PJ Cresswell

Does anything conjure up an image of beach bliss quite like the Med? Surrounded by 22 countries and bordered by three continents, the Mediterranean Sea boasts miles and miles of coastline – not to mention hundreds of islands. And while there are certain seaside spots where you’ll need to fight for space on the sand (we’re looking at you, Barceloneta), there are plenty of other secluded stretches of coastline across the Med. Our selection of alternative beach spots, chosen by Mediterranean-based travel writers, takes you beyond Europe to North Africa and the Middle East. From wild, flamingo-frequented beaches in Spain to a culture-packed port city in France, this is where to find the Mediterranean’s best alternative (and affordable) beach breaks. There’s plenty of room to lay out your towel here. Grace Beard is Time Out’s deputy travel editor, based in London. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts. RECOMMENDED:🗺 Europe’s most underrated destinations🌆 The best European city breaks🚫 The travel destinations that want tourists to stay away

Controversial Croatian band Let 3 gave a typically dramatic performance to present their number, Mama ŠČ!, at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. The event carried the motto United by Music and was held in support of Ukraine. The Let 3 tune is seen as a subliminal mocking of the leaders behind the current conflict. As we recently reported, a Croatian couple had travelled all the way from their home in Vir to see the band’s big night.In the most-watched Eurovision in history, Let 3 went home empty-handed. Swedish singer Loreen became the first woman to win the contest twice.

The legend of the world’s most famous seducer, Giacomo Casanova, is the subject of a free walking tour given in English in Vrsar, Istria. The Venetian writer and adventurer actually visited this pretty seaside town of 1743 – the last stop on the tour is the place where he stayed, Casanova’s Shelter. The walk also allows you discover hidden parts of the old town and hear tales of this romantic bohemian. Tours run every two weeks until August 22, the next one being on Thursday, July 6 at 8pm from the tourist office at the harbour (Obala maršala Tita 23). Actors from the award-winning tourism project Istra Inspirit play out the historic roles in full costume. Those interested in following in Casanova’s footsteps should reserve their place by calling +385 52 441 746 or emailing info@infovrsar.com.

Scuba divers training for underwater mine clearance off the coast of Šćedro island near Hvar discovered an ancient shipwreck containing Roman pottery, much of it intact, dating back to the 3rd century BC. Underwater archaeologists Saša Denegri and Tea Katunarić Kirjakov identified the find, about 160 feet deep, as one of the earliest completely preserved shipwrecks in the eastern Adriatic. It is the third such discovery found near Šćedro since 2014. A small island whose medieval monastery and modest settlements have largely been abandoned, Šćedro attracts a handful of local visitors in summer. Given its unique nature, an NGO, Friends of Šćedro Island, is committed to ensuring the long-term protection of the island’s environment and nature conservation.

Masterclasses led by Hollywood star Edward Norton and Cannes prize-winning director Juho Kuosmanen brought the 2023 Ponta Lopud Film Festival to a close. Held on the idyllic island of Lopud near Dubrovnik, the festival has firmly established itself on the global stage after only three years. Previous invitees include Frances McDormand and Joel Coen of the Coen Brothers. As well as Norton’s seminar with a select group of eight actors from across former Yugoslavia, highlights this year included Finnish director Kuosmanen presenting a seafront screening of his own The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, which won top prize in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes in 2016.

A new initiative this summer is encouraging visitors to discover Istria by snorkelling in the waters surrounding it. The regional and coastal tourist offices have pooled their resources to offer 17 great dive destinations where you can explore the depths or the shallows, according to your age and ability. Snorkelling spots include some of the most popular tourist resorts, such as Rovinj and Pula, and some of the lesser-visited places, including Ližnjan and Marčana. For full details, see here. For the rules of conduct see here.

After their surprise win in an epic semi-final against hosts Holland, Croatia’s football team today face Spain in the Nations League final. Some 30,000 Croatian fans are due to descend on Rotterdam, where the match will take place at 8.45pm. In Zagreb, a big screen is being set up in the main square, Jelačić plac, where a huge celebration is planned should Croatia win their first major trophy. The occasion may take on extra significance if Croatia’s captain, signature figure and national hero decides that this will be his last game for the Vatreni. ‘Stay Luka, we need you!’ ran the headline in this morning’s Sportske Novosti, and all eyes will be upon the 37-year-old Modrić whatever the outcome this evening.

It’s the coast with the most and the liveliest party destination in Europe! Croatia has it all – amazing locations, top DJs and a natural predilection to push the boat out. This year, along with regular favourites Sonus, Hideout, Outlook and Love International, look out for Gates of Agartha at an Ancient Roman quarry outside Pula, the spiritual get-together of the Mystic Mountain Festival in Rudopolje and the tenth year of the unsung but simply wonderful Goulash Disko in Komiža on Vis. Note that tickets for many events may have already sold out but look out for resales and day passes and you might just be in luck. For all festivals, websites and locations are provided. Get involved! JUNE Siniša Plevnik, Mystic Mountain Festival Mystic Mountain Festival A world away from the headline DJs and mass partying on the coast, Croatia’s most unique boutique festival returns in June, at a location near the Plitvice Lakes, for a gathering of no more than 700 visitors. The Mystic Mountain Festival involves music, dance, workshops, seminars, lectures, group meditations, creative art and guided hiking tours. See our interview with festival founder and manager, Darko Pribeg, here. Mystic Mountain Festival, Rudopolje. June 19-25. Gates of Agartha Hacked away by the Romans, the carved rock of the Cave Romane outside Pula provides the backdrop for DJs such as BBC Radio 1’s legendary Joseph Capriati, Italian house titan Marco Carola, new-school Dutch house star Chris Stussy, Spanish hitmaker

Opening on June 25 and running until July 5, the inaugural Opera Zagreb Festival has just been presented at the Croatian National Theatre. Backed by the M+ Group, this distinguished event is being staged at prestigious theatres across Croatia and Slovenia, this year's including Zagreb, Osijek, Split and Ljubljana. The Opera Zagreb Festival is the most significant cultural undertaking so far on the part of the M+ Group, which announced its sponsorship of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb just before Christmas 2022. Currently with more than a dozen bases across south-eastern Europe, this multinational independent contact centre and outsourcer of business process technology is perfectly placed to partner with Zagreb’s most venerable cultural institution in the heart of Croatia’s capital. This has been the elegant home of theatre, opera and ballet for the best part of two centuries, having evolved from Zagreb’s first theatre in 1834 and granted an ornate landmark building unveiled in the presence of the Emperor Franz Joseph in 1895. In the modern day, many theatres around Europe and beyond have been cultivating win-win business relationships with the corporate world, allowing them to stage productions of the highest standard, both from an artistic and a technical standpoint. © tomas1111Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb Speaking via video screen at this week's presentation of the new festival, Chief Conductor at the CNT in Zagreb, Pier Giorgio Morandi, outlined: “We have

Named after the family behind it, the Korak restaurant in Plešivica, Zagreb County, has just become the 11th restaurant in Croatia to be bestowed with the most prestigious award in global gastronomy. The new Michelin Guide for Croatia granted stars to the same ten restaurants as before but added one to this illustrious roster. Korak is attached to the vineyard estate of the same name, also helping it gain a green-star award for sustainability. Croatia also has 14 restaurants with Bib Gourmands, including three new ones, and 64 with recommendations, nine of them new. The ten with full Michelin stars are Draga di Lovrana in Lovran, Monte and Agli Amici in Rovinj, Nebo in Rijeka, Alfred Keller in Mali Lošinj, Noel in Zagreb, Boškinac in Novalja, Pelegrini in Šibenik, LD Terrace in Korčula and 360º in Dubrovnik.

The long-held dream of building an airport within easy reach of Šibenik has just moved a step closer. The project has now been integrated into Croatia’s national Air Transport Strategy, along with the administrative planning for both Šibenik-Knin County and Drniš, the nearest main town to the proposed site at Pokrovnik. The location is a 20-minute drive inland from Šibenik, on a large plot that is state-owned. Although Split, an hour or so’s drive away, is Croatia’s busiest airport, its location near densely populated Kaštela and Trogir may not be favourable if any further expansion is needed. The so-called ‘Heart of Dalmatia’ project is right by the Etnoland theme park. Popular Krka National Park is also close, with the proposed Dinara Nature Park nearby.

The night train between Budapest and Split has just started up again, setting off from Keleti station early evening on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and arriving in Dalmatia before 10am the following morning. Split train terminal is alongside the bus station, a five-minute walk from the ferry port diagonally opposite. The service returns late afternoon in Split on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Trains run until September 23. Travellers can choose between a couchette of four to six berths or a private cabin for one, two or three. Trains are equipped with elegant dining cars once reserved for Hungarian government ministers. From Budapest, this means that you can time your evening meal around sunset over Lake Balaton around two hours after departure. Prices for a berth in a six-person couchette start from €49, a cabin to two from €79. Cabins also have wash basins. Passengers receive breakfast and a hot drink included in the ticket price. For more information, see here.

A total of 360 Croatian wines have just received gold, silver and bronze medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London, the largest and most influential ceremony of its kind in the industry. The overall number of Croatian medal winners exceeded last year’s by 44. All told, labels from Croatia took 16 golds, three going to the Benvenuti brothers from Motovun. Kutjevac winery Galić was the second most successful, with gold medals for Ego Tribidrag and Sauvignon Blanc. Winemaker Kutjevo also won two golds, for its Graševina and Graševina ice vintage. A record 18,250 wines from 57 countries were registered for the 20th running of the Decanter Awards.

Croatia’s most unique, boutique festival is back this month, with a location near the idyllic Plitvice Lakes for a gathering of no more than 700 visitors. Taking place at Rudopolje between June 19-25, the Mystic Mountain Festival involves music, dance, workshops, seminars, lectures, group meditations, creative art and guided hiking tours. Time Out Croatia speaks with its founder and manager, Darko Pribeg, about how the festival came about and what makes it different from the industrial-scale events now dominating Croatia’s coast. For more information and ticket details, please read to the end of the article. Time Out Croatia: How did the Mystic Mountain Festival come about and why? Darko Pribeg: It came about in 2017 from an idea to have a party in the beautiful landscape of the Velebit mountains. We were complete amateurs, two friends enthusiastic about psychedelic electronic music. One had a camp in the mountains, the other had a small sound system. We started from there and put on a weekend party for around 100 people. Mystic Mountain Festival TOC: Why was this particular location chosen and how does it lend itself to hosting such a festival? DP: The first location was this camp in Velebit, then with the pandemic in 2020, we had to change sites. We found this new one just after lockdown and practically organised the whole festival in three weeks. It was crazy! The place we are at now was chosen for its beauty, panoramic views from almost any spot on the festival, for its