(CNN) — Like Venice, Barcelona and Prague, Dubrovnik is a victim of its own success.
In 2019, more than three million tourists poured into the fabled walled town along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast and local authorities expect the number to reach that point again over the next few years as global tourism recovers from Covid-19.
Such were the pre-pandemic crowds and their impact on the historic city that UNESCO at one point threatened to revoke Dubrovnik’s World Heritage status.
The rise in visitation was largely fueled by the launch of a new cruise ship terminal that could handle five ships at once and disembark as many as 10,000 passengers per day and an expanded international airport that could funnel those passengers to and from their boats.
As if that wasn’t enough, along came a global hit television show that lured a whole new breed of tourist.
“Before ‘Game of Thrones,’ most of the people I guided were interested in art and architecture, that sort of thing,” says veteran Dubrovnik guide Ivan Vukovic. “But then more and more people just wanted selfies at places where they made the show — like Pile Gate and Fort Lovrijenac.
“And we had a big, big problem with naked Instagramers doing their own ‘walk of shame’ on the Jesuit Stairs.”
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit Dubrovnik — it remains one of the coolest urban spaces on planet Earth. But for those who like their history, art and architecture with far fewer people, these seven alternative Croatian coastal towns deliver a similar vibe with far fewer people.
Ston
Just an hour’s drive up the coast from Dubrovnik, Ston is one of Dalmatia’s best-kept secrets. Founded by the ancient Illyrians, the laidback seaside village is renowned for its stone walls and incredible seafood.
Like a Croatian version of the Great Wall of China, the 14th-century battlements crawl up and over a mountain behind the village. It takes a few hours to trek Europe’s longest fortified structure (3.5-miles/5.5-km), even less to run the ramparts during the annual Ston Walls Marathon.
A vehicle-free pedestrian street in Ston’s old town is filled with outdoor cafes like Konoba Bakus that serve seafood specialties like Adriatic oysters, black cuttlefish risotto and mussels buzara. Feel…
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