A region would be lucky to have just one sight as majestic as Dubrovnik. In Southern Dalmatia, the walled city is only the beginning.

Head south to pine-scented hiking trails in Cavtat, or up the coast to a garden full of exotic trees in Trsteno. Tour an ancient salt factory, feast on world-class oysters and superb red wine from the Pelješac Peninsula, then head out to sea to explore Marco Polo’s birthplace on Kor?ula and Odysseus’s mythical cave on Mljet. Along the way you’ll find some of the best windsurfing and sailing in Europe, kayak trips to citrus and sage-covered islands, centuries-old houses, millennia-old caves, fresh seafood, and always, everywhere, that big blue sea.

The highlight of Southern Dalmatia is undoubtedly the stunning walled city of Dubrovnik, from 1358 to 1808 a rich and powerful independent republic that exerted its economic and cultural influence over almost the entire region. Today it is one of Croatia's most sophisticated and upmarket destinations, and one of the world's most beautiful cities.

Dubrovnik is busy in the high season, but somehow the destinations around it have remained remarkably untouched by mass tourism. Moving down the mainland coast you come to bucolic Konavle, the breadbasket of the region. Full of family farms, folk festivals, and wineries, it offers a wonderful glimpse into rural life. The gateway to Konavle is Cavtat, a town founded by the ancient Greeks as Epidaurum. Dubrovnik was actually founded by residents of Epidaurum after the town was destroyed in the early 7th century. Today's Cavtat is a cheerful holiday resort with a palm-lined seaside promenade, several sights of cultural note, and a laid-back vibe.

Back up the coast, northwest of Dubrovnik, one arrives at the Pelješac Peninsula, famed locally for its excellent red wines and shellfish. The main towns here are Mali Ston, known for its oysters, salt pans, and 14th-century walls, and Orebi?, a low-key resort with a lovely beach and water-sports facilities, backed by a majestic hillside monastery. From Orebi? there are regular ferry crossings to Kor?ula, one of the most sophisticated of the Croatian islands. Further away, the sparsely populated island of Mljet offers little in the way of architectural sites, but with coniferous forests, lagoons, sandy beaches, and two emerald-green saltwater lakes in Mljet National Park, it is a haven for hiking, mountain biking, swimming, and kayaking.