How to plan the ultimate island-hopping adventure in Croatia

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3 days ago

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
The fascination of islands is that they appear to be distinct, self-contained worlds. If that's true, then Croatia is practically its own solar system. From the Kvarner Gulf at the head of the Adriatic to the Dalmatia region between Zadar and Dubrovnik, more than 1,185 islands spray down the coast like a meteorite shower.
Whatever you're looking for, you'll find it here — from buzzy resorts for a party crowd on Hvar to towns like Korčula or Rab, their streets an insouciant jumble of gothic and Renaissance beauty. In between are endless pine-scrubbed specks with no firm grip on the 21st century, washed by the cleanest waters in the Mediterranean.
Lazy beach days may be the draw, but this is a country rich in history. Grasp that Croatia is all about cultural tectonics and you're halfway to making sense of a destination that's exotic and familiar by turns. It's a nation created where the plates of European history — Ancient Greek and Roman, Austro-Hungarian in the north Adriatic, and the Venetian Republic in the south — have met and occasionally collided over millennia. All have left their mark, whether in architecture, cuisine or culture. Likewise, the people of Croatia mix Central European business head, Mediterranean heart and Balkan soul.
Holidaymakers have been fascinated by this destination for more than a century. George Bernard Shaw said of Croatia's islands: 'On the last day of Creation, God wished to crown his work, so he created the Kornati islands out of tears, sand and breath.' Edward VIII, on a romantic cruise with Wallis Simpson in 1936, entertained daydreams of escaping state duties by buying and renovating a little mansion by the sea. After the implosion of Yugoslavia in 1991, Croatia saw a return to form; the dreary accommodation that had sprung up during the Communist era beginning to make way for luxurious small stays.
With so many islands to choose from, it's tempting to hop furiously between them — especially as, in season, ferry connections are good and cheap if you travel on foot. However, each destination deserves a few days, at least. Slow down to the islands' pace and you'll find that individual identities slowly reveal themselves. The trick is to select islands whose ferry routes daisy-chain into coherent paths — as they do in these two itineraries. See our highlights as gateways for your own discoveries.
The islands off the Dalmatian coast showcase Croatia at its most vivid. They're sunbaked and wild, perfumed by pine trees and herbs, silvered by olive trees and contoured by the grapevines introduced by the ancients. Blasted by the light and heat of centuries, it's a land of living poetry, packed with history, which has elevated easy living into an art form.
This route visits Croatia's most celebrated islands — plus one curveball — and is bookended by its most beautiful cities: Split and Dubrovnik, both of which have international airports. After sleepy Šolta comes an archipelagic beauty parade: Vis, bohemian and increasingly upmarket; Hvar, which combines Renaissance looks with a modest club scene; then Korčula Town, one of the finest medieval citadels in the Mediterranean. A car limits your options for this itinerary, so pack light and travel on foot.
1. ŠoltaOne hour from Split harbour by ferry, Šolta is a pipsqueak of an island. It was called Solenta, meaning 'Sun Island', by the Romans. It's now a backwater of olives and pine scrub, whose rich soils produce a red wine so dark it's almost black. Hire a scooter or mountain bike at the port — the island is just 12 miles long — to taste dobričić wine and olive oil at Kaštelanac Agroturizam, discover idyllic harbours Maslinica and Stomorska, and follow tracks to rocky coves on the south coast. Top picks include Stračinska, Senjska, Jorja and Tatinja.
2. Komiža, VisToday Vis's chief claims to fame are Stiniva beach and Mamma Mia! — the 2018 sequel was filmed here — but millennia ago, Caesar described Croatia's furthest inhabited island as 'the most distinguished in the area'. Vis Town's Issa Archaeology Museum has various Roman finds, while the Venetian houses in adjoining Kut village are also worth exploring. Next, cross Vis to set-jet in Komiža, the island's prettiest harbour: ABBA renditions optional. From here, Alternatura runs sailing trips in falkuša (traditional fishing boats).
3. Hvar Town, HvarA village-sized Saint-Tropez meets Ibiza, Hvar lures superyachts and young holidaymakers with its beach clubs; the best is Carpe Diem — it's on Stipanska, one of the Pakleni islands, easily reached from Hvar. Among all the glitz is Hvar Town's Renaissance core, constructed by the Venetian Republic as a naval base and trade route staging post. Ascend to a 16th-century castle for harbour views, admire art in the Franciscan Monastery and drink in chichi cocktail bars.
4. Korčula Town, KorčulaApproaching this UNESCO-listed town by sea is bewitching. It's a medieval citadel of walls and towers like chess pieces, crammed onto a thumbnail of land and ambered in the faded glory of 400 years of Venetian rule. The gothic-Renaissance cathedral is its highlight, but it's better understood as a tiny city. You'll circle it in 30 minutes yet discover new detail for days: a heraldic crest here, a hole-in-the-wall gelateria there. Pair it with a day trip to Lumbarda village, where you'll find the sandy beach of Pržina and a white wine introduced by Ancient Greeks, Grk — Bire vineyard has tastings.
5. MljetOne third of Mljet is protected by its namesake national park. Swim in interconnected saltwater lakes near Pomena or paddle a kayak to the former Benedictine church but, to escape Dubrovnik day-trippers, be sure to take a five-hour walk around northwest bays, winding up at the village of Govedari. For adventure, visit Odysseus Cave, where the hero was said to have been captivated by Circe.
Because Dalmatia hogs the spotlight, the islands of the northern Adriatic are quieter, ferry travel with a car is easier and there's usually more space on the beach. Yet the region offers many quintessentially Croatian holiday experiences. There are semi-wild islands like Cres — roughly pronounced 'tsress', with seductive sibilants — where rare vultures ride thermal winds. Also Pag, which has a singular, austere beauty. On Lošinj — 'losheen' — there are handsome harbours and, in Rab Town, a cat's cradle of historic streets as picturesque as any in the country.
Ironically, this region was the first to appear in Croatia's brochures — Lošinj emerged as a wellness destination for Austro-Hungarians in the late 1800s. King Edward VIII, visiting Rab in 1936, so thoroughly embraced the holiday spirit he was moved to skinny-dip.
1. Krk TownPick up a car at Rijeka airport and you're already on Krk island. A bridge to the mainland has introduced development, but you soon escape its excesses in the older part of compact Krk Town. How old? Well, beneath a glass floor in beachwear shop Memento is a Roman temple of Venus, while cafe-nightclub Volsonis incorporates an antique tomb. Pair it with a trip to surrounding settlements: wine village Vrbnik and rustic Dobrinj are the best.
2. Tramuntana, CresWild, rare and spectacularly ill-suited to modernity, griffon vultures seem emblematic of Tramuntana, in the northern part of Cres. Here, Beli village is an Adriatic idyll of grey stone and terracotta and home to a rehabilitation centre for Europe's rarest indigenous vulture. You may see them soaring over sea cliffs while you walk signposted paths into the wooded region. Afterwards, head south to the Venetian harbour of Cres Town; nearby rustic restaurant Bukaleta serves the best lamb on the island.
3. Mali Lošinj, LošinjThis town was destined to be a major port of the Austro-Hungarian empire until its harbour was deemed too small for steamships, which is why it remains a handsome little waterfront with good restaurants in former captains' houses along the quay. Culture comes in at the Apoxyomenos Museum; its star piece is the eponymous 2,000-year-old bronze of an athlete positively twanging with youthful vigour.
4. Rab Town, Rab'Closer to reminiscence than reality,' said Victorian architect TG Jackson of this dream-like old town. Above alleys jostling with gothic and Renaissance mansions, a series of church spires rise like masts on a square-rig sailing ship. If you only ascend one make it the highest, St Mary's Campanile's bell tower, built in the 12th century. Be sure to stop in on 11th-century St Andrew's Monastery, where Benedictine nuns sell herbal remedies, heirs to a tradition dating to the Middle Ages at least.
5. PagThe Venetian Republic cleared this island's forests and the Adriatic's bura wind cold-blasted their regrowth so, today, Pag is as austere and magical as a desert; its bare limestone more lunar than terrestrial. Pag's beaches are hugely varied — from August clubbing on Zrće to wild escapism at Ručica — but among Croatians it's best known for paški sir (sheep's cheese), and lamb self-seasoned by a diet of wild, salty sage. Producer Gligora offers tours and a cheese bar, while rural hotel Boškinac has a fine slow-food restaurant.
Published in the June 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).