Dubrovnik

This Month in Dubrovnik:

Shopping: Unique and beautiful, the Heritage Shop invite visitors to experience Croatia through the ages. The old Dubrovnik-style parlour is so welcoming, you won't need to be asked twice to come and stay a while (7 Petra Krešimira IV, tel: 01 3867 111).

Sightseeing: An experience like none other - participate step-by-step in the traditional production of silk thread. Create memories that'll give you yet another reason to adore this treasured fabric (Silk, Deša, 8 Frana Supila, tel: 20 420 145).

Key areas: Dubrovnik International Wine & Jazz Festival, 24 - 27. 05., Duke Palace (Kneževa palača) The only way to make the Old Town more inviting is to wrap it up in jazz and wine. The first-ever international festival showcasing global and local talents is sure to become a must-see in the Pearl of the Adriatic (Dubrovnik International Wine & Jazz Festival, 24-27 May, Duke Palace (Kneževa palača)).

Dubrovnik News & Gossip

Tours de Force

Tour organisers have a problem. In an age when holidaymakers can book their car hire at the same time as their flights, it seems strangely restrictive to pack yourself onto a bus with a bunch of strangers. After all, we're individuals aren't we? Why would anyone want to join the herd when they could be out there on their own, encountering the city on their own terms and discovering it in their own time?

Dan Hart, UK general manager for tour company Viator, thinks he has the answer. "A growing number of small companies and individual tour guides are realising that travellers do not just want the typical tourist experience when they are on a city break," he says. "They want to explore with someone with inside knowledge who can show them the secret places, share unusual and exciting experiences or get them exclusive out-of-hours access to the must-do attractions."

These aren't the bus tours of old; shuffling around cathedrals is out and left-of-field adventure is in. We've pulled together five of the best tours available across the network - you can find more ideas and the best deals on fantastic tours by clicking the 'Sightseeing or Tours' link on easyJet.com.

1. SHARM EL-SHEIKH: DISCOVER EGYPT'S MANGROVES When you think of mangroves, your mind probably wanders to the swamps of Florida, Australia or South America. But this tour takes you out among the black mangroves near Sharm el-Sheikh; it's your chance to discover the strange world of Egypt's very own saltwater rainforest.

2. AMMAN: LIVE LIKE THE BEDOUIN Four hours south of Amman, the vast Wadi Rum is a desert paradise of rare birds and animals. Anyone can visit it if they can get hold of a driver to take them, but this bus tour includes a night in a luxurious Bedouin camp, watching the sunset over the otherworldly red mountains and sleeping under the stars in true Lawrence of Arabia style (the classic movie was filmed here).

3. BRISTOL: STEP INSIDE STONEHENGE Most people who visit Stonehenge have to be satisfied with viewing the stones from the path outside, but this tour takes you to the prehistoric monument either before or after normal visiting hours, giving a rare chance to step inside the inner stone circle.

4. SALZBURG: INTO THE ICE CAVES This trip through Austria's Salzach Valley concludes with a guided tour of the Eisriesenwelt, which is the biggest ice cave in the world. The network of caves runs 42km into the mountains and the first kilometre remains covered in ice throughout the year, creating incredible stalagmites, stalactites and vast walls of ice that have to be seen to be believed.

5. DUBROVNIK: SAIL THE CITY WALLS Dubrovnik is famous for its city walls, and every year, thousands of tourists pick their way around them. But why walk when you can paddle? This sea-kayaking tour gets you up close to the outside of the towering city walls and even leaves time for you to explore the nearby caves and bays.

Dubrovnik Trivia

• May: Visitors have being marvelling at the beauty of Vrnik island for centuries, even if they've never been any closer than Istanbul or Washington, DC. From the immortal splendour of the Hagia Sophia to the elegance of the White House, timeless treasures world-wide include marble from the 29 quarries that have been in use here since the Roman era.

• April: On the Pelješac peninsula north of Dubrovnik, the tiny town of Ston is protected by a medieval wall 5.5km long - the Great Wall of Croatia!

• November: The island of Lokrum, a popular bathing spot, is steeped in spooky ghost stories. They say the Benedictine nuns who once lived here cursed the spot after being banished. Don't miss that last boat home!

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