COASTAL CROATIA

Upon arrival in Split, make your way to the hotel in the city centre. Feel free to explore at leisure before joining your fellow travellers in the lobby at 6pm for a welcome meeting with our Local Insider. They will accompany the group throughout the trip. You’ll then head out together to a local restaurant for dinner – an ideal opportunity to get to know each other. Afterwards, you might be tempted to enjoy a few more drinks in the lively bars in Split.

After breakfast, we’ll be met by our Local Insider for a tour of the old town. You’ll learn about the history of Split, and have a chance to admire centuries-old Roman and Venetian architecture. Diocletian’s Palace, built between the third and fourth centuries CE, is a particularly impressive sight. The rest of the afternoon is yours to spend however you like – but make sure you’re free to meet back up at 7:30pm for a rather special activity. We’ll be heading up to the observatory on Mount Mosor for an evening of high-powered star-gazing.

Hop on a ferry to Vis – the furthest inhabited Croatian island from the mainland and one of the most charming. Formerly a Yugoslav military base, it was closed to visitors from the 1950s until 1989 and, while tourism has grown since, it has retained an authentic, low-key feel. Spend the first half of the day getting the lay of the land on your own - relaxing on wild beaches, and wandering through the Venetian courtyards and alleyways of Kut (an attractive neighbourhood in Vis town), before we meet up for a fascinating guided military tour later in the afternoon.

After yesterday’s military-themed activities, today is all about seeing Vis’s softer side. After breakfast, you’ll take a local bus to the town of Komiža where you’ll be picked up by speed boat and whizzed to nearby islands to visit some stunning marine caves. One of those is the Blue Cave on Biševo island, one of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders in Croatia. You’ll also have the chance to do some snorkelling here, so you can see the cave’s beauty from above and below the surface, before having the rest of the day free to explore the island at your own pace.

Wave goodbye to Vis and continue south by ferry across the Adriatic Sea towards Korčula – an island known for its densely forested interior, dotted with medieval villages, vineyards and olive groves. Before we reach the fortified Old Town of Korčula – which sits on a tiny, oval peninsula on the northeastern coast, characterised by Venetian Renaissance churches, squares and monuments – we’ll stop in at the Barillo ethnographic museum in the village of Blato. The museum is a treasure trove of Croatian folk art, costumes and artifacts from the island’s past.

Kick-start your day by cycling past pine forests and olive groves en route to Lumbarda. There, you’ll be able to taste grk – a dry white wine unique to the vineyards around Lumbarda that’s been grown in the area for more than 2,000 years. Pošip (white) and plavac (red) – both indigenous to Dalmatia – are also popular choices. Take time to explore the village or head to one of the nearby sandy beaches, Vela Przina or Bilin Zal, before returning to Korčula town. Later, tuck into a delicious dinner at a local restaurant.

Catch a ferry back to the mainland, stopping in Ston on the Pelješac peninsula, home to the oldest salt pans in Europe (dating back to the 14th century). Here, you’ll have an opportunity to sample the local speciality – oysters fresh from the sea – before continuing along the coast to Dubrovnik, which is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world. Enjoy a guided walking tour of the Unesco-listed Old Town, with its blend of gothic, Renaissance and baroque styles, intersected by the limestone-paved promenade, Stradun. Cap off your trip with a farewell group dinner.

The time has come to bid farewell to your new friends as your Croatian adventure comes to an end. After one final breakfast, check out of the hotel by 10am and make your way to Dubrovnik airport – or choose to extend your stay and discover what else Croatia has to offer.