Croatia

Advocates of New Zealand often boast that the country is like Britain was in the 1950s. This is all well and good if 1950s Britain is where you want to go on holiday, but it’s not for everyone. In fact, some might argue the main purpose of the past half-century has been to make Britain less like Britain was in the 1950s. What, then, are the options for those who would rather go on holiday to the Italian Riviera of the 1950s?

The answer, it turns out, is Croatia, which has pleasant weather late into the autumn, idyllic coastlines and a laidback glamour that seems like a distant memory on the French coast, with its terror worries and burkini bans. The most recent addition to the EU has not featured much in any post-referendum discussions, partly because its most identifiable export is that Henman-slaying smoothie, Goran Ivanisevic. But as a destination it makes a good case for continued-freedom of movement.

We began in Dubrovnik, as sumptuous a walled city as you will find. Like much of the Dalmatian coast, its-architecture has a Venetian flavour — a legacy of being ruled by the old Republic during the 13th and 14th centuries. Dubrovnik is hardly a well-kept secret even among conservative holidaymakers, but in recent years it has enjoyed an unexpected boon as the setting for King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms in Game of Thrones. Guides give Game of Thrones tours in-dozens of languages, and selfies are taken against the backdrop of key scenes.

Even with this celluloid pedigree, however, Dubrovnik seems almost soulless compared to the islands off its coast. They comprise an archipelago to rival any in Greece, with more reliable ferries. It’s a mystery that they are not better known — or some of them, at least.