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Is Korcula a must-see?

I would definitely appreciate feedback about visiting Korcula. We only have a week in Croatia, flying into Dubrovnik and out of Split. I've read somewhere that Rick Steves recommends as day trips from Dubrovnik- Mostar, then Montenegro, and Korcula a distant 3rd. We will be doing an overnight in Mostar and a day trip to Montenegro from Dubrovnik. Would it be a shame not to see Korcula? Would we be missing a lot? I've also read elsewhere that Korcula town is like a mini-Dubrovnik. Thank you so much.

Posted by
12 posts

I'm waiting to buy the Croatia/Slovenia 2008 book which isn't out yet, so I've been doing lots of online research, but I found this off his blog
http://www.ricksteves.com/blog/index.cfm?fuseaction=entry&entryID=107

"A big issue for me and Cameron for our guidebook is which day trip from Dubrovnik is best: the lovely town of Korcula on the island of Korcula; the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro; or Mostar here in Bosnia-Herzegovina. There’s no question: it’s Mostar. And with the money you save in relative hotel costs, you can hire a private guide and get the Mostar story from someone who had to wait until dark to bury his neighbors."

And I think he probably means side trip vs. day trip- does take awhile to get there. We'd probably stay at least a night if we did go to Korcula.
Thanks.

Posted by
12 posts

Hi, thanks for the responses. I am going in early June. Currently, the plan is we fly into Dubrovnik at 7pm, and we spend 3 nights there, with a day trip to Montenegro. We will be renting a car to do the day trip- I've heard mixed reviews on the tours.. and my husband and I are not really "tour people", and he doesn't mind the driving.
Then after Dubrovnik, we drive ourselves to Mostar and Medjugorje, and stay the night in Mostar. Aside from Rick Steves, I've read plenty of great reviews about Mostar, and also how beautiful it is at night, and after the day-crowds have left.
After Mostar, this was the problematic part- doesn't seem like I'd need a car in Korcula and Split- and with a car, the ferry situation is also trickier (the car ferry from Vela Luka to Split is at 6:30am!). So I had considered driving back to Dubrovnik, then taking the bus to Korcula. But I think that's too much back tracking and time on the road.. to be cont..

Posted by
12 posts

Continued from above post..
So we are driving to Drvenik (or Ploce) from Mostar- there is a 5:30pm ferry from Drvenik to Korcula (2.5h). We'll spend 2 nights in Korcula town, and catch the car ferry from the inconvenient Vela Luka to Split at 6:30am in the morning. We spend the day and night in Split, and fly out from the airport the next morning.

So that's our tentative itinerary. I had originally asked the question about Korcula, because I had (and still am) considering cutting it out of the trip. The itinerary might be a little hectic as is. And we only have a full day in Dubrovnik and a couple of evenings.. hope that's enough.
Any feedback would be great! Thanks again!

Posted by
12 posts

Thanks Kent. I really appreciate it. Yeah, I think we'll likely stick to that plan. The ferries just seem a little inconvenient and long (2.5-3 hours each way).. and time is precious when traveling, as we all know! Croatia is the last stop of our 4 week trip. We will be in Budapest, Prague and Italy for the first 3 weeks. So part of the thought to skip Korcula was to keep the trip a little more relaxed at the end with a little beach time. We'd probably add a night to Dubrovnik, and maybe add Trogir, something like that. I just wanted some opinions on Korcula.. for those that have visited it, do they feel it was a place they could've skipped and not really missed too much? We're staying in some hill towns in Italy that are very medieval, and though the cultures are completely different, I was thinking there might be some "overlap" there. We're also going to the Isle of Capri while in Italy.

Posted by
188 posts

Your 3 nights in Dubrovnik really only gives you one day there. My preference would be to stay the extra time in Dubrovnik, relax--do the wall, the fortress, the beach, the square (especially at night), the gelato, etc. You could even do a half day trip to Lokrum Island if you got tired of Dubrovnik. Korcula was nice but now that I've seen it I wouldn't make a special trip.

Posted by
12 posts

Thanks everybody for the helpful input. Tricia, I think you confirmed our "dilemma". I was worried our 1 full day in Dubrovnik might be too short. I think we will take your advice, stay an extra night. We'll have the rental car to take short trips to Ston or the Pelijesac Peninsula, but be able to spend at least another 1/2 day in Dubrovnik, or a full day if we decide.
I've been researching.. and looks like in June, there are fast passenger catamarans (50min-1hr) from Split to Hvar, so maybe we can do a day trip there, depending on the schedule.
Thanks again everyone!

Posted by
32 posts

I have been to Korcula, Havr, and Dubrovnik. I thought Korcula was beautiful and fun because it was a mini Dubrovnik and you had the ability to rent bikes and ride around to different parts of the island. Dubrovnik is a site to see but is very busy and there isn't much to do once you have seen the walled city. I liked Korcula because it was less crowded and there were things outside the city. I rode my bike a few miles to a beach bar and laid in the sun. I would recommend Havr too. There is a direct ferry to split.

Posted by
12 posts

Thank you Kent, I appreciate the info. Will share with the husband and see what he says.
I should probably start a new post with this question.. but I think I'll ask here anyway- I've heard and read amazing things about Plitvice Lakes, and I'm sure it's Croatia's highlight, at least one of. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether we should add this on to our trip (say a day trip from Split) and cut out Mostar or an island? We have a week in Croatia, and I'm just not sure if the 2.5-3 hours each way to Plitvice from Split would make any sense. We fly into Dubrovnik, and out of Split.

Posted by
188 posts

Hi Elaine,
We drove from Split to Plitvice Lakes last July--took us about 3 hours. We arrived at the park around 4 pm --good time to visit since the temperature was good, most of the crowds were gone (up to 10,000 visitors a day) and we had a lot of the trails to ourselves. The lighting was not great for photos, but we enjoyed the hiking for 4 hours and the change of scenery from the rest of the Croatian coast. We stayed the night in the area and revisited the park for a bit in the morning--primarily for a few photos--before heading farther north. Hopefully, this will give you an idea as to timing so you can decide if you want to do it as a day trip. You can google for some images of the scenery and that might help you with the decision.

Posted by
12 posts

Thanks to both of you for your honest answers/feedback. It certainly is out of the way, and a lot of time spent on the road. We're most likely going to save it for another trip some day. I have been to the Iguacu falls in Brazil, so maybe it won't be as much of a loss to miss out on Plitvice, though I'm sure they have their own uniqueness and charm. Sigh... I'm only trying to make myself feel better...
Thank you!!!