After the road trip by car with my parents-in-law, this part of Croatia will be about our backpacking trip in Korčula island, Orebić and Dubrovnik.
Korčula island
We took the boat from Split to Vela Luka instead of straight to Korčula town itself because we were going to do wwoofing for one month in Potirna which was near Vela Luka. I wrote about our wwoofing experience in another post.
Korčula island is scattered with small villages and hamlets filled with centuries-old stone buildings. It is empty for most of the year and only more crowded over the summer and in the olive harvesting months of October and November. We went there in November so it was empty. All services for tourism were closed. The sun shines from March to early December so it’s great to swim off the rocky shoreline. Korčula is blessed with loads of beautiful beaches. The southern part of the island has mainly sand beaches, often nestled in isolated bays, whereas the pebbly beaches of the northern side tend to be more shallow and flat.
There are too many places to see in Korčula island but we couldn’t make it all except the following:
Vela Luka
Vela Luka is a small town situated on the western side of the island of Korčula in a deep wide bay. The bay of Vela Luka is surrounded by numerous coves covered with vineyards, olive groves, fig trees and pine trees. Vela Luka is an attractive destination due to its mild climate and natural beauties such as sweeping views, clear sea and beautiful beaches.
For sweeping views, we had three options:
Hum hill. It is to the south of the town. It can be reached by a winding road meandering through olive groves northeast of Vela Luka. This hiking route is completely marked. It starts from the Jadrolinija agency on the waterfront and goes down the main road past the Greben shipyard. Then, it turns right on the road behind the shipyard and 300 meters after, continues with the narrow road towards south. Most of the route was in the shade of the woods. At the highest point of the mountain, there are the ruins of fortress Forteca. There is an observation deck of the ruins, where there is a forest fire observation station. The view in clear weather stretches across the bay of Vela Luka and much of the island up to the Dalmatian mainland. It is an absolutely spectacular and unique 360’ view. The observation deck allows you to circle and see the Island Hvar, Mainland, Peninsula Peljesac, Islands Mljet, Lastovo and Vis. During clear weather; you can even see the Italian coast, on the opposite side of the Adriatic sea.
Vela Spila Cave. It is to the north of the town. This tourist route, partly marked through the town, starts at the waterfront in the center near the pharmacy and goes up steep road to the top houses. Then, it goes along the concrete path to the cave itself. If you continue the route more up, there is very nice views to the mountains, sea and villages.
Sv. Juraj. It’s to the south of the town. The hiking route is completely marked. It starts on a macadam road in Potirna. At the beginning, it goes through the olive groves and then continues through the pine woods. This route leads to Saint George hill. There is a restored medieval chapel of Saint George on the top of the hill. The chapel holds two rows of inscribed crucifixes and a medieval window above the altar with a piece of sarcophagus built into it.
For clear sea and beautiful beaches,there are numerous of beaches to visit such as Vranac beach which is concrete with pebble sea bottom and is ideal for relaxing in the sun, enjoying the clean sea, good music and beautiful view of the center of Vela Luka; beaches in Potirna which are also made of pebble and the water is crystal clear. It’s kind of isolated so you can expect not many tourists hanging around or Proizd island which we hadn’t been to but we heard that it’s one of the best beaches in Dalmatian coast.
Blato
It was once an important agricultural centre, exporting its wine and olives throughout Central Europe. Nowadays, it’s a prosperous with a single, graceful tree-lined avenue running through the centre. Set in the middle of the older parts of town just south of the main street, Blato’s parish church overlooks a lovely Renaissance loggia. Unusually, Blato’s streets have numbers instead of names.
Grscica, Prizba and Brna
The three villages are located along the coast on the southern shore of the island of Korčula. They are famous for their crystal clear Adriatic sea water, beautiful coastal view, numerous vineyards and rich villas of former Korcula aristocrats, conifer forests and beautiful small islands. You can rent a bike or a small motor boat for sightseeing the beautiful coastline and excursions to the nearby, uninhabited, green islands suitable for swimming, sunbathing, and fishing. But remember that accommodations and services are only served in summer time.
Smokvica
It is one of the most picturesque of Korčula’s inland settlements with its red-tiled houses spilling down a hillside overlooking fields that produce some of Korčula’s best Pošip wine. That’s why we chose to sleep in our tent on the terrace of a good American instead of inside his house to wake up with a great view over the town in sunrise.
Korčula town
It is abound with rustic charm and has the palm-lined streets and ancient surrounding walls which provides a year-round appeal. Korčula Town offers one of Croatia's most romantic views and the striking Venetian architecture makes it a top sight. Approaching by ferry is simply very charming. There are loads of things to see in Korčula town such as the old town with its 15th-century Large Governor's Tower and Small Governor's Tower and the 13th-century southern land gate or Veliki Revelin, The Bokar Tower or Kanavelic Tower, St Mark's Cathedral, Marko Polo Museum and its wonderful view over the mountains and crystal clear sea. And of course we can’t miss its plenty beautiful beaches.
Orebić
Orebić is opposite the island of Korčula. It is home to some lovely beaches, including that rarity in Croatia – sandy beaches! We got amazed by a stunning view of sunset at the harbour of Orebić when arriving even the weather was not very nice that day. Orebić is famous for its mussels and oysters. Everything is fresh caught and served up at the right price. On the mountain behind Orebić is a Franciscan monastery, with its Church of the Assumption, which can be reached on foot in ten minutes or so. From the little look-out in front of the monastery there is a view of the Riviera and the white towers of Korčula on the other side of the Pelješac channel. The Monastery is the shelter of the icon Our Lady of Angels, which was claimed to protect sea captains.
Dubrovnik
The road from Orebić to Dubrovnik was quite turning but very beautiful so be prepared for the trip and enjoy the view. Just when arriving at Franjo Tudman Bridge, you already can enjoy a nice overlooking view of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is a stunningly undamaged walled city on the Adriatic Sea coast of the furthest south of Croatia. It's one of the most prominent tourist resorts of the Mediterranean and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Either the Old Town or other areas, Dubrovnik can provide you with a wow.
Old Town
Dubrovnik Old Town is known as one of the world’s finest and most perfectly preserved medieval cities in the world. For centuries, Dubrovnik with its huge sturdy stone walls, built between the 11th and 17th centuries, afforded protection to this former city-state. Today, these walls still enclose Dubrovnik's historic centre and it is possible to walk along them to enjoy the best views of the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’ and the surrounding lush green islands. Dubrovnik’s Baroque churches, monasteries and palaces; its Renaissance fountains and facades, are all intertwined with gleaming wide marble-paved squares, steep cobbled streets and houses. When you are in the Old Town of Dubrovnik, not just the famous places such as Roland's Column, Bell Tower, Sponza Palace, Rector's Palace, Old Port, Dubrovnik Cathedral…, but every corner there is worth a look.
Especially, Buža Bar, which provides a unique drinking experience, is a must visit place. Not only drinking and enjoying a spectacular view, you also can sunbathe and swim there. Buža is the only bar that is located on the sea side of the City Walls. They offers only cold drinks and some snacks, no warm drinks and there is no toilet for your information. But the really tricky part is to find the bar Buža. You may miss the place as the sign near the entrance states it as a "hole in the wall" bar or "cold drinks" bar. You can start on the Gundulic square, go up the Jezuit stairs, take a left, when you find yourself under the City Walls, take a right following the Walls. When you see a "cold drinks" sign, follow the arrow and the entrance should be on your left within the next 20-30 meters. If you think that you are lost, just ask anyone for the "hole-in-the-wall" bar! Good luck!
Lapad peninsula
Lapad is a residential suburb of Dubrovnik that lies about 3 km northwest of the Old Town. The interior is mostly green and calm with plenty of attractive sea views and beaches. Parts of Lapad are pedestrian only. Lapad has a long stretch of gravelly beach so no matter where you stay, you'll be within walking distance of the sea. For a quiet sea experience, walk the coastline path north toward Babin Kuk where many of the flat rocks have been turned into impromptu bathing centers including ladders into the sea.
Copacabana, Cava and Uvala Bay are three main beaches which are particularly suitable for small children or people who like to have all beach facilities available there (it means you have to pay entrance fee). Some parts of these beaches are sandy while the rest is just pebbly and rocky.
There are also plenty of other places to swim, sunbathe or snorkel. Try these three:
Solitudo (off Ulica Ivana Zajca Street – perfect for hot afternoons as it faces North and has plenty of natural shade)
Neptun (part of the coastal path just off Nika i Meda Pucica Street).
Gorica Svetog Vlaha (southern facing stretch featuring steep cliff-like coast, just around the corner from Bellevue beach)
The seashore here is predominantly rocky with numerous large slabs that are great to lay on or jump from into the water. Some pebbly and sandy patches can also be found but tent to get reserved from the early mornings.
Mount Srđ
It provides a fabulous view of the town. There is a fortress called Fort Imperijal on top which contains a small museum describing its history. From the fortress, it is possible to see the walled city of Dubrovnik, Lokrum island, the Adriatic Sea and various local attractions. You can hike or take a cable car or a taxi to there. If you choose to hike, be cautious that the path is very exposed to the sun. So for a hot, summer day, bring enough water! The path is rocky; good shoes are a must. To walk up, start from Jadranka Cesta near the "Welcome to Dubrovnik" sign. As you walk up the zigzagging road you'll pass the "Stations of the Cross" panels which depict Christ's journey to his crucifixion. Actually, we used this road to go down and went up with another route which was more complicated but with very wonderful views.
Tour “Games of Throne”
Dubrovnik is also well-known with the most iconic scene in season five “Walk of Shame” so there are plenty of tourist agencies can provide you with a tour to all the places where they films the scenes. But you also can make the tour on your own through Baroque stairs, St. Dominic Street, Ethnographic Museum Rupe, Ploče Gate and Reactor's Palace. We are not very big fans of the film so we didn’t really trace the scene places.
We were in Dubrovnik near Christmas and New Year season so the Old Town was decorated accordingly. I don’t know why but the atmosphere of all made it seem so holy.
Comments