Dalmatia one way route: Split – Dubrovnik

Your embarkation is at 5:00 PM in Split.

After you meet the crew and take a tour around the boat, you will sail towards the island of Brač. You will spend the night in some beautiful quiet bay on the island’s western side, near the picturesque town of Milna. Dinner will be served aboard, under the stars, and surrounded only by the sounds of sea and crickets. This is an ideal ambient for relaxation after a day or two of travel. If you still want to visit the town, the crew can take you there with a tender boat. Milna is a typical fishing harbor – with stone houses, narrow streets, and a church that dominates the village. Visit this beautiful Baroque church dedicated to Our Lady of the Annunciation. You will enjoy works of Venetian artists while the sounds of a 19th-century organ echo in the background. Bell tower offers a beautiful view. The town of Milna was also known as “Valle di Mille Navi” or “The bay of thousand boats.” This safest harbor on island Brač, surrounded by beautiful bays that offer protection from rough winds, was a shelter for sailors and their boats for centuries. Milna also has a rich shipbuilding tradition, and a unique Croatian sailboat, “bracera,” was designed here.

The pristine nature that dominates this area, with beautiful beaches and crystal sea, is the best recipe for your first night on the Adriatic Sea. But do not be surprised if your morning coffee starts with the cries of seagulls and the songs of fishermen returning home from their night fishing. It is just the right time to buy fish for today’s lunch.

On your way to your following location – the town of Hvar on the island with the same name- you will be able to stop for a swim on the most famous and most beautiful beach on the Adriatic – Zlatni Rat (translated: Golden Cape). Locals say that the beach owes its name to the large flocks of fish called common dentex directed there by solid currents whose scales shine like gold in the sunlight. This pebble beach with a unique form of elongated peninsula rotates its tip left or right depending on the direction of wind and currents. This is for sure an unusual phenomenon. But, as Zlatni Rat is mostly a bustling and crowded beach, your captain will find another more isolated and relaxing spot for you to spend your first lunch aboard. After anchoring in some beautifully hidden bay, you will have some free time until meals to enjoy water sports activities, swim in clear turquoise waters, relax in the sun or shade, enjoy your coffee, or read your favorite book. Can you imagine a better way to spend your morning? After you want diverse gastronomic surprises from the boat’s kitchen, you will spend a few more hours in this chill mood.

In the late afternoon, you will visit the town of Hvar, one of the most popular locations on the Adriatic. Hvar is mainly known as the party destination, but if you are not too much into parting, we still advise you to visit this beautiful little town. When arriving in Hvar from the sea waterfront with palm trees, the bell tower of the cathedral, and the top of the hill – a fortress that protected the town in the past, the first moment you step foot into this lovely town, you will instantly feel its charm. The central part of the town is Pjaca, the main square, the largest and the most beautiful one in Dalmatia. The square is surrounded by St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Bishop’s palace, and Arsenal. Hvar has also had the oldest public theatre in Europe, formed in 1612., located in the Arsenal. We advise you to take a short walk to the fortress Fortica and enjoy a stunning view of Pakleni island, an island chain that protects Hvar harbor from the south. Hvar is also known as the sunniest island on the Adriatic, so it is not surprising that it is also famous for its vineyards and high-quality wines. If this may interest you, we can help you to organize special wine-tasting tours. Lavender flowers or lace made from agave plants made by nuns from the Benedictine monastery are some unique souvenirs you can take from this island. You will enjoy the rest of the evening anchored in the silence of turquoise waters somewhere on Pakleni islands.

Today, just after breakfast, you will sail away towards the most mystical and magical of the Adriatic islands – island Vis. Vis owes this title to its remoteness from the mainland and the fact that it was closed for many years as a military zone during the former Yugoslavia. Because of this isolation, it remained protected from human influence more than other islands’ surroundings, and nature on Vis is more pristine and preserved than elsewhere. Located on the open sea, the waves have shaped the island coast for thousands of years, hitting rocks and cliffs while forming unique, beautiful beaches, hidden bays, coves, and caves inside which you will discover the most thrilling color games of sunshine and the sea. And just after one visit to the Vis, you will realize why it is one of the favorite Adriatic destinations, to which many tourists return year after year.

Vis has a rich history as one of the oldest towns in Croatia. It was an important Greek colony on the Adriatic, and many ruins from Greek and Roman times can still be found on the island, especially in the oldest part of the town of Vis – Gradina. There you can find Greek walls, a necropolis, and Roman bath and floor mosaics—fascinating to see. Also, the remains of the Roman theatre Franciscan monastery on the peninsula, Prirovo, were built, and the remains can still be found in the basements of the monastery. The most interesting antique artifact, a bronze statue of the head of the Greek goddess Artemide, can be found in the Archaeological Museum. Three villages, each with its own story and uniqueness, came together, and thus the small town of Vis was born. Yet, the most exciting and inspiring is perhaps Kut, the eastern part of the city, where you can find beautiful Renaissance houses and churches from noble Vis families built in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Opposite to this, the other settlement on Vis island – the town of Komiža, is a typical Mediterranean fishing town. Located in the deep bay, with its simple but still beautiful stone houses and unique charm, Komiža offers another view of the Vis island. Also, only five nautical miles from Komiža island, Biševo is located, and the famous Blue Cave can be visited there. Many different excursions are offered on the island Vis. Still, regardless of whether you decide to go on a wine tour and try the most famous high-quality Vugava wine or go on a military tour around the island, you will have a new experience and feel some of the charms of this beautiful island.

Today you will enjoy a few extra hours of sailing as you visit the town of Korčula on the island with the same name. This picturesque little town, located on a small peninsula surrounded by city walls and towers, is often compared to Dubrovnik. This week, you will visit both of these locations; you will be able to find out why this is so. While arriving in Korčula from the sea, you will enjoy the best perspective of this city, known for its timeless beauty and connection to a famous medieval explorer and world traveler, Marco Polo. It is believed that Polo was born right here in Korčula (as the family name DePolo is usual on the island). During the summertime, you can visit a museum in the building believed to be his birth house. Today we know that this house was built in 17 the century, but locals say it is built on the ruins of his old home. Nevertheless, this is a must-see location in Korčula as it offers a beautiful view of the city.

Korčula’s old town has the most exciting layout. It is built in the shape of a fishbone with one main street that goes from north to south and many small ones that go vertically to it. This was designed to offer good aeration and protect from strong winds. While walking through the old town, we suggest you visit St Marcos cathedral with the altarpiece painting Three Saints made by famous Venetian artist Tintoretto. You can also climb the bell tower for a stunning view. Besides the cathedral, the Town Museum and Abbey Treasury are located on the main city square. Modern art lovers can visit the Memorial Collection of Maksimilijan Vanka. If you are more into romantic walks, an impressive 101 steps long promenade leading to the church of St Anthony on the nearby hill would be our suggestion. And in the evening, do not miss the performance of the moreška traditional sword dance that originates in Spain and today is performed only in Korčula.

While walking the streets of Korčula, this unique and unforgettable little town, you will immediately feel its charm: palm trees and appealing restaurants located next to the sea, massive stone walls that offer the most romantic views, and where the best cocktails are served, cobbled streets, beautiful Renaissance houses and churches, chic and charming shops and boutiques Korčula has it all. This town’s formula for success is rich history combined with beautiful nature, colorful gastronomy, and warm and welcoming people. And this is why we assure you, you will be thrilled with your visit to this island.

Mljet, the island you are about to visit today, is just an hour and a half of sailing away from Korčula. You will arrive there in the morning, before lunch, so you will have almost the whole day to explore this incredible island. As you will moor somewhere inside the national park, you will have easy access to all the most important sights.

Mljet is one of the most beautiful islands on the Adriatic, almost fully covered with Mediterranean forest, extremely rich in flora and fauna, untouched for centuries, almost magical. For many years, only Benedictine monks walked these forest paths. In the 12th century, one Italian Benedictine Monastery received this island as a gift from the local nobility and built its second monastery here. They have lived alone for centuries, deeply connected with God and nature. In the 15th century, the first communities were organized on the island. The northwest part of the island remained under monks’ administration until the end of the 18th century. That part of the island today is protected as a national park. The most exciting features of Mljet national park are, for sure Big and Small Lakes, salt lakes that represent natural phenomena. In the middle of Big Lake, the island of St. Mary is located, with a Benedictine monastery built in the 12th century in the Romanesque style. You can reach the lakes by bike or on foot, boats are organized to visit small islands and monasteries, and you can swim in the lakes, too. You will enjoy walking through this untouched nature and shady paths and will for sure- at least for a moment – feel reconnected with nature.

An interesting fact is that even two stories are connected to this island. The first is about Odysseus, an ancient hero who wandered the seas on his way home from the Trojan war and experienced a shipwreck. He woke up in a beautiful sea cave on some island in the Adriatic, and there he met the nymph Calypso and was enchanted by her charm. She kept him on the island for almost seven years. This is a story from Homer’s ancient Odyssey, and many researchers have tried to prove that the island Homer was writing about was, in fact, Mljet. The beautiful sea cave, named after Odysseus, was supposed to be one of the proofs. The second story is from the Bible, the Acts of the Apostles, where the apostle Paul writes about his journey across the Adriatic. Fleeing from the big storm, he found salvation on the island of “Melita.” There are doubts whether this mentioned island was Mljet or Malta, but in any case, even today, many visitors find salvation on this island while looking for a break from the stress and the hustle and bustle of modern life.

After Mljet, you will explore another piece of paradise – Elafiti islands. Spread just in front of the town of Dubrovnik, this group of small islands enriches the perfect sunset from the hill Srđ. In the 15th and 16th centuries, these islands, covered with Mediterranean evergreen vegetation, were recognized by the Dubrovnik nobility as a refuge from the city bustle and a place of return to nature. That is why the remains of 42 summer residences of prominent Dubrovnik families can be found on Šipan – the island you will visit today.

Šipan is an island of olive trees, and it has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the island with the highest number of olive trees compared to its size and the number of people living there. It is also an island of peace and harmony, an island of some lost times when rich members of Dubrovnik society walked these paths in search of peace and pristine nature. Today tourists visit Šipan for the same reason. Šipan is perfect if you want to reset and reconnect with nature ultimately.

Two villages on the island: Šipanska Luka (Šipan Harbour) and Suđurađ, are connected by the road that goes through large fields covered with Mediterranean vegetation, olive trees, figs, and lemon and orange trees. This is, for sure, a lovely biking or hiking route. Down the road, culture lovers will enjoy visiting some of the island’s 34 churches (built from the 7th to 16th century) and wandering through the remains of summer mansions. This is quite an inspiring experience, and this is why some of the famous people that have visited the island (like Carolina of Monaco, Belgian king Albert II and Francesca von Habsburg) planned to buy some of the mansions on the island. In Suđurađ, you can visit Stijepović-Skočibuha fortified mansion, the best-preserved summer residence on the island. Also, in the church of St Stephan, there is a beautiful painting of St Mary and Jesus from the 15th century.

A long time ago, famous writer George Bernard Shaw wrote: “Those who seek paradise on earth should come to see Dubrovnik.” And today, after almost a hundred years, Dubrovnik continues to amaze and inspire visitors worldwide. Known as the pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik is one of our top destinations. Located on the south of the Croatian coast, near the border to Montenegro, this town was the center of the Republic of Ragusa. This free state, for centuries, resisted the onslaught of powerful neighboring rulers and, with skillful diplomacy, maintained its freedom at a time when all the surrounding areas were under foreign rule. Even today, the inhabitants of Dubrovnik are proud of their historical liberty, which has been and remains an essential part of their culture and identity. So, on your last day, you will visit this proud city that has survived a few earthquakes and wars and continues to shine in its splendor.

When arriving in Dubrovnik by boat, watching how the sea touches the stone cliffs on which city walls have been built, you can imagine what hides behind them. The beautifully preserved old city, with its cobblestone streets, stunning buildings, monasteries, and fortresses, tells the story of a life that passed a long time ago. We suggest you start the visit by walking the city walls, entering the city gates, walking the Stradun street, visiting Rectors and Sponza palace and the town cathedral where remains of town protector St Blaise have been kept. Visit also the Franciscan monastery with the oldest Pharmacy in Europe. There is so much to see in Dubrovnik. Many city museums continue this list (Archaeological Museum, Maritime Museum, Franciscan Monastery Museum, Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, Love Stories Museum, Gornji Ugao Tower, etc.). Enjoy the unforgettable views from one of the city fortresses or city walls or, even better – a unique viewpoint from Mount Srđ, where you arrive by cable car. After seeing all this, you will not be surprised why Dubrovnik was chosen as the filming location for some famous movies and TV series (like Game of Thrones, Star Wars, etc.). In Dubrovnik, history is combined with colorful and diverse gastronomy, stunning views, rich culture and nightlife, and a vast choice for sports and adrenalin lovers. There is something for everybody.

So, enter the city gates and start exploring this wonderful town. You will not be disappointed!

Your disembarkation is at 09:00 AM, just after breakfast. If you have extra time, try to visit some of the other Dubrovnik attractions, as Dubrovnik is truly a pearl of the Adriatic, and it would be a shame if you wouldn’t explore it fully. Our suggestion is to stay in Dubrovnik for an extra day or two.