One of my most delightful surprises of the Dalmatian Coast was lovely Korčula — the home of Marco Polo.
Korčula? But I thought Marco Polo was from Venice!
True. Marco Polo was born in the thirteenth century, back when Venice was a Republic spanning from the canal-filled city to what is now Turkey. No one knows his birthplace for sure, but many historians believe it to be the Croatian island of Korčula (KOR-chu-la).
The locals have adopted Marco Polo as their own, and like every destination with one major claim to fame, half the stuff in town is named after him!
If you like to photograph architecture, flowers, and little details, Korčula is the Croatian island for you! The island is fairly large with lots of private beaches and hidden getaways, but Korčula town is where you’ll find the beautiful buildings.
Korčula is the kind of town that lends itself to aimless wandering. We strolled the crooked streets, peeking in the pricey jewelry shops, people-watching, and taking photos.
Korčula town is a fairly small and can be walked in less than an hour. After our stroll, we found a tiny sliver of beach that was perfect for a brief dip before dinner.
The absolute best thing we did on Korčula, however, was going for sunset cocktails at Massimo Cocktail Bar. If there is any one thing that you need to do in Korčula, this is it!
This bar is on top of a tower that was once part of the Korčula city walls. (The walls today are mostly ruined and unwalkable.) After a few flights of stairs, you climb a ladder to get to very top — and are rewarded with an absolutely scintillating view of Korčula and the surrounding islands in the Adriatic!
Note — this is a good place to have a drink, but NOT a good place to get drunk. Lose your balance and you could end up falling down here:
Be smart. Drink responsibly, and watch yourself.
Eventually, the sun sank behind a nearby mountain, leaving an orange and blue sky streaked with pink and navy clouds.
I can say now that that is probably one of the best views I can ever hope to have. Our evening was beautiful and unforgettable, and it was the perfect way to end our lovely day on Marco Polo’s island.
I visited Korčula as a guest of Busabout’s Croatia One-Way Sail . All opinions, as always, are my own.
