Island hopping along the coast of Croatia
Story and photos by Rich Grant
Blessed with a 1,000 miles of spectacular, rocky shoreline, dotted with beaches, red-roofed fishing villages, towering mountains and imposing fortresses, it’s no wonder that Croatia has become a huge cruise ship destination. This area, called the Dalmatian Coast, is like the French or Italian Riviera in the 1960s – one of
those rare places that actually lives up to its tourist office billing, “the Mediterranean as it used to be.”
But while many Americans visit the area on day trips from cruise ships, it’s just as easy – at a fraction of the cost – to travel like locals, using public ferries, staying in private homes and eating in quaint restaurants. Almost everyone in Croatia speaks some English and every village and town has a multi-lingual tourism office. Prices are about half what you would pay in nearby Italy.
Some particulars: Croatia is the long, skinny country that is on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea, directly across from Italy, which it resembles in climate and appearance. There are 1,185 islands along the Croatian coast; 66 of them are inhabited and connected by a large fleet of ferries, making it possible to island hop, staying each night on a different island.
Split is the largest city on the coast, with direct flights to London and Paris. It’s an industrial city of 170,000 people, unattractive around the airport, but the old town has a palm-lined harbor and Diocletian’s Palace, the most imposing Roman structure in the world.
Calling it a palace is a bit misleading since the site consists of more than 200 buildings and is still home to 3,000 people. Think more along the lines of a fortified Roman town contained within high walls. Built of white stone that resembles marble, it is a maze of narrow streets and alleys, filled with chic boutiques, galleries, restaurants and outdoor cafes.
It’s also a major terminal for ferries with boats arriving and leaving almost hourly. Jadrolinija is the main ferry line. A great start to island hopping is to catch their morning boat to Hvar, an hour and a half away.
Hvar bills itself as the greenest and sunniest of all Croatian islands. It’s certainly
one of the most beautiful with high mountains falling down to the shore. Buses
meet the ferry for a short trip to Hvar Town, a 13th century walled village with traffic-free marble streets, dockside restaurants and a yacht harbor, all topped by a Napoleonic fortress. Residents meet arriving buses and speak just enough English to offer rooms in their houses for about $60.
It’s a long climb to the fortress, but worth it for the view from the top. There are paths along the shoreline for miles and the town has several small museums. The food along the coast in Croatia resembles Italy with pizza and spaghetti dishes, mixed with local seafood cooked in garlic and olive oil. Try the whole calamari, grilled in olive oil and served tableside in black pots, with a side of fries and a liter of excellent chilled local white wine. The local beer (called pivo) is very good and served ice cold.
Next morning, take the $10 main inter-island ferry for a three-hour voyage to Korcula. The ferry is much like a small cruise ship with restaurants and many decks for viewing the constantly changing scenery of mountains and sea. In Croatia, you are never out of sight of a rocky shoreline with terraced vineyards clinging to the hills.
Korcula first appears like a dream – a walled town ringed with palm trees and topped by a sea of red tile roofs. It’s a sleepy little place in the day as most people take water taxis to nearby beaches or relax at one of a dozen outdoor cafes that line the ancient fortifications.
The following day, the ferry continues on to Dubrovnik, the jewel of the Adriatic. This is one of the great walled cities of the world. The massive stone curtain surrounding the town rises as high as 82 feet and is more than 6,000 feet long. There are 10 semicircular bastions and two pocket fortresses guarding the
flanks. It’s possible to walk the entire walls, which date back to the 10th century, but it’s no easy task and involves lots of stair climbing.
Within the walls, the town dates mostly to the late 1600s with the wide main street, Placa, lined with outdoor cafes, bars and shops. Even though Dubrovnik is traffic free, when the cruise ships are in, the town can be maddeningly crowded. Better to avoid the mid-day crush by taking a water taxi across the bay to Cavtat, an attractive Mediterranean resort with an old stone harbor lined with rustling palm trees and outdoor cafes. It’s like an undiscovered Saint Tropez. The calm waters in the bay mean that you can enjoy a relaxing waterside lunch with the sea lapping at your feet.
At night, the marble streets glow with a sheen that makes it look like it has just rained, while the towering walls are lit from dramatic angles.
During the Bosnian war in 1991-1992, Dubrovnik was hit by more than 2,000 shells and guided missiles, which damaged the roofs in 68 percent of the 824 historic buildings. A war museum has fascinating photos, while maps located throughout the city show the location of where every shell hit. All of the damage has been repaired and it’s amazing to see photos of the main street burning in the early 90s, then step outside to see lines of people at the gelato stands.
From Dubrovnik, it’s a spectacular drive along the coast back to Split. Along the way are the tiny villages of Ston and Mali Ston, known for their oyster beds and seafood restaurants. The wall above town is about 3 miles long and was the longest fortification in Europe when it was built in 1333.
The so-called “Makarska Riviera” is a string of beach resort towns and harbors filled with palms, yachts and cafes, backed by high mountain vistas.
One last “must visit” is Trogir. A Unesco World Heritage site, this 15th century town has twisting streets, hidden plazas, a medieval castle and a wide waterfront promenade, all squeezed on to a tiny pedestrian island.
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Rich Grant writes about more adventures at: www.WalkingAndDrinkingBeer.com
