Sailing the Dalmatian Coast and island hopping is a great way to see and experience the best Croatia has to offer. Starting in Dubrovnik and sailing to Split, or vice versa, is a fantastic way to get the most bang for your buck. If short on time, you can experience several Croatian islands in the space of a week. Here are some of the best islands to include in your cruise along the Dalmatian Coast.
We chose to cruise with Sail Croatia and had the most amazing week sailing the Dalmatian Coast. For more details about our Sail Croatia experience, click here to read my review. The following map shows the stops included in our Croatian Island cruise.
Leaving from Dubrovnik, our first stop was the Croatian island of Mljet. If you are looking for ideas on things to see and do in Dubrovnik, click on over and have a read.
Mljet
Having sailed through the night from Dubrovnik, we disembarked at Mljet after breakfast. The Mljet port is a short walking distance away from the entrance to the Mljet National Park.
I have included the daily itineraries for each port of call as given to us daily by our cruise manager, Steve. He has a fun, dry sense of humour and his itineraries as well as his hand drawn maps of our ports of call, are quite memorable!
Most of the guests on board opted to hire a bicycle, as we did, to explore the park on 2 wheels. The National Park is huge and covers the entire northwest of Mljet Island. Inside the National Park are 2 saltwater lakes, and in the middle of the largest lake is a little island called Islet Melita which is the site of a Benedictine Monastery.
Leaving our bikes on the side of the bike path, we signaled to the small boat operator, by waving a flag, that we would like a lift. You are then ferried across the lake to the monastery. The ferry trip is free with the understanding that you purchase something from the cafe there…. well, if we must purchase wine, we must! Only 1 though, we were driving! After a stop at a gorgeous spot for a little dip and a cool off, we were back on our bikes heading back to the ship for a 1pm departure and lunch.
Simple enough plan, but you know what they say? We must have taken a wrong turn and after what seemed like forever pedaling uphill, we noticed no other cyclists. Trying to communicate with some locals about where the marina was located was challenging and we were getting desperate…. the ship was leaving in approximately 5 minutes, and we had no idea how to get there!
In desperation, we flagged down a passing motorist. They were a lovely young couple from Sweden who spoke English, thank goodness! Ditching the bikes, we gratefully accepted a lift and in scenes reminiscent of the Italian Job, flew down the hillside at speed to the dock, in the nick of time!
We were assured that they weren’t going to leave without us, but it does bring up the point that you are somewhat restricted to the ship’s timetable. This was the only port, however, that we weren’t docked in overnight, so the other stops allowed more time freedom.
After lunch and a beverage to calm our frayed nerves, we sailed for our next Croatian island of Korcula.
Korcula
Korcula is a gorgeous unspoiled paradise. The fortified medieval Old Town is on UNESCO’s tentative list of outstanding world heritage sites and has been nicknamed, mini-Dubrovnik. Reminiscent of Dubrovnik, Korcula has city walls, with imposing gates and towers.
Some of our group opted to tour the island by buggy, and I believe Korcula is quite a small island with stunning beaches and wineries. Milana and I chose to spend our time in the Old Town, sampling some of the local wine as recommended by our ship manager, Steve.
We enjoyed wandering around the picturesque, cobbled streets of the Old Town and climbing the bell tower of St Mark’s church, to enjoy panoramic views of the island.
In the evening, we joined some of our new friends for some cocktails at one of coolest bars I have ever been to. Massimo’s is a unique bar, atop a tower in the Old Town. Access to the bar is via a ladder (rethink wearing that short dress!), and once on top, enjoy the alfresco atmosphere, take in the view, order a drink and watch your drinks being delivered by a pulley system! Don’t drink too much though …. remember at some stage you have to climb back down that ladder!
Vela Luka
Before docking in Vela Luka, we stopped at the first of many stunning swim stops. When I think of cruising to gorgeous places, I dream of diving off the back of a boat, as graceful as a swan, into crystal blue waters. Well, we did this daily on our cruise! Not quite as graceful as a swan, but the diving, yes! Some of the passengers, including Milana even jumped in off the top deck! Not this little duck though, I was happy to swan dive off the swimming platform at the back of the ship.
Vela Luka is on the same island as Korcula. It is on the opposite, far western side of the island. We spent our afternoon in Vela Luka exploring the town and wandering along the picturesque esplanade.
At the end of the day, we joined our fellow passengers for a short hike up to the Great Cave, which is an archeological site. The hike offered lovely views of the Town with scenic spots along the way to stop and take photos. Wandering past olive trees, we arrived at the cave. Thankfully, it was a lot cooler in the cave and we spent some time looking at the archeological finds and hearing the history of the cave, before heading back into town and back to the boat for a BBQ dinner on board the ship.
The BBQ was not included in the cost of the cruise, you were free to opt out and eat in town, however most of the guests decided to have the BBQ.
Vis
The swim stop before docking in Vis was one of my favourites. Did you know that a lot of the Mamma Mia 2 movie was filmed in Vis? Well, it would be rude not to pay homage to the movie, don’t you think?
We had so much fun getting everyone onboard involved in re-enacting the scene where all the ladies jump into the water from the jetty. Instead of the jetty, we improvised and used the boat.
Vis is the furthest Croatian Island from the mainland and used to be a Yugoslavian military base, closed to visitors until 1991. Even though it is not a military base any longer, there are still military tunnels on the island that you can explore.
Once we docked, we thought we would try our hand at hiring some bikes again – electric ones this time, and explore a little further afield. It was a beautiful day, so we headed up behind the old town to an old Fortress, which is now a wedding venue, and soaked in the wonderful views of the island.
We headed back into town to return the bikes, but not before Milana stacked it! I think we had sworn off bikes for the rest of the trip by this stage! We watched a gorgeous sunset, by the water, with a beverage in hand.
We met up with some of our ship friends for a spritz and then headed to a local restaurant for a delicious seafood dinner.
Hvar
Hvar Old Town
Hvar was quite a memorable stop for me, for all the wrong reasons!
The day started out well, we managed to see the Blue Cave that we were unable to access the day before. It was a real highlight, just entering the cave itself was an adventure, we really had to watch our heads! Once inside the cave, the blue of the water is unbelievable! It was similar to the Blue Grotto in Capri, but without the wait time to get in! I believe the Croatian ticketing system is a lot better than bobbing around on the water in Capri, getting sea-sick, waiting for your turn to enter the cave.
After seeing the Blue Cave and then lunch, we were water-taxied over to the town of Hvar. The boat would be docking later that afternoon, so it would be there for us to climb on board after dinner.
Once in port, we wandered around the pretty town of Hvar. I think Hvar Old Town is the most touristy of all the islands that we stopped at. It was certainly the busiest.
We walked up to the old Fortress, atop a hill behind town. Having enjoyed the view from the Fortress, we made our way back to town, but not without a drink stop, and a little nonsense, on the way back down.
After dinner in town, we made our way back to the boat to put a little face on and get ready for a night out dancing. As the itinerary states, Jager bombs were on offer at a bar called Nautica, which Sail Croatia have an arrangement with. Personally, I don’t touch Jager bombs, after that one time …. well, that’s another story!
Anyway, I was actually having a pretty quiet night, with my usual wine or two, hitting the dance floor a few times. It was a fun night. Until….someone tried to pick me up (I mean literally, not hook up! 🤣) They may have partaken in a few of those Jager bombs I think, and they dropped me! I knew straight away something was wrong with my arm.
The rest of the night was me trying to get comfortable in bed, but every time I moved my arm, the pain was terrible. No sleep for me!
Stari Grad
Luckily, we had some very knowledgeable passengers on the ship, a nurse and a physio. They were wonderful and helped make me comfortable. I chose to wait until we got to the mainland before going to the doctors, so we fashioned a sling out of my sarong and got on with our holiday!
Stari Grad, on the island of Hvar, is a UNESCO protected, quiet little town. We admired the beautiful architecture of the town and made a short detour to a pharmacy to stock up on some pain killers 😁
The highlight of our visit to Stari Grad was our vineyard tour. Heading out of town to a local vineyard with a gorgeous outlook and tasting several of their products was just what the doctor ordered!
The Captain’s dinner on ship that night was a quiet affair for me. I was tired from lack of sleep and feeling a little sorry for myself, so headed below deck after dinner for an early night.
Split
I know Split is not actually a Croatian island, but I have included it here briefly as this was the disembarkation point. Included in the cruise was one night in Split.
Unfortunately, my first morning in Split was spent in the emergency department of Split hospital getting my arm x-rayed. It was fractured. No ziplining for me!
I have to say that the medical staff were wonderful, and the whole hospital experience was not expensive. In fact, I chose not to claim anything on my travel insurance as the cost was comparable to the excess fee. Luckily, I have little ongoing issues with my arm, and it seems to have healed up nicely.
Special mention goes out to the cruise manager of our ship, Steve, who looked after me on my little hospital adventure. If you are interested in learning more about our ship and our whole Sail Croatia experience, here is link to my review.
Luckily, I had opted to stay an extra night in Split and was able to see a lot of the Old Town the next day. For more detailed information on my time in Split, including accommodation and tour recommendations, visit my blog post on my 10 Day Croatia itinerary.
We loved discovering Croatia. Everything people say about the country is true, it is stunning! If you are after an alternative to the Greek Islands, looking for similar island vibes but a little more laid back and not overrun with tourists, then add Croatia to your wish list. You won’t be disappointed!
