The beautiful coastal city of Dubrovnik, oozing as it does renaissance romance from its shiny tiles and rust red slates, has been a major tourist destination for at least three decades. Italian cruise ships can bump against each other like ducks to fight for entrance to the new harbour and you can barely move for Germans in sandals, it's undeniably beautiful and unsurprisingly it topped Visit Croatia's poll as the favourite destination in the country - a judgement backed up by the figures, boasting an increase of visitors of 13% in 2010, and the single largest group being Brits. Probably your parents.

But does it deserve this? Yes, and no, on the one hand this status as an Adriatic pearl is testament to its long history of tourism and long history full-stop, its enchanting narrow streets and gorgeous churches. Comparisons to its old overlords Venice are natural and in its criticisms the comparisons continue. As magical as Dubrovnik is, you can't help but feel the 'real' Croatia, with its easygoing charm and faint air of chaos, is somewhere else entirely. The lack of (genuinely!) low cost flights to Dubrovnik, whose airport has little chance of expansion (the flipside of such a stunning location, ironically) meaning high overheads for budget airlines which opt to fly only in the tightly packed tourist season, is evidence of just how much disposable income is being flashed around by your average visitor. Probably your parents.

There are other options, and why make things difficult for yourself? Wizz Air and Easyjet fly direct to Split, Croatia's second largest city, and Ryan Air flies to the stunning Zadar (which doubled up for Venice in a recent episode of 'Doctor Who'!), both further up along the Dalmatian coast. Both rich in history, architecture and pavement cafes, crooning the siren's song of a cold beer on a hot day.

Dubrovnik is on top for a reason, but with a bit of research, you can make a decision easier on the wallet and wealthier on experience. Let's give it a run for its money in the 2011 poll and wrestle a few points from Croatia's tourism Goliath.