How to Island Hop Croatia

Without needing to join a tour

Croatia is famous for its stunning coast line, and with 1244 islands there are so many spots to explore. We started in Dubrovnik and had five days exploring, which you can read all about here. We visited in September so just outside of peak tourist season which was definitley a financial advantage, though we did have a few storms (unseasonable apparently) it definitely did not negatively impact the trip!

While there are so many great tours to choose from, (I did a Sail Croatia Contiki back in 2013) it was not hard at all to organise our own itinerary, as the Ferry’s are super accessible and easy to navigate, as well as a very comfortable affordable way to travel. Crunching the numbers, the 14 days we had in Croatia with the 4 stops we included on our trip, Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar and Split, the accommodation and transport was cheaper overall than any tour I found for the same length of time.

From old town Dubrovnik, its nice and close to the ferry port, so don't spend more than 10euros (we were overcharged at 20 Euros), or if you can, catch the bus because its not far at all from old town, but just a little too far to walk with your bags. 

The ferry takes about two hours to Korcula and costs roughly 25 euros per person (we were booking the day before the trip sometimes and September is slightly cheaper than the Summer months). Thankfully the worst of the storm had passed and we only had a little bit of swell on the Ferry, and its a very comfortable way to travel!

Korcula

My favourite of the Croatian island was Korcula. This tiny island has kept so much of its local feel without being too touristy, but was also warmly welcoming to tourists, and was honestly so beautiful.
We only had two days here and stayed in a marvellous Apartment Giuliani ten minutes walk from the main village and with a spectacular view overlooking the bay pictured below.

Kocula Old Town 

Swim in the Adriatic Sea

Start your morning down at one of the beaches on the east side of the island. They’re small, but in September you won’t have too many crowds to compete with. Dive into the Adriatic Sea and enjoy the rugged mountains of the mainland in the distance to really enhance the sparkling water.

Korcula Adriatic Sea

Wander through old town

Spend half a day wandering the old town. This island is home to the famous explorer Marco Polo. There’s a little side street which i was determined to find again, after my last visit here in 2013, where an old building has retained its walls and a secret garden has grown within. You can only see it when you poke your head through an old window, but its very whimsical.
Our favourite restaurant was Pepper and Choco the staff here were wonderful, they had a slight theatrical flare and loved entertaining us, the food was delicious a great local mix. 

Check the cultural calendar 

That evening we had a drink at this place, with an energetic local owner who gave us some local brewed free shots that honestly tasted like poison, which he found entertaining, and we had to appreciate the hospitality.
Dinner was a great pizza place called Tesoro Pizzeria and gelato for dessert at L'Amore Per Il Gelato. 
But the highlight of the evening was the traditional sword fight called Moreska – a traditional sword dance and drama that was common through the Mediterranean in 12th and 13th century, and has been performed in Kocrula for over 400 years.
Our lovely accommodation hosts informed us of the event happening in the old town and it was a fantastic local cultural experience, so be sure to check in with your hosts or head to the tourist office on your arrival to see whats happening during your stay.

Hire a bike and ride to Lumbarda

Our favourite day out was hiring some bikes and we rode from the old town towards Lumbarda. 

We rented them from Titan Scooter and Bike rental for 20 euros a day each.
We took our time stopping along the way at little bays we wanted to swim along the way to Lumbarda, theres a bike track that follows the road most of the way so its nice and easy to navigate.

Bike ride through the vineyards on Korcula towards Lumbarda beach.

Have a wine tasting at a local vineyard

There are a number of wineries along the way so if you’re able to stay upright on your bike, choose a few to stop for a local wine tasting at the vineyards.

We stopped at Vela Przina Beach, the water on this side of the island definitely felt warmer. Apparently the storm we’d had the night before washes in colder currents on certain parts of the island.

Then just on the other side of the peninsula was Bilin Zal Beach, which was such a wonderful place to hang out for the afternoon. We had a drink and some food at Restaurant Konoba Bilin Zal, some of the cheapest and most delicious we’d come across in Croatia, at an ancient stone hut with a huge wood fire right on the water's edge. 

Hvar 

An hour from Korcula on the Ferry is the island of Hvar. Generally speaking its more of a party island, though most of the big beach clubs had closed up for the Summer. Along with nightlife and beautiful beaches, this island is famous for its lavender fields. Things to do in Hvar include:

Go Shopping

Our sunny weather was put on hold once again, but Hvar has the best shopping! We had so much fun walking through the local stores which are full of unique clothes and boutique labels. I appreciate buying something I really love, knowing its individual and not mass produced and its a great way to support a local business!

Enjoy the views from Tvrđava Fortical

We journeyed up the winding path to the Tvrđava Fortical, its not too long and not a hard walk leaving right from the centre of Old Town, and there was a super talented electric guitarist playing latino smooth jazz to really add to the mood.

View from Tvrđava Fortical, Hvar, Croatia

Indulge in a coffee and Pistachio Croissant

One of the best coffee shops I have found in all of Europe - yes I’m calling it -  was “Coffee Snob” and as a self proclaimed coffee snob, it hit the mark. You must have a pistachio croissant from here! We went back four times, twice in one day!

We had dinner at Hvar Brewing co and next door at Il Porto as it was right next to our AirBnB room, a nice close walk from the main town square.

Surprisingly a lot of the large party night clubs were not really raving like we expected. And with the weather not cooperating we skipped the Blue Lagoon boat tour which was highly recommended, and I would definitely go when I'm in Hvar next time. 

Hike the trail to Pokonji dol Beach, which is a lovley coastal walk just outside the main town centre and has beach space to park yourself for the day with a good book and catch some sunrays.

Hvar bay, the view from our Airbnb

Split

Split is a much bigger city than Dubrovnik, and obviously any of the little islands, so its very fun and vibrant and still has a lot of the old-town character that is so distinctive to Croatia. 

This coastal port has huge cruise ships that come through in the summer and even throughout September, but by the time we were there it wasn’t too over run with tourists, but I’d recommend some reservations for lunch and dinners if you are going in the Summer months.

Split Port, Croatia

We stayed at this great hotel, a 15 minute walk from the centre of old town which had a rooftop pool and bar.

A few of our favourite local restaurants were Ikra Fish & Wine which was classy and really well prepared food with so much fresh flavour. For a more local low key restaurant Konoba i pizzeria Feral was a good fun vibe, with a homemade feeling.

Hike up the steps to Viewpoint to Marjan for a great view of Split, and then continue through the nature pathways up the Peninsular to Marjanska promatračnica Observation Deck which shows a huge view of the city, bay and islands beyond. Its a modern architectural structure but its free to climb up, and a nice walk through the trees to get to it.

Marjanska promatračnica Observation Deck. 

Krka National Park

Day trip to Krka National Park. I was tossing up if I did the Day trip to Krka or to Plitzval Lakes and decided on Krka, its a much shorter day trip (8 hours total), and Plitzval (12 hours total) was meant to be wet and cold, so I will have to save that for another trip - Plitzval looks stunning at any time of year, but I personally would love to see it after a snowfall when there’s far less crowds and showcases the park very differently.

Krka National Park 

Krka was incredible, it did not disappoint! But it is very much set up as a tourist destination to observe and take photos, rather than if you wanted to swim in the lake and have a picnic. The park has a delicate eco system and walkways have been designed to keep foot traffic to a minimal and allow the plants and animals to remain undisturbed while people get to marvel at this incredible water wonderland.

If you are hoping for a swim and a picnic, the day trip bus allowed us to catch the ferry to the nearby town of Skradin where you can jump in the water and cool off there. 

I hope you enjoy your trip to Croatia as much as I did, here’s some inspiration on things to do in Dubrovnik if you’re planning to enjoy this marvelous destination as well.