Dinkwads Abroad

Nestled into the Adriatic Sea, just off the coast of mainland Croatia and a few hours’ ferry ride from Dubrovnik, you’ll find the charming little town of Korcula on its namesake island. With an old town built in a fishbone pattern to control the flow of the coastal winds, you immediately find yourself enamored with the aged stone, vibrant with numerous plants along the narrow streets, and hiding a cat (or two or three) in its old doorways or windowsills. The twists and turns lead you around the small old town in a labyrinthian style, so it’s easy to lose track of where you’ve been before, but also where you were going as you find yourself marveling at the beauty around every corner. And after a day of happily wandering aimlessly, soaking in the last rays of the sun over the Adriatic while sipping a cocktail perched atop a 14th century tower truly round out a perfect day in coastal Croatia.

If taking a step back to the 14th century is on your Croatian itinerary (and it should be), read on to see where we stayed in Korcula, as well as where we ate and drank. Whether you’re there for the wine varietal that is only made on the island, the local art stores, or swimming in one of the small but nearby beaches, Korcula will have something to offer everyone.

Where We Stayed

Korcula is a tiny city. Looking at the map, it seems as though it’s far wider than it is. We opted to pay a little bit more to stay close to old town, but then as we were just walking along, we found the other area that we had considered staying, not even a 10 minute walk away. So while we loved being right near old town because we could easily pop into our room whenever needed, the beauty of Korcula is that you’re never too far from anything!

We opted to stay at San Teodoro, which was the perfect stay for us. The hospitality was standout as they were able to accommodate us early and ensured every need was taken care of! They even provided us with some delicious cookies from a local bakery, accompanied by a handwritten note welcoming us to our stay.

San Teodoro
Ul. Hrvatske Bratske Zajednice 6, 20260, Korcula, Croatia
Check Availability Here

They also offer breakfast at the hotel. It’s not included in our room price and so was an additional €17 per person. They offered a great selection of meats, cheese, pastries, overnight oats, fresh and cut fruit, cereals, and even cake! In addition, they can make you other items, such as eggs and bacon, to order. While we were working on a time crunch to get to our ferry by 10:30 AM and many breakfast spots did not seem to open until 9:30, this seemed like the best option for us and was absolutely delicious!

While we had no issue taking the stairs up to our room, if you have certain physical limitations that make stairs an issue for you, you may want to reach out to the hotel to see if they can accommodate and put you on a lower floor or if they have an elevator. I didn’t see one, but I easily could have missed it if there was one.

Cost: $$
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: My only complaint about this stay is that it was quite loud in the morning. Despite being on the third floor with our windows closed, we heard multiple doors slamming outside early in the morning along with cars honking and people talking very loudly. To the hotel’s credit, they do provide earplugs to help with this. But as light of a sleeper as I am, I was hoping to sleep in a little more than I did, especially since the bed and the room itself were so comfortable! But everything else was top notch in this place!

Where We Ate

With only one night in Korcula, we didn’t get to try nearly as many places as we would have liked! However, with the little time we did have there, we did have one of our favorite meals in Croatia, and I would recommend anyone staying here check out some of the places we went!

Fundamentum
Setaliste Petra Kanavelica 6, 20260, Korcula, Croatia
Restaurant Website

I would typically never eat on a promenade as restaurants on a promenade tend to be highly overpriced for mediocre food, but I made an exception for Korcula. The weather was too perfect, the sea too beautiful, and the menu at Fundamentum too enticing to NOT eat there! So we strolled along the water, perusing the different menus, until we settled on Fundamentum.

And I’m so glad that’s where we ended up! This was one of our favorite meals in Croatia. We had the traditional black risotto at a few restaurants, but Fundamentum was hands down our favorite! Paired with the mussels, some roasted veggies, and two glasses of Grk wine, a varietal that is only grown on Korcula island, we made great use of the one and only lunch we had on the island!

Just watch out for the cats trying to steal your fish! We had two sitting on the wall right next to us, getting quite curious about the seafood on our table!

Price: $$
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: If you only have one meal in Korcula, go to Fundamentum and get the black risotto!
Logistics: They take credit card, and you can sit right out on the water! We didn’t have a reservation and it wasn’t busy at all when we got there for lunch. But if you’re traveling peak season or wanting to go for dinner, you may consider booking a table ahead of time.

CUKARIN Korcula
Ul. Hrvatske Bratske Zajednice, 20260, Korcula, Croatia

If you’re looking for some truly local baked goods, Cukarin is the place to go! You won’t find overly fancy pastries here, just local favorites baked fresh. I wish I could remember the names of anything we had, but we basically got one of everything available and it was all delicious! They also have a small supply of Croatian packaged foods you can get as souvenirs, so we got a few honeys as well as a dark chocolate olive oil bar.

The woman at the counter gave us samples of most things, and even gave me a little bouquet of flowers she had made that morning as a gift! She was so sweet, and while I failed to get photos of the treats, I made sure to get a picture of my gifted bouquet.

Price: $
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: Stop by to at least try one of their homemade treats, but also stock up on a few edible souvenirs to take home!
Logistics: They took card or cash. It’s a bakery, so double check their hours before you go.

Lick Paradise
Ul. Hrvatske Bratske Zajednice 34, 20260, Korcula, Croatia

This place had so many delicious ice cream flavors, it was hard to choose just one! We opted for a white lotus flavor, which tasted a little bit like cream cheese. It was creamy and tart, and full of flavor! I honestly preferred this shop’s flavors to the more popular ice cream shop we went in Dubrovnik! Plus, I just like the name.

Price: $
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: Great choice for a quick sweet treat!
Logistics: They accept card or cash, and will let you sample multiple flavors!

Pizzaria Pape
Setaliste Petra Kanavelica 10, 20260, Korcula, Croatia
Restaurant Website

When it came time for dinner in Korcula, it was already pretty late and the cold breeze coming in off the water made sitting outside on the promenade a little less appealing than it had been earlier in the day. So we were mainly looking for something quick that could sit us inside, which is how we ended up at Pizzeria Pape.

They were so incredibly accommodating for our request to sit inside! It was already pretty full, but they made room for us where they could and were happy to do so. And I’m so grateful they did, because the pizza ended up just what we were looking for at the end of the night! We opted for a truffle pizza and added bacon with a side salad, and it was everything you want in a pizza!

Price: $
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: This was great pizza! No complaints. The only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because, while very well prepared and tasty, it wasn’t one of those dishes I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.
Logistics: They accept card or cash. Small seating space inside, so you may need to wait if they’re busy and you don’t want to sit outside.

Other Places To Eat

While we didn’t get to eat at these restaurants and therefore can’t vouch for them personally, they were on our list of places to go based on other peoples’ suggestions!

Konoba Adio Mare – Ul. Sv Roka 2, 20260, Korcula, Croatia
The food looks great and it gets great reviews!

Mariola Wine Bar – Ul. Antuna Rozanovica 13, 20260, Korcula, Croatia
Great wine list and their bruschetta looks phenomenal!

Bokar Wine Bar – Ul. Sv Roka 15, 20260, Korcula, Croatia
Charcuterie and great wine, and it’s right across the street from Mariola, so you can hop (or stumble after a few glasses of wine) from one to the other!

Where We Drank

Coffee

Zak
Ul. Plokata 19. travnja 1921, 20260, Korcula, Croatia

This is a nice little spot right outside of old town where you can grab a coffee, sit out on the patio, and enjoy the views of Korcula’s old town walls and gate. We had things to do, so it was more of a grab and go situation for us, but it would be a pleasant place to just sit in the morning!

Price: $
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: Good coffee in a nice spot!
Logistics: They accept card or cash and you can get your coffee to stay or to go.

Libations

Cocktail Bar Massimo
Setaliste Petra Kanavelica, 20260, Korcula , Croatia

Do you enjoy beautiful sunsets over the sea? How about a good glass of wine? Or maybe a nice cocktail? How about all of that perched atop a 14th century tower, sipping away the evening sitting on top of history? Then Cocktail Bar Massimo is a must-stop for you! As long as you’re physically able to climb a ladder (this requires climbing two), and the weather is nice, make a plan to get there and soak in the last rays of sunlight, enjoying a cocktail, and marveling at their pulley system to bring drinks up to the top of the tower! We enjoyed some local wines as well as a negroni while up there, bundled up in the blankets they provided once it got cold, playing a few rounds of Dice Catan when we weren’t staring in wonder at the town’s stone walls basked in the golden warmth of the setting sun.

Price: $$
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: I’m sure there are other places to grab a nice cocktail or glass of wine in Korcula, but are they on top of a 14th century tower with views like that?! No?! Then why bother going anywhere else?
Logistics: Cash only. It cost us 40 euro for two glasses of wine and a cocktail. You also have to climb two ladders to get to the top of the tower. They don’t take reservations, and it can fill up pretty quickly, so get there early if you want to see the sunset, which I highly recommend. And if you’re unfortunate enough to end up in Korcula with less than ideal weather, they do have a really cozy space you can sit indoors as well.

Conclusion

Korcula was quiet and sleepy while we were there, with hardly anyone in the streets, but that didn’t mean the restaurant scene was any less impressive than a bustling city! From fresh seafood to warm, flavorful pizza to local wines in a historical setting, Korcula has plenty to offer, and I can’t wait to go back and try whatever else this small island has to offer!

Read on to Korcula Part 2 to see what we did and see my final thoughts on the town!