Croatia

In late September 2015, I was fortunate to visit Croatia, focusing on the Dalmatian coast. A group of friends rented a sailboat and sailed from Dubrovnik to Split, with stops in Mljet, Korcula, Hvar, Stari Grad, Milna and Trogir before our final destination of Split.

Croatia is a wonderful country with great history, architectural gems and friendly people. Good food as well. Most people we encountered spoke English. Croatia relies on tourism as a significant part of its economy, and the people we encountered were welcoming and accommodating.

A few notes on the individual cities visited, with some comments on the wines of Croatia:

Dubrovnik – At times, I felt I was on a movie set – Dubrovnik, within the walls of the old city, is pristine with city walls, marble streets, small alleyways leading to open courtyards, Gothic and Renaissance churches, and beautiful views of the sea. But it has many tourists visiting and it feels like few people live there. It becomes a bot overwhelming when a cruise ship, the size of Madison Square Garden, pulls up and docks, releasing its cargo of visitors.
The HBO series Game of Thrones used Dubrovnik for many scenes which were generally pointed out.
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Mljet – Mljet is one of the larger, but less populated islands in the Adriatic. A national park is located on the western part. We sailed from Dubrovnik to a small town called Okuklje, in a small cove on the norther coast of the island. We ate at Konobra Maran, and had some wonderful mussels, octopus salad and veal schnitzel.
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Here’s our boat . . . in case you were interested:
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Korcula – Korcula is an island with long history. There was a Greek colony on the island and Korcula was once part of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Korcula is now one of the more populous islands in Croatia.
We stopped in Korcula town. Korcula became part of the Venetian republic, during which the Cathedral of St. Mark was constructed. It is built in a Gothic-Renaissance style and completed in the 15th century. It is at the highest point in the town and offers beautiful views from the bell tower. The town is a walled city and the streets are in a herringbone patter to guard against strong winds.
Korcula is believed to be the birthplace of Marco Polo.
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Korcula was a beautiful town.
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The Church of St. Mark’s has some obvious Venetian influences.
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Marco . . .

Polo . . .
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Hvar – The island of Hvar is known for its production of wine, olive oil and lavender. The island was a greek colony and also part of the Roman empire. Hvar, the city, was a naval base of the Ventian empire. Hvar city is now known as a summer hot spot with discos and large yachts coming in during summer months. It was quiet when we were there; sadly, I have no reports on the Croatian “club scene.”

Stari Grad – Stari Grad, also on the island of Hvar, is a gem. Stari Grad, which means old town, is one of the oldest towns in Europe. Parts of the town are within a UNESCO world heritage site.
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The Stari Grad Plain is an ancient agricultural system set up by the Greek colonists with stone walls, a water collection system, and division of parcels. The parcels are still in use today. We asked a farmer carting grapes form his plot if he ever found artifacts while digging. He rolled his eyes and said “all the time.”
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In town, we were able to taste some wine being made old school in a basement. It was made from the Grasevina grape. Mild and fruity, it was fresh with a light floral touch. We were told that the barrels are often put into the ocean to absorb water to have the wood expand.
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My report in post 26 (from summer 2014). Croatia/Slovenia Travel - Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum - WineBerserkers This links at post 17.

Thanks for the report.

Stari Grad -
In the Stair Grad plain, we were able to see the small plots still being farmed for vegetables and grapes.
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Milna – Milna is a small fishing village on the island of Brac. Legend has it that the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s ships would stop here during the period the Diocletian palace was being built in Split. Many buildings appeared in decay and damage from the Croatian War of independence. Sad.
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Trogir – Trogir is an historic town on the coast of Croatia. The historic center is on an island accessible by short bridges. Trogir was found in the 3rd century BC. Trogir was part of the Venetian Republic and subsequently the Hapsburg Empire. A main attraction is the Cathedral of San Lovro (Saint Lawrence).
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Split – Split is a gem of a city. Split is the second largest city in Croatia after Zagreb. The most famous site in Split is Diocletian’s palace. The “palace” is a massive fortress with a mausoleum (built by the Emperor in anticipation of his death) and later converted to a cathedral. The palace is built of limestone and marble. I understand scenes from Game of Thrones have been filmed here.
The city is vibrant and while there are huge numbers of tourists roaming the streets, there are many locals and what seems like a fairly young (mid 20s) population.
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PS: I will put together my notes and post on some of the wines tasted.

Dan - Thanks for the cross link.
I liked your comparison of Korcula vs Hvar.
Hvar the city was not to my liking. Star Grad, however, on the island of Hvar, was mesmerizing. The history of the city is incredible. And you have people living there so it does not seem like Disney World, which Dubrovnik (within the walls) seemed like.
If you do return, Istria is beautiful. The cities of Rovinj, Pula and Porec are wonderful. I was there some 6 years ago, also on a sailing trip. It had very much an Italian feel to it as the Venetian influence was still present.

Do not go to Rovijn during the busy tourist season. It’s a mob scene.

I visited Coratia twice, both at the end of September and October.
I can easily see most coastal towns being packed with tourists during the summer months.
Dubrovnik (within the walls) had many tourists from the cruise ships and it was off-season.
Porec and Novigrad, both in Istria, along with Rovinj, seemed like they would be packed with tourists in the summer months as well.
Pula is a nice place to visit. The Pula Arena, a Roman amphitheater, is amazing - worth three stars *** on the Michelin Guide (although Michelin only gives it two).
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I don’t believe this is really Croatia. I don’t see anyone hugging.

Thanks for your thread. Great memories. I visited Croatia twice a few years ago. Both times were off season (but good weather). I could imagine that many of the places would have been overrun with tourists in high season.

Cheers, Howard