Visiting Korčula Island, Croatia: Discover the Best of Korčula
Planning a trip to Korčula Island this summer? This guide shares the best things to do, my restaurant and bar recommendations, and travel tips to help you to plan your perfect trip.
Korcula is my favourite island in Croatia and one of my favourite summer destinations in Europe. Its charming old town, crystal clear sea and amazing choice of food and wine makes it easy to fall in love with this beautiful island. Although it feels quite relaxed and less busy than some of the other places in Croatia, there is still so much to do and see. In this Korčula travel guide, I am sharing all of the best things to do, my restaurant and bar recommendations and all other travel tips to help you to plan your perfect trip.
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How to Get to Korčula Island
Korčula is a small island which doesn’t have an airport so you will need to get a Ferry there. If you are flying into Dubrovnik, you can then get the Ferry which takes you directly to Korčula Town. From Dubrovnik, the Ferries are passenger only. In the main summer season there are about 5-6 journeys from Dubrovnik to Korčula per day, and it takes around 2-2.5 hours. I would recommend booking your Ferry tickets in advance.
If you want to bring your car but are travelling from Dubrovnik, you can drive to Orebić which takes around 2 hours, and then take the car ferry which takes 20 minutes.
You can also fly into Split and get either the passenger ferry or the car ferry to Korčula. The ferry takes around 2.5 hours, and there are about 6 journeys per day in the main summer season. The passenger ferry takes you straight to Korčula town, however the car ferry from Split takes you into Vele Luka on the North of the Island which is a 40 minute drive to the town.
Where to Stay on Korčula Island
I would recommend staying in Korčula Town, particularly if this is part of an island hopping trip. Korčula Town is where most of the activities are, the boat trips go from here, and there is so much choice for amazing bars and restaurants. It is also where the passenger ferry comes and goes from so it makes it much easier on travel days.
Another great option to stay is Lumbarda, this is a seaside town with beautiful beaches, vineyards, wineries and a great choice of restaurants. You can get the bus from Korčula town to Lumbarda, they run regularly throughout the day and it takes around 15 minutes. You can also get a taxi boat from the town.
How long to Stay on Korčula Island
When I visited Korčula Island it was part of an island hopping trip, so I chose to stay here for 3 days. I think if you are limited on time and want to visit multiple places in Croatia, 3-4 days is a good amount of time to see the highlights of Korčula. However, I think it is such an amazing island with so many things to do that you could easily spend a week here.
Getting Around Korčula Island
A lot of the main things to do in Korčula are near the Old Town and Lumbarda, so if you are staying in either of these towns, you can use the buses or water taxis.
However, if you want to go to some of the further away beaches, the countryside and other hidden gems, then you will need to hire a car.
Best Things to Do on Korčula Island
1. Explore Korčula Old Town
Korčula’s medieval Old Town is filled with narrow cobbled stone streets, plenty of lovely cafes, bars and restaurants, and is surrounded by stunning views of the sea. I would recommend wandering around the narrow streets and the main squares. Wandering around here in the evening before and after dinner is one of my favourite things to do, it has such a lovely atmosphere. You can also visit St Mark’s Cathedral and some of the town’s churches such as St Peter’s and St Mihovil’s
2. Explore the Nearby Islands by Water Taxi
This was probably my favourite day of the whole trip, and the one thing I recommend anyone to do when they go to Croatia. There are three nearby islands (Badija Island, Vela Island and Vrnik Island) that you can easily get a hop on, hop off a water taxi to. You can get tickets for the boat at the water taxi station in the town, and it has a schedule of all of the routes. I booked the day before but you can also book online before you go. It is really easy to use, they only take around 15 minutes to get to each island and they run regularly.
I visited Badija first which was my favourite and such a memorable experience. It is an uninhabited island with a 15th century Monastery. When you first arrive off the boat you will be greeted by deer who live there. They aren’t scared of tourists at all so they will come over to you, especially if you have food. I did feel like Snow White here. There’s also a few beautiful beaches here, with the clearest blue sea to swim in. As with many of the beaches in Croatia, they are stoney and we did see a few sea urchins here on the floor so I would recommend taking water shoes.
The other island I visited was Vrnik, which is a tiny island but has a beautiful beach and a restaurant (Vrnik Arts Club) where you can stop for lunch or get a drink on the beach. There’s also an area you can jump off into the sea.
3. Visit Lumbarda
If you have chosen to stay in Korčula Town, I would definitely recommend visiting Lumbarda. You can get the bus from Korčula town which runs regularly and takes only 15 minutes. You can also get a taxi boat from the town. You can visit Pržina Beach here which is one of the few sandy beaches on Korčula, the sea is also really calm and shallow so it is great for families.
4. Visit a Winery
Korčula island is a well known wine-growing region, so visiting a vineyard and going on a wine tasting tour is a must! I would recommend Vitis Winery in Lumbarda which is a beautiful family run winery offering wine tasting, homemade food in a beautiful setting and Popic Winery in Lumbarda which has amazing wine with a beautiful view from the terrace.
5. Spend the Day at one of Korčula’s Beaches
Korčula is home to some of the most stunning beaches, with crystal clear waters. Most of the beaches are rocky so I would definitely recommend taking water shoes with you.
One of the most popular beaches on the island is Pupnatska. It is a fine pebble beach, with crystal clear waters where you can go snorkeling. There is also a restaurant where you can have lunch, a beach bar and you can rent sun loungers and umbrellas for the day. It is about a 25 minutes drive from Korčula Old Town, if you haven’t got a car, you would need to get a taxi which costs about 35 euros.
Another stunning beach is Zitna Beach which is a small beach with stunning crystal blue sea, and is a great spot for snorkelling. This is about a 35 minute drive from Korčula Old Town. This beach doesn’t have a restaurant or bar so I would recommend stopping at the shop to get some drinks and snacks if you are spending the day there.
Bačva Beach is another great option, it has beautiful, calm water and a small restaurant nearby which serves fresh seafood.
6. Spend the day at La Banya Beach Club
La Banya Beach Club is a stunning beach club, with a choice of sun loungers (cost approx. 30 euros each) or cabanas on the beach where you can relax, a pool area, a beach bar and a restaurant. There is also a platform area in the sea that you can swim out to and jump off, a swing in the sea, and paddle boards that you can rent.
7. Cocktails at the top of a Medieval Tower
Cocktails at Massimo is a must-do when you are in Korčula. This is a unique cocktail bar at the top of a tower in the city walls, with the most amazing panoramic views. It is the perfect place to have a cocktail whilst watching the sunset. However, it’s worth noting that you do have to climb up a very steep, quite scary ladder to get up and down from there.
8. Day trip to Mljet
Mljet is a beautiful island and a National Park that you can visit as a day trip from Korčula. It is known for its two salt lakes, hiking trails and beautiful forests. You can get the ferry from Korčula to Pomena, the ferry departs three times per day and it takes around 35 minutes to get there. These are only passenger ferries, there are no car ferries.
Things to do in Mljet:
- Visit the two salt lakes- Malo and Veliko Jezero
- Spend the day at Saplunara beach
- Visit Benedictine Monastery
- Go hiking
- Wander around Pomena and Polače village and see the Roman ruins
9. Go on a Kayak Tour
Best Restaurants on Korčula Island
- Aterina Restaurant– this is a lovely restaurant in a courtyard in the heart of the Old Town. I would recommend to try their local dish ‘Žrnovski Makaruni’ and to try the local wine from the Lumbarda wine region.
- Konoba Škafetin- a family run restaurant in Lumbarda serving amazing fresh food in a beautiful setting surrounded by Olive Tree’s.
- LD Restaurant- A Michelin star restaurant serving creative food, using bold flavours, in a perfect seafront location in the Old Town.
- Ignis Korcula– a great restaurant in the Old Town serving amazing breakfasts, but also great Tapas in the evening.
- Pensatore Kitchen & Wine– a charming restaurant in a great location on the waterfront in the Old Town serving amazing, fresh food using local ingredients.
- Restaurant Filippi- this restaurant is on the Michelin guide, serving great Mediterranean food in a perfect location on the seafront promenade in the old town
Nigra Kitchen & Wine– amazing food, using local ingredients, and in a beautiful setting overlooking the sea but with views of the Old Town walls.
De Canavellis– the best Pizza and wine bar in a lovely location in the Old Town with views of the sea
- Gera Zrnovo Agroturizam- a family run restaurant recommended by locals serving traditional Croatian dishes with ingredients from the owner’s garden. It is a short drive out of the Old Town.
- Konoba Mate– this restaurant is featured on the Michelin guide. Delicious meals, ingredients from their own garden, in a beautiful setting in the countryside. This is in the village of Pupnat so you would need to drive to get here from the Old Town.
Best Bars on Korčula Island
- Lole Wine and Tapas Bar
- Massimo Cocktail Bar
- Wine bar Bokar
- Mariola wine bar
About Amelia
Hi! I’m Amelia, a travel content creator and blogger who loves exploring new destinations, experiencing new cultures, and ticking off as much of my bucket list as possible!
I love to find the best things to do, best places to eat, drink and explore so I have created this blog to share my experiences and recommendations so that I can hopefully help you plan your perfect next trip away.
