Tour Dates
There are many great reasons to visit Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast: a beautiful maritime landscape, numerous picturesque old towns and cities, with the various treasures they contain, and the fascinating and convoluted history of a region that has often been at the intersection between different cultural spheres. It is this setting between cultures that has created Croatia’s wonderful cuisine, a major attraction for the traveller in itself.
Croatian cooking is based on the excellent produce the country provides, both from her shores and inland regions: a vast array of fish and seafoods, excellent local meats, vegetables a-plenty and a great range of fruit, pampered by the many days of sunlight that Dalmatia is famous for. But it is the way these ingredients are used that makes Croatian food so distinctive: over the centuries, Croatians have incorporated influences from all over the map into their local cuisine. Mediterranean and North Italian, Balkan, Slavic and Central European, Ottoman Turkish and Austrian influences have all made their contributions.
On this cruise, we will explore the food and cuisine of Dalmatia, Croatia’s most maritime region. Travelling on an elegant gulet, with ample opportunity to swim in blue Adriatic waters, to admire the scenery and to simply relax aboard, but also to marvel at some of Dalmatia’s cultural wealth, we will discover the gastronomic riches of islands and mainland in the most insightful and enjoyable fashion possible. Visiting local producers, sampling the most authentic regional dishes, the area’s finest wines, best liqueurs and most exquisite olive oils, participating in cooking classes led by experts and eating at selected konobas (a unique Dalmatian phenomenon that has evolved out of traditional wine cellars) and restaurants, you will spend a week discovering the delights of Croatian cooking – and eating and drinking.
Day 1: Our gulet is at Marina Baotić, about 20 minutes from Split Airport. Welcome drinks and dinner aboard.
Day 2: We cruise to Split, where the enormous Roman Palace of Diocletian was repurposed as a medieval town centre. Here, we accompany a local chef to the markets to buy ingredients for what is to be our lunch of Dalmatian specialities. We make lunch together, in the form of a superb and highly enjoyable cooking class. In the afternoon, we cruise south to the island of Brač.
Day 3: After a leisurely morning and opportunities to swim, we explore the island’s interior. Lunch is at a traditional olive press in the tiny and extraordinarily beautiful village of Škrip, with a chance to taste local cheeses, pršut (cured ham), wine, oil and jams. Close by is the delightful local archaeological museum and a whole series of fascinating historic buildings. We head up to Vidova Gora, the highest peak in the Adriatic islands, for breath-taking views before descending to a small farmstead set in a forest clearing, where we help to prepare dinner, using a peka, the metal cooking bell so distinctive of Dalmatia and the Balkans.
Day 4: After a leisurely morning with time to swim, we go inland on the island of Hvar, to explore the Stari Glad Plain, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site, where today’s farmers still grow their vines, fruit, vegetables and grains in a system of fields set up by ancient Greek colonists 2,400 years ago. Later we head up into the hills to one of the most traditional surviving konobas in Dalmatia. Here we sample homemade wines and learn of the local culture of the konoba and the customs surrounding the drinking of wine.
Day 5: After a long and relaxing crossing to the island of Korčula, we’ll visit the sleepy village of Žrnovo, where a local family produces an amazing array of organic products from exclusively local sources: olive oil, vinegar, dried fruit and fruit preserves, candied citrus peels, liqueurs and vermouth, herbal teas, capers, pickled onions and much more. After a thorough tasting, we drive to the picturesque medieval town of Korčula and enjoy dinner in one of the island’s best local restaurants.
Day 6: After a leisurely start to the day, we go ashore to explore the Dingač region on the Pelješac Peninsula. The local vineyards, set on immensely steep south-facing slopes, receive over 2,500 hours of sunshine per year, its intensity increased by reflection from the sea. From the Plavac Mali grape, local winemakers produce one of Croatia’s most celebrated red wines, known as Dingač: an intensely aromatic dark red dry wine of profound flavours. We visit a winery to see the vineyards and sample their produce before cruising on to overnight in a pretty bay.
Day 7: We journey on to the historic town of Ston, which was strongly fortified by medieval Ragusa (Dubrovnik) to guard the resources of the area, especially the enormous medieval salt pans and the vineyards of Pelješac. We tour the historic salt works and visit one of the area’s famous oyster farms, set in one of the nearby shallow coves. After a wonderful seafood lunch in the Old Town, we return to our gulet and continue southward to the bay of Slano.
Day 8: Departure transfers to Dubrovnik airport, about 40 minutes away.
Arrival and Departure Information
Arrival Airport – Split (SPU)
Departure Airport – Dubrovnik Airport (DBV)
We plan for the gulet to leave the Marina Baotić near Trogir, (approx. 20 minutes from Split Airport) at around 17:00. Embarkation is from 16:00 onwards. You are more than welcome to arrive earlier to drop off your bags, but please be aware that the crew will be busy cleaning and tidying making everything ready for your group so you may not be able to settle in to your cabin. If you arrive at the gulet after 17:00, we will do our best to enable you to join the tour at a convenient time and place. Departure time can be subject to change depending on weather, harbour or other conditions.
Disembarkation in Slano Bay, near Dubrovnik (approx. 40 minutes from Dubrovnik Airport) is around 09:00. We will arrange local transfers from Split airport and to Dubrovnik airport on the first and last day of the tour.
Booking Flights
If you are staying in or connecting via Zagreb then the easiest way to get to and from the gulet is to fly. The main domestic airline in Croatia, Croatia Airlines, has a wide selection of flights .
Please note: Flights are subject to change. Please contact the airline for exact details.
If you prefer to book with a travel agent, we are happy to recommend specialists in a number of countries around the world, please contact our office for more details.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a requirement of our booking conditions and we recommend you investigate the options thoroughly to make sure that your trip is properly covered. Please be advised some insurers may require you to take out a policy within 15-20 days of booking your holiday to receive all of their insurance benefits.
Visas
Citizens of the U.K., EU countries, the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand do not need visas to visit Croatia. Visitors can visit Croatia for up to 90 days in any 180 day period. For more details, please visit the website of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Zagreb
If you are planning to stay in Zagreb before or after your gulet trip please get in touch. We’ll be happy to help with suggestions on things to see and do.
Custom tours or additional travel in Croatia
If you are planning to spend any additional time in Croatia before or after your gulet trip please get in touch. We’ll be happy to help with suggestions on things to see and do.
