We’re just back from a late-August trip to a country many people talk about, but fewer have visited.
It seems that Croatia has earned its new tourism tagline, which they hope to make famous with a self-produced, poignant video starring actor John Malkovich. The name of the video is “I Hear it’s Beautiful,” which apparently is what almost everyone says when you mention Croatia. I agree.
The crystal-clear water and abundant mountains make the place a swimmer and sailor’s dream. Most people who come here end up on the water because it’s the best place to be in the hot summer months. Arriving by yacht or ferryboat, the water is a key part of any Croatian coast experience. I like to think of our $30 ferry ride as our own little cruise.
Croatia is an up-and-coming destination for U.S. visitors, with 260,000 in the first half of 2025 alone, but it’s still only one-fifth the number of American visitors to Italy.
Our accommodations on this trip followed a vacation pattern of a few years. Take a plane to a city with a straightforward bus connection to a ferry, then take a ferry to an easy-to-navigate island for a relaxing vacation. No rental car. It worked. During my research to figure out which of Croatia’s 47 inhabited islands to visit, we chose Korcula (KOR-chu-la), easily reached by a two-hour catamaran ferry from the exciting port city of Split. Rick Steves convinced us that Korcula was the right choice, and the travel veteran was spot on!
We had no trouble finding our accommodations along the main road out of town at 26 Strenica. The stone building’s best feature was the views from the many terraces; ours overlooked the main channel that the ferryboats and many luxury yachts cross on their way to Korcula town. It was a passing parade across the water that never got boring.
The best part of our location was the little swimming area just across the road with a small cement platform where we could dive into the clean, clear water that didn’t shock us on entry. Lounging on the deck and intermittently bobbing in the salty Adriatic was heavenly. The only issue was the heat, which during our visit was turned up to 10.
Korcula town offers a mix of the old stone buildings and orange tile roofs, and a busy waterfront filled with many boat rentals, fishing tours and all-day excursions that take you to nearby islands Badija and Vrnik, lightly populated islands with nice beaches and restaurants. A water taxi will take you there and pick you up when you call them for 30 euros per person. Bring an umbrella!
Our Airbnb checked the right boxes; our host Rita let us use their washing machine, and the kitchen was stocked with what we needed to cook dinner. It has air conditioning, a comfortable bed, plenty of room in the main salon, and that killer view from the large stone terrace. And it was about 20 minutes from the center of town, right along the seafront.
On the mainland, Split is an exciting city to visit, glamorous with its abundance of super yachts and wealthy travelers, and though it’s overrun with tourists from the U.S., U.K. and Europe, it’s all good. The Riva is the waterfront walkway that opens up into a much wider pavilion with a roof to ward off the brilliant sun.
In Split, the dining choices were even better, and we followed a local’s advice to find a konoba. A konoba is a traditional, rustic tavern or cellar in Croatia, typically family-run and common along the Dalmatian coast, and the back alleys of Split are full of them.
After striking out at the first recommendation, Fetivi (which means “someone from this city” in Croatian), we went across the narrow alley to Konoba Matejuska for a stellar meal at a great price. Just 72 euros, or about $84, for platters of fresh fish, Adriatic squid and a few cocktails. The squid was the best I’ve ever tasted, and the homey, cave-like atmosphere was perfect for our late-night dinner.
Getting to Split was easy, although our first flight was delayed so long that we missed the ferry connection, which meant finding a last-minute flat in the center of Split. Easy.
We found the menus easy to read and the prices about the same as in the U.S., sometimes less, but with the euro exchange rate at a paltry .86 for a dollar, everything was jacked up when we looked at our bank statements. Still, nothing out of line. Our most expensive and fancy dinner of swordfish, cocktails, salad and fizzy water was 91 euros, which is $117. And it included a view of the harbor and a charming host who told us about the summer’s heat, expected to last a few more weeks into September.
Perhaps the next time you are considering a popular vacation destination like Tuscany or Provence, think a little farther. I hear Croatia is beautiful.
Find out more about Korcula on its tourism website.
Max Hartshorne is the retired editor of GoNOMAD.com in South Deerfield, and shares his writing at his blog, substack.com/@maxdeerfield.