Walking and Cruising Southern Dalmatia is an enticing combination of a gulet cruise with hikes through some of the region’s most beautiful landscapes. Ancient forts, beautiful towns, great castles and churches line the trail, and our guides will use them to bring the country’s rich and turbulent history to vibrant life.

A series of highlights await you day by day. At Ston, you’ll walk atop the unique 5-km (3-mile) wall, the longest linear defence in medieval Europe, built in the 14th and 15th centuries to protect a landscape of prime agricultural land and precious salt pans in one of the Adriatic’s most important wine-growing regions. On Mljet, a network of hiking paths and tracks will offer you an ever-changing set of vistas, taking in sea, lakes, hills and valleys. Near Orebić on the Pelješac peninsula, you will discover a mighty Iron Age citadel, a long-forgotten centre of tribal power, set on a remote and wild plateau high above the sea. On Hvar, you will explore the Stari Grad Plain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where local farmers are using the same tracks and maintaining the same field boundaries that their ancient Greek forebears laid out when they colonised the island 100 generations ago: a living archaeological landscape. On Brač, the monastery of Blaca with its white plastered roofs sits in a silent valley far away from the travails of modern civilisation, reachable only on foot.

You will also experience this magnificent stretch of Croatia’s coast through its delicious local produce: a cornucopia of delights await: fresh seafood, fine wines and superb meat and cheese dishes. Travelling aboard a traditional and elegant gulet, you’ll have the pleasure of anchoring in beautiful bays and coves and picturesque harbours, the perfect way to discover the Dalmatian coast. Join us on this expert-led gulet cruise in Croatia.

Day 1: Our gulet is in Slano Bay about one hour from Dubrovnik airport. Welcome drinks and dinner on board.
Day 2: In the morning, we walk the “Great Wall of Ston”, one of the most unusual historical fortifications in Europe. Erected in the 14th and 15th centuries to protect the precious salt pans and the peninsula itself, the wall stretches for 5.5 km from Ston to Mali Ston. In the afternoon, we make the short crossing to the verdant island of Mljet.
Day 3: On Mljet, we explore an important nature reserve, following romantic forest tracks and hiking paths passing a Roman palace, an Illyrian stronghold, a pretty pair of lakes and a beautiful medieval monastery set on a lake island. Later, we cruise to the straits between Korčula and Orebić.
Day 4: In the morning, we hike up to the beautiful Nakovana plateau, high above Orebić on the Pelješac Peninsula. In an evocative landscape setting, we discover a stupendous prehistoric hillfort, an ancient sacred cave and a picturesque abandoned village.
Day 5: In the morning, we head to the island of Hvar. Here, we make our way from the serene little port of Stari Grad to walk in the hills above the Stari Grad Plain before exploring the plain itself, Croatia’s most unusual World Heritage site: the field system laid out by the Greek settlers of Pharos 24 centuries ago, and still in use.
Day 6: We cross to the wonderful island of Brač. Here, we hike up to admire the views from Vidova Gora, the highest peak of all the Adriatic Islands, followed by a wonderful forest walk to the mountain village of Gazul, where we enjoy a rustic traditional lunch.
Day 7: We trek through the Blaca Gorge, visiting the striking Blaca Hermitage, a monastery founded in the Renaissance period and in use until 1963. A last swim and then a delicious final dinner.
Day 8: Departure transfers to Split Airport approx. 20 minutes away.

I would like to book, what else do I need to know?

For information not covered below please refer to our FAQ’s or contact us directly on [email protected]

Arrival and Departure Information

Arrival Airport – Dubrovnik Airport (DBV)

Departure Airport – Split (SPU)

Arrival Location – Slano Bay (approx. 60 mins from airport)

Departure Location – Marina Baotić (approx. 20 mins from airport)

Embarkation and departure is planned for approx.17:00. 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 will not be able to settle into your cabin.

If your travel plans or flights do not allow you to arrive before 17:00 we recommend arriving the day before the tour starts. This would also allow time to relax, recover from any jet lag and arrive at the boat on time for embarkation and departure.

If you arrive at the gulet after 17:00, we will do our best to enable you to join the tour at a later time and place.

Please Note: Departure time is subject to change depending on weather, harbour, or other conditions.

Disembarkation is around 09:00. We will arrange local transfers 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:We consider adequate travel insurance to be essential. You should ensure that you take out a suitable policy, to make sure that your trip is properly covered.

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.

Custom tours or additional travel in Croatia: If you are planning to spend any additional time in Croatia before or after your gulet trip, we are happy to assist you either directly or via our trusted family-run partner agency in Croatia. In addition to our gulet trips, we also offer personalised tours and travel arrangements throughout Croatia. Whether you’re seeking a bespoke tour or simply need recommendations on things to see and do, we’re dedicated to making your Croatian experience unforgettable. Please contact us, we’ll be delighted to help.

 

Further information about the Walking
Unlike our standard gulet cruises, there is a significant amount of hiking on our Walking and Cruising Southern Dalmatia tour in Croatia. We believe that is what makes it unique. The hikes we do are across some of the most fascinating islands in the Southern Adriatic archipelago and take in some of the region’s most beautiful landscapes. Please be aware that the terrain is often uneven, rocky, and rugged, and many of the paths are have loose stones underfoot and there are occasions when the landscape we are passing through can have some prickly vegetation. You do need to be fit with a good sense of balance. There are some long stretches of uphill and downhill hiking. It is not a walk in the park, and you do need to be used to hiking off the beaten track.

Across the week, we cover distances up to approx. 8km/5 miles per day (approx. 4 hours), but it is not really the distance that you need to bear in mind, but the terrain. We take all the hikes at a leisurely pace, with some wonderful sites and great swims thrown in for good measure. Of course, the beauty of being on the gulet, means that it is perfectly possible for guests to skip a day’s walk if they so wish, and simply relax on the boat. If you fancy putting your feet up and resting for a day, that is perfectly possible. So, if you wish to lie back and read a book or have an extra swim, you can.

Tour Includes:
Cruising aboard the 8-cabin gulet Croatia
Full board accommodation with water, tea and coffee and wine with dinner
Airport transfers on the first and last day of the tour
Travel by private minibus
Harbour fees and crew services
All entrance fees and tips on land
The services of your expert tour leader throughout the entire trip
WiFi (coverage permitting)

Not included:
Flights and airport taxes
Visas
Travel insurance
Gratuities on the gulet. It is customary to tip the crew at the end of a tour (we recommend a minimum of 30Euro per day per guest)
Tips for guides

Mislav Files

We are delighted to welcome Mislav Fileš as a full-time member of the PST Team. A good number of you will already know Mislav, because he has been leading tours for us for the last 5 years – with stellar feedback. Mislav will continue to guide for us in Croatia and Montenegro as well as doing many other new and exciting things for PST.

Mislav has directed and been involved in many archaeological projects over the years and is also a licensed ski instructor and an apprentice in alpine mountaineering. With his extensive knowledge and experience, positive can-do spirit, boundless energy and ever present smile, he makes for a wonderful travelling companion and great person to work with.

After graduating from high school, Mislav enrolled in the Department of Archaeology and continued his education through graduate levels to PhD studies, which he is currently attending at the University of Zagreb. He received Excellence Awards from the Faculty of Humanities and Social sciences for his accomplishments in both undergraduate and graduate studies, and was awarded a scholarship of excellence from the City of Zagreb for his undergraduate and postgraduate studies, and from the Department of Archaeology for his PhD studies.

Mislav has participated in numerous excavations in both Croatia and abroad (Israel and Austria) and, after graduating, started leading some of the excavations independently. While studying, Mislav became a licenced ski-instructor as well as an alpine mountaineer apprentice.

What previous guests have to say about Mislav:

"Being guided by Mislav with his upbeat personality, knowledge of local history and sites, and general enthusiasm throughout the trip was definitely a highlight. He worked well with local guides, to give us a comprehensive understanding of the location." Rebecca Dillon

"Mislav Files was an outstanding guide, knowledgeable, friendly, humble, enthusiastic and consistently professional. Notably, he did not look after us as a group, he looked after us as individuals." Helen Curran

"Mislav was the best tour guide I've ever had (and I've traveled quite a bit). I'd love to have him on all my tours. Full of zest and knowledge, fun and charming. Perfect English. His enthusiasm made all the trips fun, educational and informative. The trip was such a great learning experience, the most unique of any trip I've taken. I highly recommend!" Kathy Robbins

"Our superior guide, Mislav, added immensely to every place we visited. It was ‘great fun was had by all’! I would consider Mislav a Guide’s Guide… who is THE guide that all others look up to as the standard to strive to meet. Our guide, Mislav, aside from being the consummate knowledgeable ‘Guide Supreme’,was constantly focused on the comfort & inclusion of all of his ‘guests’." Ruthie and James Henderson

"The knowledge of our guide was topnotch. This is probably the best tour I have ever taken. Mislav gave it his all. Mislav, had a depth and breadth of knowledge that made our discussions exciting and engaging, his patience and expertise were remarkable." Karen Tarapata

View Mislav Files's Biography

Accreditations

Tour Operator of the Year 2015 Gold Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2016 Silver Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2017 Gold Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2018 Silver Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2019 Silver Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the year Gold Award 2022 AITO logo Tour Operator of the year Silver Award 2023 AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year Gold Award 2024 AITO Logo Tour Operator of the year Platinum Award 2025 AITO logo British Travel Awards Best Travel Company for Arts and Culture Holidays Silver 2022 logo Peter Sommer Travels is an accredited member of AITO The Specialist Travel Association logo Peter Sommer Travels is a member of ABTA the Association of British Travel Agents logo Peter Sommer Travels is a member of ASTA The American Society of Travel Advisors logo Peter Sommer Travels is a member of ABTOI the Association of British Travel Organisers to Italy logo

Rated as Excellent on Aito Reviews with over 900 reviews