KORCULA - Croatia and Slovenia - page 401

Kor č ula with a quirky Gothic-Renaissance mix and a strong siesta tradition. Kor č ulans take
great pride in the claim that Marco Polo was born here in 1254—the explorer remains the
town's poster boy. Kor č ula is also known for its traditional Moreška sword dance.
You'll discover that there are two Kor č ulas: the tacky seaside resort and the historic Old
Town. Savvy visitors ignore the tourist sprawl and focus on Kor č ula's medieval quarter,
which pokes into the sea on a picture-perfect peninsula. Tiny lanes branch off the humble
maindraglikeribsonafish'sbackbone,astreetplanthat'sdesignedtocatchboththebreeze
andtheshade.Allinall,thislaid-backislandvillageisanidealplacetotakeavacationfrom
your busy vacation.
Planning Your Time
For general Dalmatian Island tips, see “Planning Your Time” for Hvar ( here ) .
Kor č ula deserves the better part of a day, but you'll quickly exhaust the town's sightsee-
ingoptions;comeherenottovisitmuseums,buttorelax.Withasingleday,spendthemorn-
ing wandering the medieval Old Town and exploring the handful of tiny museums (many
closeforsiestaintheearlyafternoon,especiallyoutsidepeakseason).Intheafternoon,kick
back at a café or restaurant and bask on the beach. If you're here on a Thursday, be sure to
catch the performance of the Moreška dance (also Mon July-Aug). With a second day, un-
wind more, or consider an excursion—either a trip around the island or a side-trip to Mljet
Islandanditsnational park(botharesoldbyvarioustravel agencies aroundtown,including
Korkyra Info—see here ) .
If you're trying to choose between Hvar and Kor č ula, why not do both? For example, if
heading south, you can take an early boat from Split to Hvar, have a few hours there, then
take the evening boat on to Kor č ula to set up for a day or two of vacation. If you're in a
rush, you can spend one night on Kor č ula, see the town in the morning, then zip out on the
evening Nona Ana boat to Dubrovnik (July-Aug 4/week)—but it's much more sane and re-
laxing to hang out here for two nights.
Off-Season Challenges: While Kor č ula is reasonably well-connected to the rest of Dal-
matia in the summertime, things change off-season. The handy Nona Ana express boat to
Dubrovnik runs only in July and August. From October to May, options get even more
scarce: The Dubrovnik car-ferry is discontinued entirely, and bus connections to Dubrovnik
are cut in half (leaving only one early-morning option). You may find that you'll have to
spend two nights in Kor č ula just to have any daylight time here. Before committing to a
length of stay, double-check transportation options.