When it comes to towns with unromantic names, I think the Croatian coastal town of Biograd has got to be in the top ten. In fact, on a camping trip through Croatia I decided to spend a night in Biograd purely on the strength of this unattractive name, and fortunately found the town to be at least a little more attractive than it sounded.

In fact, Biograd, not far from Zadar, has been a tourist resort since way back in the 1920s and the name actually translates to “white city”, which sounds a little better. I stayed at a campground a short walk from the beach – there are many to choose from, along with a bunch of hotels. Pretty much all of the activity in Biograd, especially in the touristy summer, takes place along the pebbled beachfront. Personally, I’ve never got used to pebbled beaches (I’m Australian, remember, and we have great beaches) but lots of people assured me the pebbles mean the water is clearer, and this did seem to be true in Biograd.

If anyone’s been to Biograd in the last year or so, I’d love to know if my favourite cafe is still there. Close to the water, it was a big restaurant area filled with dozens of comfortable purple sofas, and sprawling on them while eating a snack or having a drink was perfect. If you see it, I definitely recommend it – the sofas are much more comfortable than the beach pebbles.