Sail Away to Paradise: Explore the Hidden Gems of Korcula Island

Korcula is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and interesting islands in Dalmatia and the Mediterranean. Korcula is about 275 square kilometers, which is pretty big.

It is separated from the coast by a narrow stretch of water that is only 1.2 km wide. It is the largest island in an archipelago of about fifty small islands.

It is surrounded by the deep blue Adriatic Sea, and it has a lot of Mediterranean scrub and woods and meadows, which make it changeable and full of contrasts.

History

Korcula’s history is also full of contrasts and adventures. For thousands of years, it has been home to Greeks, Illyrians, Romans, Balkan people, and most of all, Venetians, who left their mark on the land, the villages, and the culture of the island.

The memories of Venetians are strong not only because of the beautiful buildings, but also because of some of their traditions.

The most famous of these is the Moreska, which is a dance with arms that looks like a fight between two kings and their followers who are trying to win the love of a beautiful girl. It is performed in Renaissance costumes to beautiful music.

Every year on July 27, the show is put on, and the whole city takes part. This event draws a lot of tourists.

Korcula, Lumbarda, and Vela Luka are the three most important cities on the island.

If you are coming from the coast of Dalmatia and going up the Peljesac peninsula, the fastest ferry leaves from Orebic and gets you to Korcula center in a few minutes. The historic village of Korcula is one of the most beautiful in the Adriatic.

The beautiful entrance to the center (Veliki Revelin), the old walls that surround the narrow streets, the palaces from the Middle Ages, the Cathedral of San Marco, which was built in the style of a Venetian church, and the beautiful views of the sea make a visit to Korcula an experience you will never forget.

Marco Polo

The place where Marco Polo was born is a must-see for people who like to travel. There are still many questions about how real it is, but it is a good tribute to the first person to travel around the world to explore and find new things.

In less than a quarter of an hour, you can drive from the center of Korcula to Lumbarda and its beaches, which are about 5 km south-east on the island’s eastern tip. Today, it’s a small village that people like for its beaches and because it’s a great place to start trips to other places. But in the past, it was where the bishops and nobles of Korcula liked to go on vacation.

From the center of Korcula, you can also move along the main road that runs through the middle of the island and connects Zrnovo, Pupnat, Cara, Smokvica, and Blato until it flows into the beautiful bay of Vela Luka. Vela Luka, which is on the western side of Korkula, has the second most people of any town on the island.

Vela Spila cave

There are signs of ancient settlements in the Vela Spila cave, which is a few kilometers from the town. Some of the archaeological remains found in the cave have been taken to the Vela Luka Cultural Center, where you can learn about the history of the area. In the same building, you should also check out the numismatic collection.

During the summer, Vela Luka comes to life with the San Giovanni Regatta on June 24 and the Vela Luka Festival in July and August, which has concerts, exhibitions, and different kinds of entertainment.

Secondary roads let you get to coastal villages like Zrnovska Banja and Racisce on the north coast or Prizha, Brna, Zavaltica, and Pupnatska Luka on the south coast, which are known for their crystal-clear water.

Exploring the Great Outdoors: Hiking, Trekking, and Sailing on Korcula

But Korcula’s clean nature, crystal-clear water, untouched beaches, and secluded coves are what draw people there the most. Because of the way the currents play around the island, it is a real paradise for people who like to sail.

You can also try windsurfing and snorkeling, and the clear water makes it a great place to go deep scuba diving. If you want to learn about the caves and many karst cavities in the countryside, you should go hiking or trekking.

Everyone can find a beach they like. The best place for families to go swimming is near the historic center, on the beach of Luka Korculanska.

This beach is mostly made of sand and is caressed by crystal clear waters that get deeper slowly for the little ones.

Near Lumbarda, there are other popular beaches, but the real gem is the beautiful Pupnatska Luka beach, which is hidden in a bay that winds through the center of the southern coast.

This small fjord has sand and pebbles, but the best part is the beautiful water. In the Vela Luka area, you shouldn’t miss a trip to Gradina Bay, a circular gulf with shallow waters that change from green to turquoise in the morning light.

There are a lot of other beaches with rocky bottoms in the area.

After all that exploring and swimming, you’ll probably be ready for a nice dinner when the sun goes down. You’ll like Korcula and Croatian food, which uses ingredients from the land and sea to make simple but tasty dishes.

Korcula – A Gourmet Paradise

On the island, they make good wine, olive oil, and grappa that smells like anise, rose petals, and juicy fruits. Olive oil is the main ingredient in every Mediterranean dish. Many dishes include lamb, goat, or sheep meat, but most people prefer fish, whether it’s fried, grilled, or in a soup with vegetables. There are plenty of pastures, so it makes sense that there are also good cheeses to mix with honey.

Dulcis in fundo are sweets like prikle, which are pastry pancakes filled with almonds and raisins, and sirnica, which is sweet Easter bread.

Information to know: how to get to the island of Korcula and when to go

Summer is the best time to go to Korcula because you can enjoy the sun, sea, beaches, and being outside to the fullest. If you want to leave between the end of July and the first three weeks of August, make sure you book well in advance. The hotels are nice, but the towns aren’t very big, so during the busy season, you might not be able to find a place to stay.

Korcula’s weather

Korcula’s weather is mild and typical of the Mediterranean. The lush vegetation shows that there is plenty of rain, but most of it falls in the fall and winter, with some months getting more than 130 mm. In the summer, rain is mostly limited to thunderstorms.

From June to September, the highest temperatures are always above 26°C, reaching as high as 30°C between the end of July and the middle of August, when the sea is a nice 24–26°C. In the winter, it never gets too cold because the mountains of the Peljesac Peninsula block the cold winds from the Balkans. Even in January, the highs usually reach 10–12 °C, and the lows rarely get close to 0 °C.

You can take many different boats to get to the island of Korcula from the mainland. Several times a day, a ferry connects it to the town of Orebic on the Peljesac peninsula.

There are also motor ships that run between Korcula and Orebic, Kuciste, and Viganj. Express ferries connect Korcula to Ragusa, Split, Hvar, and Rijeka, which are the most important cities on the Dalmatian coast. Lastly, there is a ferry that runs every day between Vela Luka, Split, and Lastovo/Lagosta, and the same goes for the other way around.

Once you get to the island, you can use the buses, which run several times a day between the main villages.