Book the Autotrans bus ahead of time to travel from Dubrovnik to Korcula. The trip takes about 3 hours and the bus gets on the ferry to reach the island. Our bus departed from the bus station located about 2 km away from the Old Town in Dubrovnik and arrived at the Korcula bus station located right outside the Old Town.
Dubrovnik Bus Station Address: Obala pape Ivana Pavla II. 44A, 20000 Dubrovnik
Korucla Bus Station Address: Porat bb, 20260, Korcula, Croatia
Main companies: Jadrolrolinija and Krilo
It can be difficult to figure out the ferry schedule, but would highly recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time as they can sell out, especially in high season. The ferry route you will likely be looking for is the ferry that runs from Split to Dubrovnik with stops at Brac, Hvar, and Korcula. Check online to view ferry schedules and options for departure times / locations and arrival times / locations.
Arrive at the ferry EARLY. It is probable that there will be lines to board the ferry and our ferry left 15 minutes EARLY. Thus, if we had not been there, we would’ve missed it and it was the last ferry to our location that night.
Korcula is a small island. If staying in the Old Town, it is easy to walk around to restaurants and shops. If you are interested in visiting other parts of the island, consider renting bikes. We did this for one-day to check out another part of the island and visited a winery while biking around. There are different locations right in the Old Town that offer bike rentals.
Find a place to stay in or very close to the Old Town. There is not much to do outside of this area and will provide a good home base as it guarantees you are in close proximity to restaurants and shops.
Explore the town, which is known to be Marco Polo’s old stomping grounds
Climb the tower in the center of Old Town for a view over the water and surrounding areas
Walk down outside the city walls and sit on the rocks next to the crystal clear water
Many places to rent bikes in the town
Lumbarda is a town 7 km away, and the road there is comprised of rolling hills. We biked and went left near the tiny town where more seemed to be happening. Then we bought towels and just relaxed on some of the rocks. Note there was a sand beach in this area too.
Visit some wineries while on your bikes. You can stumble upon these or make a special trip to find them. We stopped at Bire Winery, which fell within our journey from Korcula’s Old Town to Lumbarda. Bire Winery was pretty, but we got there right as a large group arrived, which tainted the experience. They have odd hours so be sure to call ahead of time to see when they are open if interested in visiting. For us, the winery was open from 10:00-12:00 and 4:00-6:00.
Take a tour of various wineries throughout the island
Gorgeous, clear water to swim in, but be careful of sea urchins
Take an organized day-trip over to the neighboring island, Mljet. Some tours require a minimum number of guests so keep this in mind when looking into tour companies.
Take the ferry over to Hvar and spend a day on another island
Great food with pizza and other options located right in Old Town
Restaurant along the water serving homemade pasta
Fun place to grab a drink along the water in Old Town. You must climb a ladder to reach the rooftop (three stories up) in an old building, but the view from the top is very nice and perfect to watch the sunset. The deck is not very large, only with about 10 small tables. The waiters bring the drinks to you from the bar downstairs with a pulley system outside.
Asian food restaurant that offers takeout options (good for lunch on the go)
A lot of places on this island only take cash. Croatia is on their own currency (Kuna).
Being an island, it is not great to drink the tap water. We alternated between having some tap water and having bottled water and were okay.
Korcula town is tiny and can be seen in an hour, but is surrounded by mountains. The views are stunning with the mountains hovering over the the crystal clear, green and blue water. The island itself is relaxed, quieter, and quaint. Hvar is much larger and more developed, but also feels more touristy. It has more nightlife and lots of beach bars. Hvar has some great views too, but different, as the views are on smaller islands with more vegetation.
Unfortunately, you cannot day-trip from Hvar to Korcula (unless by private trip) using the ferries because the ferry times do not support a day trip this direction. You can do a day-trip to Hvar from Korcula. If you have more than 4 full days, I’d recommend 2 nights on each.
Transportation and Accommodations
Things to do and see
Food and Drinks