South Dalmatian islands

The island of Korcula is known as the home of world traveler Marco Polo. Korcula is also a town and port, located on a small peninsula which is a narrow isthmus connected with the island of Korcula. The island covers 270 km2 of surface area which include a series of bays and islands, covered with rich green conifers, vegetation, herbs and flowers. The birth house of Marco Polo is located beside the cathedral, right from the bell tower in the town of Korcula.

The whole city is surrounded by walls and towers, and within the old street there are many restaurants and taverns. In Korcula there is a preserved traditional knights game with singing called Moreska, which is conducted every year in July in memory of the Turkish attacks on the island of Korcula. Besides visiting Korcula you should also visit Vela Luka, Lumbardu and the historic place of Blato.

Lumbarda is a place only 6 km from the capital city of Korcula, known for its sandy soil and beaches. For an active vacation Korcula is ideal for biking, hiking, renting boats or scuba diving.

The island of Mljet is the greenest island on the Croatian coast.On one third of the island on the northwest part where the towns of Polače, Pomena, Goveđari, Babine Soline are located there is a national park with two salt lakes, Great and Little Lake.

Mljet is full of caves and wells. The most famous of all is Odysseus’ cave. Homer's tale of Ulysses takes place in this region and tells how Ulysses, who after a shipwreck swam to the cave where he was captured by the nymph Calypso. To get the island of Mljet, you can take the ferry from Dubrovnik, Korcula and Peljesac.

Lastovo is 10 km long and only 5.8 kilometers wide. The total surface area is 56.2 km 2. The Romans named it the imperial island because of its natural beauty, fields, forests, groups of isles that surround it and the many hidden coves. Legend has it that Odysseus visited the island on his journeys, and took shelter in a bay that is now called the Hidden port.

Lastovo was declared a natural park because of its crystal-clear sea, impressive seabed and exceptional peace. Given that the island of Lastovo is small, it’s ideal to walk around on, or go about by bicycle. There are two diving schools and the possibility of renting boats on the island. You can get a daily ferry from Split or from Vela Luka on Korcula towards Lastovo.

Elafiti are the group of islands located west of Dubrovnik. Although you can no longer find deer on them, the islands still owe their name to them (Greek- Elaphos = deer). The largest island in the group is Sipan, followed by Lopud, Koločep (Kalamota), Jakljan, Rude, Golec, Crkvine and some smaller islands and isles such as Grebeni. With its beautiful landscape and sandy beaches these islands attract many tourists. They are connected by ferry boat to Dubrovnik.