The Artisan Blog

When people talk about Croatia it is highly likely that the next sentence is probably going to contain the word ‘Dubrovnik’. Now don’t get me wrong, that isn’t a bad thing. I love Dubrovnik, it is a simply stunning town and it is definitely somewhere that I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Croatia for the first time.

However, one place that doesn’t seem to get the same appreciation is Croatia’s second largest city – Split. Split might be the largest city in the region of Dalmatia but don’t think that it is anyway just an industrial-hub not worthy of your time in comparison to all the pretty little seaside towns and islands scattered along the Adriatic Coast.

If you are heading on holiday to Croatia this year the chances are that you have started to compile a list of places that you would love to visit once you are there. My guess would be that there are certain places that are bound to make the list. For example, you have probably included Dubrovnik, the Plitvice Lakes National Park and maybe even the Elaphiti Islands. However, there is one place that I would guess probably doesn’t feature on your list and that’s the Pelješac peninsula or more specifically the town of Ston.

Unless you have been living under a rock, the chances are that you have either heard of or seen a picture of Dubrovnik. If you are currently thinking that you aren’t aware of Croatia’s most famous destination then think again!

I love Croatia. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been there. The most recent was last summer, the next time is in a couple of weeks, and the first time was my honeymoon.

The honeymoon was way back in 1999 and I’m happy to say that Kate and I are still going strong and still heading for Croatia. This year, we are heading for a stunning island called Korcula - “Cor-chew-lar” - and the staying in the hotel where we spent the first night of our honeymoon.

Did you know The Azores constitutes as a region of ‘Macaronesia’? In Greek, this means "fortunate islands" for those who live and visit them!

To inspire you to visit these ‘fortunate islands’ see our top five photographs below!

If you are struggling to decide where to go on your next adventure let us give you some advice, make sure you head to The Azores! Now you are probably thinking ‘The Azores? Where on earth is that?’ but rest assured these volcanic islands do exist and what’s more they are in Europe!

Although relatively unknown to a lot of us, the Azores archipelago is an ideal travel destination for adventurers the world over for a number of reasons. If, like most people, this is the first time you have ever heard of it and want a few ideas of what can be experienced, take a look at our top picks of things to do in the Azores this summer.

Now when most people think about holidaying in Finland, there are certain things that inevitably spring to mind. Whether it’s speeding across the frozen wilderness pulled along by a team of huskies or on the back of a snowmobile, Finland for many is a winter destination. But here at Artisan Travel, we know that there is so much more to this incredible country than snow and reindeer. In fact, Finnish summer holidays are packed full of great opportunities to explore and enjoy the amazing natural wilderness and culture of this incredible country.

So, in no particular order here are our top 5 reasons to start planning your Finnish summer escape today!

As part of our commitment to responsible tourism, we are always trying to make sure that all our holidays are as good for the environment and the local people as they are for you our clients!

We were therefore absolutely delighted (but not really surprised) to hear that one of our favourite destinations, the island of Gozo has won a prize for being the most sustainable destination in the Mediterranean!

We recently caught up with Laura from our marketing team to find out about her experience of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. Here’s what she had to say: