The Croatian side of the Adriatic Sea offers a perfect azure sea, tons of magnificent beaches, historic gem towns, beautiful nature, and tasty local cuisine. But visiting in the tourist season also means a horde of tourists, high prices and mediocre service. Long gone Yugoslavia days when the coast was a cheap and thrilling vacation paradise. Croatia is a part of the European Union and all business now. I recommend visiting it but plan carefully to avoid disappointment. Here is the trip report.
Planning and Getting there.
Croatia is a vast country by European standards. While the capital Zagreb and industrially significant cities are mostly in the Balkan land part, the shore is a magnet for tourism. It is a long story of how Croatia ended up owning the most of the Adriatic coast while neighboring Slovenia, Bosnia, and Montenegro got just bits and pieces, so most of the area visitors come here. You may travel to Croatia by land the best part of the country is accessible by sea. There are a lot of sailing options available – from the mega-ships to smaller boats of local cruise lines, but we opted for chartering a private yacht. That way, we created our itinerary and were (almost) in the full control of when and where we visit and for how long.
Most importantly been on the yacht at sea meant avoiding crowds and enjoying your private company. If you think that private yacht vacations are for rich and famous, you are only partially right. While luxury mega-yachts are indeed expensive, in Croatia there are still few older ships available at a fraction of a price that millionaires pay. You may be getting a smaller cabin and a cranky A/C but still have the same sea, the view, the sun, the towns, and the food! However, such ships became harder to find. If you search online, you most probably will get connected to a broker agency that pitches you expensive options and charges the commissions. The best approach is word of mouth. We were lucky to have friends of friends that took that cruise before and provided us with direct contact with a captain. Still, we had to book almost two years in advance to secure the exact week in August when all of our company – 5 couples, could make it.
The cruise started in Split – one of the largest ports and sea resorts in the Adriatic. We flew there from Moscow (see my Tale of Two Cities post) on a direct Aeroflot flight. After Russian hospitality experience, arriving in Croatia was a bit of a return to reality. Croatians are not crooked, but the arrival terminal of the Split airport is probably an exemption. Watch out if you don’t have a pre-arranged meet. The taxi stand outside the terminal only looks legit. Drivers ask 80 for a ride to the city. You would assume it is in Croatian kunas that exchange 7 for 1 dollar only to find out a swindler wants it in Euros which set you back around $100. We have been to many places but never seen a rip off like this. Uber exists and charges for the same trip $12, but you have to figure out how to find your car. Uber is blocked from getting to the terminal by the local taxi mafia, and you need to cross the street to the parking lot where the mob rule ends and get your ride there. Skipping ahead that was our only outright con experience in Croatia. Other goods and services may also be overpriced but at least are charged in a legit way.
Split.
A ride to the marina took less than an hour. Mate, our captain was a known person in town, and we had no trouble locating our yacht. We arrived late in the evening when a welcome dinner was already served. Next morning the boat was scheduled to leave for Brac island. Marina and I had not been to Split before and wanted to see the city so planned to stay for a tour and take an afternoon ferry to re-join the company. The weather, however, had other plans for us. The day heat was brutal; we figured, hanging outside for hours with no cover or place to chill would be no good, so we scraped the city tour and stayed on the boat. Instead, we went for a walk after dinner. Split marina is right in the old town in front of the city main tourist attraction – Diocletian Palace.
The well-preserved ruins are still impressive even 2000 years after it was built. At night they are well illuminated. We walked around and learned a bit about the original owner. The huge place was actually the emperor’s retreat house where he moved from Rome for a retirement. Diocletian left a mark in history for two things – splitting the Roman Empire into two parts which eventually led to its demise and ruthless persecution of Christians. The memory of the cruel ruler lives in infamy, but his palace is a right sightseeing spot. The place, however, is crowded even at night when the sun recedes and the street live blusters with vendors, performers, and people watchers seeking for a cheap thrill.
According to the tour books, the other city major attraction was Ivan Mestrovic Gallery. He was a sculptor, an architect and a writer whose creative peak came at a time of Yugoslavia creation in the aftermath of WWI. His gallery is a bit outside of the center of the town, so getting there in the day heat would be a killer. We canceled the visit but friends who were on the cruise with us and arrived to Split a few days earlier went there and found the exposition mediocre. That was all of our Split experience. We returned to the ship and retired in our cabin. The next morning around 8 AM, we set sail to Brac.
Brac
The passage from Split to Brac island took a couple of hours. We used the time to get familiar with the yacht and then relaxed on the sundeck. The boat also had the main deck with a salon, a dining room, and crew and kitchen quarters, and a lower deck with guest cabins. The crew was the captain, two sailors, the cook, and the maid. The ship had Wi-Fi that was available at the ports and also most of the time on the water. First, we stopped at a secluded bay where we swam right off the boat,
then sailed a bit more and in the afternoon arrived in Bol.
We docked right at the pier and walked around a small but pleasant port town. The island is the closest to Split and more commercially developed, but the south part where we docked was allocated to tourists. We dined off the ship at a local restaurant that had a beautiful view overlooking the bay but just OK food. Next morning we woke up for an astonishing sunrise over a crystal clear and calm sea. I took pictures that probably where the best of the whole trip. We saw the captain and Alex – one from our group, coming back from the town market with the fresh catch and some produced and realized we were up for a treat. The captain onboard, we departed for the next island – Vis.
Vis
Vis island was similar to Brac but smaller and even more touristy. Its main natural attraction is the blue grotto. We sailed for about two hours and stopped at another gorgeous bay for a swim and sunbathing, then boarded a local boat to visit the cavern.
The place was trendy, and the entrepreneurial locals ran the show. We paid 10 euro ahead for an hour-long “tour,” but I believe it was worth it. Seeing the water lit from the bottom by the reflection of the sun coming from outside was amazing. In the afternoon, we docked at another pretty port town – Komiza, which looked similar to Bol. After the sunset, we ventured inland with the firm intention to skip the dinner and to walk around the town but saw our friends at a restaurant and changed our mind. The dinner again was just OK but not cheap.
After that, we doubted if it was worth to dine onshore. Our ship cook was excellent and beat all the dining experiences outside.
Hvar
Hvar is probably the most historic island on Dalmatian coast. The Wikipedia has a long list of events that took place here attributed to Venetian, Ottoman, Napoleon, Austrian and two incarnations of Yugoslavia rule before it became a part of independent Croatia. The Stari Grad – old town, is facing the port, and the well-preserved fortress overlooks the bay.
Since the 19th century, the island lost its military significance and became a well-developed tourist destination. The infrastructure of hotels, restaurants, marinas, and shops, as well as several museums and sightseeing sights, allows it to be marketed for upscale travelers and listed in Conde Nast Traveler and other like publications. Upon arrival, we headed right up to the fortress, figuring it would be easier to explore the town walking downhill. The fortress is called Espanola as it was built by Spanish army that briefly occupied this island in 16th century.
From the bottom, the hike to the hilltop looked challenging, but it was not very difficult as the path was not steep. As a matter of fact, after the return from the first climb, we met our friends in the town and made another hike to keep a company. The view from the fortress was terrific. You can get entrance tickets and see inner quarters but honestly what you find inside hardly justifies a 10 Euro fee. Besides the castle, Hvar has several beautiful Venetian churches and a functioning Franciscan monastery that you are welcome to visit.
The island is also famous for its lavender fields. While we did not see it blooming, the houses in the old town are nicely decorated with lavender plants and aromatic oils and soaps are the place unique souvenirs. On our visit, the weather was cloudy, so we did not have a swimming stop and stay all day in the harbor. In the afternoon we went to a local beach right in town.
The water was crystal clear, but the bottom was rocky, so definitely water shoes were required. The night came with the sounds of discos and crowds of young visitors hanging out, but it all quieted down at a reasonable time it did not disturb our sleep much.
Korcula
The next day the sun returned. We left Hvar and spent the morning swimming and sunbathing at another picturesque bay. For lunch, we decided it is time to try peka – an authentic Croatian food, roasted veal, and lamb sided with potatoes and vegetables slowly simmered in an open oven under a bell. According to our captain, Korcula had the best peka in the country.
The reservation had to be called at least a few hours ahead in order peka to be cooked appropriately. The more food, the tastier it gets so it is good to experience it in a large group. Peka place was well inside the island, it had a restaurant sign, but we were the only guests at that time. We were greeted by one of the owners – it was a family business that also owned surrounded land and a farm.
The food was tremendous and tasty, although a bit heavy. We returned to the ship and soon arrived at Korcula town. The historic port is protected by a well-preserved fortress and walls flanking both sides of a peninsula enclosing a picturesque old quarter. After the stupendous meal, we needed a walk to stimulate the digestion, so we went on the town right away.
Korcula is one of the largest Croatian islands and also was busy during the tourist season. The old town restaurants and shops were full of customers, some of them even had to turn guests away as they got so overcrowded. We walked along the wall overlooking the bay and a pretty island across the narrow strait. In the evening, we returned to the yacht were our cooked served another delicious dinner.
After an astonishing peka lunch, we forced ourselves to eat some more and designated this day to be the Croatian culinary exploration experience.
Mjlet
By the time of our next stop, we already learned how Dalmatian islands are similar. There was an old town, a port, a fortress or a wall and the center adjacent by beach hotels and resorts. Mjlet, however, was different. The national park status prevents overdevelopment. The island is not natural to get to and therefore is more secluded compared to other places.
From Korcula, the passage took few hours along the beautiful Dalmatian shore; then we stopped at a bay facing the town with a small marina. Mjlet island is an absolute natural beauty. The forest, the azure crystal clear water, the limestone and dolomite forming ridges, crests and slopes make it the hiking and recreation paradise.
Inside the island is the seawater lake and the island within the island with a beautiful church – all that left from a prominent Benedictine monastery that once dominated here. The path around the lake was too tempting to ride on the bike. We rented bikes and cycled the island. The trip was intense but satisfying. In the afternoon, we returned to the boat for a well-deserved rest, then swam from the yacht and watched the gorgeous sunset.
At night we saw some fellow boaters from other yachts heading to the marina where a local disco was having a bash. Feeling funky but not really into leaving the boat we streamed disco music of our taste and time to the ship boombox and had a great dancing party of our own.
Dubrovnik
Sadly, our cruise was coming to an end. We started the last full day in paradise with another swim in the beautiful Mjlet bay, but before heading to Dubrovnik, we stopped for lunch at Bowa restaurant and beach club. The place was featured in Conde Nast or some other fancy traveler magazine but in my opinion, was greatly overrated. The food was just OK, and the service sucked, the bill was outrageously high even by Croatian standards. The nice thing, however, was that we originally reserved a table at a terrace but were “upgraded” to a private cabana. The place could only be reached by boat or a yacht and had its private pier.
Nevertheless, it was quite busy I guess thanks to good marketing We swam at a small and crowded beach, had a meal, hang out for a bit, then called the captain to pick us up. In the afternoon, we arrived at our final destination. Since it was difficult to get a docking spot at Dubrovnik marina, we stayed at a bay near Sustipan just outside of the old city limit. Dubrovnik is the Dalmatian coast gem and one of the places you must see in your life, especially if you are Game of Thrones fun. It is also very crowded during the tourist season. We were in Dubrovnik several times before and decided to skip a trip to the city and spend the last hours of our vacation on the yacht, swimming and watching another beautiful sunset.
If you never were in the town before and decide to go in, make sure to circle the old town walls then take a funicular to the mountain to watch this beautiful place from the top. Our friends stayed in Dubrovnik for a couple of days after the cruise, and I hope they will share their impression of the city. Next morning four of us said goodbye to the captain and his fantastic crew and headed to Bosnia.
Here you can read my Bosnia – from Mostar to Sarajevo trip report.