.svg)
Where to Go in 2026: Our Expert Picks
Our 2026 picks: Uganda, Kenya, Australia and Zambia, plus Guyana and Northern Albania. Places that cap visitor numbers and still feel wild if you plan them well.
Discover
Croatia's Dalmatian coast runs from Split down to Dubrovnik, with Hvar, Korčula, Vis and dozens of smaller islands offshore. It is one of the best places in Europe for a trip that mixes old stone towns with days on the water, and it is small enough that a week or ten days covers a lot. The planning questions are mostly about timing and boats: when to be in Dubrovnik, which islands to choose, and whether to use the public catamarans or your own boat. Here is how we would approach it.
Dubrovnik's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site enclosed by walls that run for about 1,940 meters and rise to around 25 meters at their highest. The town is small, and its streets fill quickly when cruise passengers arrive.
The city now limits cruise calls to two ships a day, and the port's berthing rules for 2026 cap the number of cruise passengers in the city at the same time at 4,000. That has helped, but mid-morning to mid-afternoon on a busy day is still crowded. A few things make a real difference:
Three nights is enough. For a hotel, the Hotel Excelsior sits about 600 meters east of the old town, and some of its suites look straight across to the walls. Its oldest part, Villa Odak, dates from 1913. We do not yet have Croatian hotels on our list, so we advise on the right fit for each trip.
Split grew up inside a Roman palace. Emperor Diocletian built it as his retirement home at the end of the third century, and people have lived inside its walls since the seventh century. About 3,000 people still do, among shops, cafés and apartments. The Peristyle, the colonnaded court at its center, leads to the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, which began as Diocletian's mausoleum. The substructures under the old imperial apartments are among the best-preserved ancient complexes of their kind. The palace has been on the UNESCO list since 1979.
One or two nights is plenty, since Split is mainly the hub for the islands.
Hvar is the best known of the islands and has two different sides. Hvar Town, on the south coast, has a fine main square, a hilltop Spanish fortress and a theater that opened in 1612 in the old Arsenal. It is also the busiest spot on the coast in July and August, with a strong nightlife scene. Stari Grad, on the north side about 20 kilometers away, is quieter and much older. Greek settlers from Paros founded it in 384 BC and divided the farmland behind it into parcels that are still visible today. The Stari Grad Plain is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Maslina Resort, on Maslinica Bay near Stari Grad, opened in 2020 and is a Relais & Châteaux member. It has rooms, suites, four villas, a spa and a beach bar. The Pakleni Islands just off Hvar Town are the place for a boat day with swimming and lunch.
Korčula Town is a small walled town on a peninsula, quieter than Hvar and easier to enjoy at a slow pace. Grk, a white wine made only on the island, is rarely found elsewhere because so little is made. Look out for the Moreška, a sword dance that has been part of town life since around the 16th century. A short ferry crosses to Orebić on the Pelješac peninsula for its vineyards and the old walled town of Ston.
Vis was a Yugoslav military base and closed to visitors for decades. The army left in 1989, and the island still feels less built-up than Hvar. The high-speed catamaran from Split takes about an hour and a half. From Komiža, on the west coast, boats run to the Blue Cave on the island of Biševo, about 5 kilometers away. In summer, the light that turns the cave blue is strongest from about 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the cave can only be reached by boat.
Foot-passenger catamarans run by Jadrolinija, Krilo and TP Line link Split with Hvar Town, Korčula, Vis and Dubrovnik. Split to Hvar Town takes about an hour, Split to Korčula around three, and the full run from Split to Dubrovnik about four and a half, with a daily departure each way from April to October. Car ferries are slower and go to different ports, such as Stari Grad rather than Hvar Town. In July and August, catamarans on the busiest routes sell out days ahead, rough weather can cancel sailings, and you carry your own bags on and off. Avoid tight same-day connections to flights.
For island hopping with luggage, we usually prefer a private speedboat for the transfers. You leave when you want, stop to swim on the way and arrive at the hotel's own dock where there is one. It costs much more than the catamaran, but there is no waiting in line.
For a group or a family, a crewed gulet is a different kind of trip. These are traditional wooden motor sailers, usually chartered by the week from Split or Dubrovnik, with a crew and cabins on board. You sleep on the boat, anchor in coves and step ashore in towns like Hvar, Korčula and Vis. A week on a gulet between Split and Dubrovnik covers the same ground as the land-based plan, with more swimming and less packing.
Plitvice Lakes is the bigger of the two, a national park of 16 terraced lakes and waterfalls on the UNESCO list since 1979. It is about two and three-quarter hours to three hours by car from Split, or under two hours from Zagreb, so it works best as an overnight stop at the start or end of a trip. Swimming is not allowed, and the park caps daily visitor numbers. Arrive early.
Krka National Park near Šibenik is closer, about an hour and a quarter from Split, and an easy day out. The waterfalls at Skradinski buk are the main sight, and boats run to the Franciscan monastery on the island of Visovac, founded in 1445. Swimming has been banned in the park since 2021.
May, June and September are the best months. The sea is warm by June and stays warm into September, the days are long and the crowds are lighter. July and August are hot, and Dubrovnik and Hvar Town are at their busiest. Many coastal hotels are seasonal and close over the winter, and the long-distance catamarans run mainly from spring to autumn.
Seven to ten nights works well. A typical route is two nights in Split, three or four on Hvar, two on Korčula or Vis, and three in Dubrovnik, flying into Split and out of Dubrovnik. For more on the country, see our Croatia page, and see our Austria page if you want a few days in Vienna before the coast. Our guide to Europe in the shoulder season covers timing across the Mediterranean, and why we build every trip from scratch explains how we plan routes like this one.
If you would like help planning a trip along the Dalmatian coast, get in touch.
Every itinerary begins with a conversation. Tell us what you're dreaming of, and we'll design a journey tailored entirely to you.
Plan Your Trip
.svg){kind=icon}
