What’s new in the Old World - Europe Spring Preview  is a new travel article written by Rick Steves for San Francisco Chronicle in which he shares tips on what’s opened, what’s changed and how to save time and money enjoying it all.

This is what he says about Croatia:

In Split, the harbor-front promenade called the Riva has been completely overhauled. The café umbrellas, concrete, and patchwork landscaping were replaced by a broad, sleek, bright-white public space. While some people enjoy this snazzy and slick people zone, many locals think it clashes with the higgledy-piggledy Old Town.

Dubrovnik: Croatia’s top destination is being rediscovered - including by cruise-ship crowds. On a very busy day in summer, as many as 30,000 passengers (seven giant ships’ worth) inundate the little Old Town. Non-cruise travelers should do their sightseeing (especially walking around the City Wall) early or late to avoid the midday crush and heat.

The Nona Ana catamaran - which swiftly connects Dubrovnik to Mljet island (with its national park) - has extended its run. In the summer, it now also continues four times each week to the ever-popular island town of Korcula.

My favorite sentence in the whole article is :  They’ve been tinkering with it for thousands of years, but Europe is, wonderfully, still a work in progress.

Read the whole article here