Framed by sparkling blue sea and deep green pines, the less visited Adriatic islands of Zlarin and Prvić offer a mellow end of summer escape

This tale of two islands – and a city – was not the usual Croatian island-hopping experience, say, from Split to Hvar and Brač. I set out to enjoy a quieter, more laid-back alternative farther north, where the overlooked city of Šibenik is the jumping-off point to a very different side of the Adriatic.

First there’s Šibenik itself, which is still relatively devoid of the crowds you see in Croatia’s other coastal cities. Here you naturally gravitate towards the magnificent Unesco-listed St James Cathedral before checking out the cafe terraces on the Riva waterfront and the bars beside the fishing boats moored further up the quayside. Medieval St Michael’s Fortress and its 17th-century Venetian neighbours, St John’s and Barone, loom over the city, the latter two built to protect against Ottoman attacks. They have all been transformed into important cultural institutions – St Michael’s into an amphitheatre for concerts, St John’s an educational centre and cafe and Barone an open-air cinema with augmented-reality displays. Views of the city became even more impressive the higher I climbed to each fortress.