SOUTH DALMATIA & ISLANDS
OVERVIEW: Day 1: Arrival Split UNESCO |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival to Split, Croatia
Upon landing to the airport of Split, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for overnight.
Overnight in Split – Hotel President 4*
Day 2: Split – Hvar
Split is a very vibrant city of shouting stall owners, in-transit travellers, and white-suited sailors who give it a noisy, night-on-the-town feel. At the heart of all of this, lie Diocletian’s’ Palace, a crumbling old town, and some of the most outstanding classical architecture in the world which we will enjoy visiting this morning.
In the afternoon we travel by ferry to the island of Hvar. Even by Dalmatian standards, Hvar’s history seems unusual. Originally a Greek colony, the island has been the temporary property of different rulers from Hungary, Genoa, Bosnia and Dubrovnik, and, like the rest of Dalmatia, it only achieved a period of relative peace and stability under the Venetians. Its harbour is now alive with a constant hum of activity. A creamy brown piazza cuts it way in, flanked by the Venetian Arsenal and culminating in the skeletal campanile of Hvar’s’ Cathedral.
Overnight in Hvar – Hotel Amfora 4* (B)
Day 3: Hvar - Korčula
This morning we have a walking tour of the town of Hvar. We will go through narrow streets to the 15th century Franciscan monastery as well as to visit the Renaissance cloister. The old rectory today houses a collection of lace, manuscripts, and books. The church also contains remarkable collection of paintings. We visit St Stephen’s cathedral and the Arsenal, a thick walled fortress overlooking the harbour. Europe’s oldest community theatre, opened in 1612, lies inside the Arsenal.
In the afternoon we will take a ferry to the magnificent island of Korčula. Like Hvar, Korcula was first settled by the Greeks who gave it the name Korkyra Melaina or Black Corfu for its dark and densely wooded appearance. Overnight in Korčula – Hotel Marko Polo 3* (B)
Day 4: Korčula – Dubrovnik
After breakfast we will have a walking tour of the town, a lovely place with cobbled streets and fish vendors. Our walk takes us through the Old Town, surrounded by its ancient defensive walls, and a visit to the birth place of Marco Polo. The Cathedral of St. Marko, an architectural delight, is squeezed into a space between buildings that are, in fact, a main square. It took 300 years to build and the result is a curious mixture of styles that show a kind of muddled continuity from the Gothic forms of the nave to the Renaissance northern aisle, tacked on some time in the 16th century.
Opposite, in another Venetian palace, is the Town Museum, whose comparatively modest display contains a plaster cast of a 3rd century BC Greek tablet from Lumbarda, the earliest evidence of civilization on Korcula. A room is devoted to the liberation struggle with some faded photos featuring Fitzroy Maclean, a Scotsman who was influential in the liberation of this area in World War II.
In the afternoon we will take a short ferry ride to the town of Orebić just opposite Korčula on the peninsula of Pelješac. From there we will drive to Dubrovnik, a jewel in stone, dazzling in the magnificence of its architecture.
Overnight in Dubrovnik - Hotel Rixos 5* (B)
Day5: Dubrovnik
This morning we begin our walking tour in the old walled heart of Dubrovnik. All motor vehicles are banned from the centre and our bus drops us outside the Pile Gate. We will visit the Franciscan Monastery, housing one of the world's oldest pharmacies, the old harbour, St Laurence Fortress, the Sponza and Rector's Palaces and other points of interest in this best preserved European walled city. You may wish to cross to one of the local islands. The most popular islands are Kolocep, Lopud, and Šipan, which are easily reachable by boat from Dubrovnik.
Overnight in Dubrovnik - Hotel Rixos 5* (B)
Day 6: Dubrovnik - Zagreb
Today we depart from Dubrovnik. A short flight will take us to Zagreb, capital of Croatia.
Zagreb has 770,000 inhabitants and is the political, cultural, and economic centre of Croatia. We will experience the past and the present of Zagreb by passing through the streets of the Lower and Upper Towns, then entering Zagreb Cathedral and observing the lively atmosphere of Dolac Market. Our walk will also take us to St. Mark’s Church and then to Lotrscak Tower, from where noon is announced by a cannon firing. We will also enjoy Maksimir, the oldest public cultivated park in Europe.
Overnight in Zagreb – Hotel Dubrovnik 4* (B)
Day 11: Zagreb departure
Today we will depart Zagreb to for our flight home (B)
B - Breakfast L – Lunch D – Dinner
All hotels are carefully chosen for their character or best central location or they are simply the only option at certain destinations. All of them can be changed on request. The categories mentioned by the hotel names are according to the local standards and sometimes do not reflect Western standards.
Trip organized by: “BALKAN EXPERT” d.o.o. license no. OTP 54/2013
Tour available with general condition of travel of “BALKAN EXPERT”