The Lakes and National Park at Plitvice are magnificent. Wooden walkways cross the still glassy clear lakes and at some points you can look down and see a vertical forest of fallen trees. The paths take you close to the stunning waterfalls but are done in a way that doesn't feel intrusive. Great for a days walking as an excursion from the coast.

A couple of hours drive from the coast.
whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=98


Take a bus from Zagreb main bus station, there was one per hour when I went. Busses back not weren't so reliable, but the service has probably improved now. Journey is around an hour and takes you through the Croatian countryside still scarred by the conflicts.

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The cafe attached to the Contemporary Art Centre is effortlessly cool. Its dimly-lit interior suits winter well, in summer it sprawls outside. The soup of the day is usually pretty good and I hear good things about the pancakes too.

Bilingual staff, a non-pretentious art crowd and great music make give it a really good atmosphere. It also hosts talks for the CAC and often has DJs in the evenings.

www.cac.lt;
Vokieciu 2, Vilnius; it's on the corner opposite the town hall

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Tucked away among swathes of the bizarre Stalinist zoo, the NCCA is the hub of contemporary art in Moscow. It has an exhibition hall showcasing Russian and international art. Talks and recitals take place in the auditorium space upstairs and there is a nice bookshop.

There’s a resource centre too, so you can find out what's going on in the busy contemporary art scene across the city.

13 Zoologicheskaya Street, 123242; www.english.ncca.ru/;
nearest metro: Barraakadnaya and Krsnopresmenskaya

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