When it comes to beautiful Islands, Croatia has them in abundance.
Choosing which islands to visit will quite possibly be the hardest decision you are going to make if you are going to go island hopping through Croatia.
I still have a number of islands that I need and want to visit so will have to add these to my Croatian travel wish list for future visits however here is a little taster of the islands that I have visited.
Hvar
The aptly named “Party Island”, anyone who is anyone has partied on this island.
I took a tour of the island as I was after a more sedate visit to see the beautiful lavender which is grown on the island however I was disappointed as I didn’t see any lavender fields on our tour.
The old town is beautiful and there is a beautiful vantage point which takes a bit of energy on a hot day to climb but well worth the effort as you get a great view of the lower town and harbour.
Hvar is an all year round island as they have very mild winters and warm summers and gets approximately 2,800 sunshine hours a year. I think England probably struggles to get 800 sunshine hours a year!
You can do day trips from Split or Makarska.
Korcula
The home of the infamous Marco Polo (possibly!) and for me the most beautiful island in Croatia.
What makes Korcula so beautiful is that it’s like a mini version of Dubrovnik with a beautiful old town with terracotta roof tops. At the Land Gate and Steps there is a daily market where trinkets and fresh fruit and vegetables can be purchased. The Land Gate provides a dramatic entrance point to the Old Town.
Korcula has become very popular with day trippers and cruise ships. The old town population swells in the middle of the day however after 5pm the island is basically empty bar the locals and the tourists that are saying on the island.
There are some lovely restaurants to eat at dotted around the Old Town either in the middle of the Old Town or overlooking the ferry port where you can watch all the hot and flustered passengers exiting the ferry looking for accommodation.
On my last visit, I purchased a beautiful painting by a local painter from Korcula which I have proudly hanging in my lounge that reminds me of my time on the island.
Kolocep / Lopud / Sipan
If you are holidaying in Dubrovnik, you will find a number of boats offering fish picnics which offers you obviously a fish lunch on the boat but it also does a tour of the three islands closest to Dubrovnik – Kolocep / Lopud / Sipan.
This is a nice break for the day from Dubrovnik if you are over struggling with all the other tourists in Dubrovnik and want a more relaxing pace.
These islands are very quiet and you can spend the day visiting different little restaurants / cafes dotted along the Riva or you can go swimming.
Kolocep has one of the only sandy beaches in Dalmatia which after travelling through Croatia you come to realise that the stony beaches are a blessing and sand does get everywhere! You can hire a lounger for a small fee.
If you are looking for a tour company for your Day Trips in Croatia then I would recommend Atlas Tours.
There are so many islands that I still want to visit including Vis, Brac and the Kornati Islands.
xx
