Dinkwads Abroad

Korcula is one of those small towns where, even if you’re someone like me who likes to move a million miles a minute, you can sit and do nothing and be 100% okay with it. Slowly making your way down each street with no real goal, just letting the beauty take it where you will, or sitting by the beach, watching the sea ebb and flow at your feet, it’s easy to get lost in time here. And without any real purpose or plan, that’s exactly what we did, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

While our time in Korcula was very laissez-faire, we did manage to do quite a few activities in the short 24 hours we were there, and here’s what I recommend you do!

What To Do In Korcula

Must Do

You can take your time in Korcula doing absolutely nothing and be perfectly content, but these are the things I would highly recommend making sure you do!

Shop the Local Art

You don’t have to look hard to find local art in Korcula. You’ll stumble across shop after shop after shop of everything from original paintings and prints to sculptures to clothing. You could easily spend an entire day going to every store, looking through every print and finding the perfect souvenir, whether for yourself or friends and family at home! However, these are the places we went that I would recommend.

ALBA Workshop
Ul. Ismaelli 2, 20260, Korcula Croatia

This was my favorite because not only was the art incredibly unique, but the artist was the one actually working there! So we got to talk to her about her process and inspiration, and even see some of her works in progress!

Tara Gallery
Ul. Sv Roka 12, 20260, Korcula, Croatia

This gallery had a HUGE selection of prints as well as some original paintings, mostly of Korcula or surrounding areas. So if you want to get an image to represent your time in the beautiful city, this is a great place to stop by!

Vapor Gallery
Kula Morska Vrata, 20260, Korcula, Croatia

While we didn’t end up buying anything from here, I still would recommend making a stop in! They had some really unique goods, including some really nice small, packable sculptures. It’s a small shop, so it won’t take a ton of time, but it’s worth a stop and is right by the entrance of old town!

Boya Crayons
Kaporova 29, 20260, Korcula, Croatia

After you’ve been inspired by all of the art you’ve been perusing, get the materials to make your own art! These crayons are unique in their shape, made to be able to color multiple different ways to create different styles, and we loved all the different colors, including the multi-colored ones! They’re made in Croatia, and make for such a unique gift!

Cost: Depends on how much you spend!
Time Allotted: Don’t plan for a specific timeline. Just wander the streets and pop into a place that you find interesting! That being said, you can easily walk all of old town in 30 minutes, so if you pop in and out, you could probably have shopped everywhere you want to within 2 hours.
Logistics: Everywhere we went accepted credit card, so it was easy to pay!

Hike to Panorama Korcula

I say “hike” but this is more of a 20 minute walk with slight elevation. It’s pretty easy, and you’ll be rewarded with some nice views of the peninsula!

There’s also a fort nearby that you could hike to that would take another 10 minutes or so. It doesn’t offer views and you can’t go into the fort itself, which isn’t much to look at. If you’re short on time, I don’t think it’s worth it.

Cost: Free!
Time Allotted: It takes less than 15 minutes to walk up there from old town, so even allotting for slower paces and taking 15 minutes to enjoy the view (there is a bench there), this should only take 45 minutes to an hour max.
Logistics: Everything is paved, so it’s super easy to walk! But be aware that the road the viewpoint on is a narrow road without any sidewalks (although the viewpoint itself is off the road), so just be aware of your surroundings as you’re walking that last little part.

Go for a Swim

Korcula Old Town is situated on a peninsula on an island, so of course there’s plenty of coastline for you to get into the water! And while it was too cold for us to get in, we did enjoy sitting along the water!

Cost: Free!
Time Allotted: This just depends on how long you like to swim! But if you wanted to hit up all the beaches in the area, it would only take about 10 minutes to walk from one to the other, so it’d be easy to beach hop!
Logistics: Like most of the beaches in Croatia, these are pebble beaches, so bring some water shoes or prepare for some sore feet!

Climb St. Mark’s Cathedral

We unfortunately did not get to go to the top of St. Mark’s Cathedral as it was closed the day we were there, but the view from the top is supposed to be a great panoramic view of old town and the sea. It’s right in the center of town (you know, the big tower that you can’t miss) so you’ll find yourself walking by multiple times, so take the time to climb to the top!

Cost: 3 euro to go into the cathedral, and an additional 5 euro to go to the top.
Time Allotted: I would estimate 30 minutes would be plenty!
Logistics: The stairs are apparently very tight and narrow, so make sure you’re physically able to climb them! Also you might double check the hours. Supposedly they’re open September – June, Monday – Saturday from 10 AM – 6 PM, but we tried to go up at 4 PM on a Monday and they weren’t open. During peak season (July and August), they’re generally open daily from 9 AM to 7 PM.

Other Things You Can Do

While we didn’t do these things, I’ve seen these recommended by others as options of things you could do!

Do a Wine Tour
There are over 20 wineries on Korcula island, and it’s the only place in the world where the Grk varietal is made. So whether you do an organized tour with a driver, do a biking tour, or walk from winery to winery, there are plenty of options to get out there and try all the wines this small island has to offer!

Island Hopping Tour
There are a few options to get explore the other islands around Korcula, and there are plenty of islands you may want to explore, such as Badija for the friendly deer, Vrnik for the stone quarries, or Stupe for its turquoise beaches. You can book hop on/hop off taxis right at the docks in Korcula, or you can arrange for a half-day catamaran cruise for a fully guided tour.

FAQs & General Tips for Dubrovnik

How long do I need in Korcula?
We had almost exactly 24 hours in Korcula, and while that was more than enough time for old town exploration and to go see the viewpoint, I would have loved an extra day to do either a wine tour, an island hopping tour, or both. So if you have interest in doing either one of those, or plan to spend a day swimming, I’d suggest adding in an extra night/day.

How do I get to Korcula?
It’s an island, so you have to take a ferry to the island. We opted for TP Line, and booked our tickets here. While our ferry had plenty of empty seats, I read that they can fill up during peak season, so I’d suggest buying your tickets ahead of time, just to be safe.

Do I need to make dinner reservations?
We didn’t make reservations in Korcula and were just fine. However, I could see it getting quite busy during peak season. So if you’re there during summer months, it may be worth making reservations if there’s somewhere you know you want to go. If you’d like to see where we ate and where I recommend, check out my blog about where we ate!

Will I be able to get around easily speaking English?
Like the rest of Croatia, you won’t have any issue communicating in English!

Will I need a lot of cash?
The only place that was cash only for us was Massimo Cocktail Bar. Other than that, credit cards were widely accepted.

Final Thoughts on Korcula

A few years ago, we had a few nights in Eze, France, which was absolutely magical. I had never been anywhere so trapped in time, and we seemingly had the whole place to ourselves as we wandered the streets in the evening (don’t worry, a full blog post about it is coming). We’ve been searching for that feeling ever since, which is what brought us to Korcula. And while I can’t say it was quite as ethereal as Eze (but this could be due to the law of diminishing returns), it still had plenty of magic and charm to it.

Korcula was our first stop after the crowded tourist hotspot of Dubrovnik, and we welcomed the quiet streets where we saw more cats than people. Where Dubrovnik had been full mostly of high end shopping or kitschy souvenir shops, Korcula was packed with local art. Where Dubrovnik felt commercial, Korcula felt real. I know it’s unfair to compare the two, but I couldn’t help myself as we found ourselves snapping a photo down every street or admiring the paintings of some local artist. I know at the end of the day, Korcula sees heavy tourism as well, but it also felt like a city that people lived in, not just one they went to work in.

And as such a small town on a small island, you can really take your time and savor every moment there, unlike larger cities where you find yourself caught up in the flow of traffic, hustling to the next checkmark on your list. Korcula beckons you to slowly sip a glass of wine on the promenade or soak your feet in the sea, telling all of your timelines and itineraries to wait. Because in Korcula, just being there is the itinerary.

Check out my other posts to see where else we went in Croatia, what we did, and where we ate!