day-trippers daily on top of its hotel guests. Split's 4th-century Diocletian's Palace is a more lived-in alternative, an actual working city built inside a Roman emperor's retirement palace.

Don't miss

City walls walk, Stradun, Diocletian's Palace

Kotor: dramatic, intimate, not yet overrun

Kotor is one of the Mediterranean's best-kept secrets: a perfectly preserved medieval walled city at the innermost point of the Bay of Kotor, Europe's southernmost fjord, with the sheer face of Mount Lovćen rising almost vertically to 1,749 metres behind the walls. The compact old town is navigable in a morning, and Kotor in peak season has perhaps a tenth of Dubrovnik's visitor numbers. Beyond the coast, Cetinje, Montenegro's former royal capital, and Ostrog Monastery, built into a sheer cliff face and one of Orthodox Christianity's major pilgrimage sites, add real historical depth inland.

Don't miss

St John's Fortress, Cetinje, Ostrog Monastery

Croatia: Plitvice, possibly Europe's finest park

Plitvice Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 16 terraced lakes connected by waterfalls in shades of emerald and turquoise, caused by natural tufa limestone deposits. The 8km board-walked circuit runs directly over the water between falls and is one of Europe's finest day walks. Like Dubrovnik, it suffers from crowds in peak season, timed entry is now mandatory, but outside July and August it remains extraordinary. Krka National Park, where you can swim below the waterfalls, and the 270-island Kornati archipelago round out Croatia's natural portfolio.

Don't miss

Plitvice's 8km boardwalk circuit

Montenegro: three landscapes in one small country

Montenegro packs an almost implausible variety into 14,000 km², from the Adriatic coast to a high mountain national park in under two hours. Durmitor National Park, a UNESCO-listed massif of glacial lakes and 2,500-metre peaks, is one of the Balkans' finest hiking destinations. The Tara River Canyon, Europe's deepest gorge at 1,300 metres, cuts through it, offering world-class white-water rafting. The drive from Kotor up to the Lovćen summit, with views across the bay and into Albania, is one of Europe's most spectacular mountain roads.

Don't miss

Durmitor, Tara Canyon rafting, the Lovćen road

Montenegro: beautiful boat trips, not sailing country

Montenegro isn't a sailing destination the way Croatia is: the coastline is short (293km), there are very few islands, and marina infrastructure, though growing, is far behind Croatia's. The Bay of Kotor is beautiful from the water, boat trips to the island churches of Our Lady of the Rocks and the near-deserted village of Perast are highlights, but it's calm and enclosed rather than open sailing water. Some charter operations now work out of Tivat's upscale Porto Montenegro marina, but for an island-hopping sailing holiday, this isn't the right destination.

Don't miss

Our Lady of the Rocks, Perast, by boat

Croatia: Dalmatian seafood and Istrian truffles

Grilled fish and crni rižot (black risotto, coloured with cuttlefish ink) anchor the Dalmatian coast, alongside pašticada, a slow-braised beef dish saved for celebrations, and peka, meat or octopus cooked for hours under a metal dome buried in embers. Inland, Istria produces some of the world's most highly rated olive oil and serious white truffles. Plavac Mali, Croatia's signature red grape, pairs well with all of it.

Must eat

Black risotto, pašticada, peka

Montenegro: mountain-cured meats meet the coast

Njeguši, a village on the slopes of Mount Lovćen, gives its name to Montenegro's best-known exports: Njeguški pršut (smoke-cured ham) and a firm, tangy sheep's cheese. Inland cooking leans Balkan, with ćevapi and ražnjići grilled meats, plus kačamak, a rustic cornmeal-and-potato dish. On the coast, seafood is much like Croatia's, and Vranac, the local red grape from the Crmnica wine region, is worth seeking out.

Must eat

Njeguški pršut, kačamak, coastal seafood

Croatia: Hvar's beach clubs and Zrće's superclubs

Hvar Town runs a glamorous beach-club and yacht-party circuit, with Carpe Diem among its best-known names. For something bigger and louder, Zrće Beach on Pag island has earned the nickname "Croatia's Ibiza": open-air superclubs like Aquarius and Papaya run marathon summer sessions and international festival line-ups. Split's Riva promenade is the easier, lower-key option for a normal night out.

Go-to areas

Hvar Town, Zrće Beach (Pag), Split

Montenegro: Budva's old town and Porto Montenegro

Budva's old town is Montenegro's main nightlife hub, dense with bars and open-air venues, including Top Hill, one of the region's larger summer clubs. For something more relaxed and upmarket, the marina bars around Porto Montenegro in Tivat draw a yacht-set crowd without Zrće's scale or noise. It's a smaller scene overall, better suited to an easy evening than a marathon night out.

Go-to areas

Budva old town, Porto Montenegro (Tivat)

Ferries and a rental car

Jadrolinija and faster private catamarans like Krilo connect the islands, but schedules thin out and prices rise in peak season, so book ahead. A rental car is close to essential for reaching smaller coastal towns and vineyards, and the scenic Adriatic Highway gets slow and busy in summer. Split and Dubrovnik airports are the main gateways.