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Croatia: Split to Dubrovnik

Croatia has everything you want in a European vacation: Medieval fortresses, azure seas, Roman ruins, charming villages, and rich culinary traditions. Our trip begins in the historic city of Split, which was built around the lavish villa of a Roman Emperor who retired here in the 3rd century. The ancient Roman and Medieval styles merge together to make a truly unique city center. From here we hop and skip through the nearby islands until we reach the equally fascinating city of Dubrovnik, whose high defensive walls and lovely limestone buildings have attracted tourists as well as film crews (most recently, “Kings Landing” from Game of Thrones). Both Split and Dubrovnik are well connected to European hubs and it’s quite easy to fly into one and then out of the other.
Duration: 7 nights / 8 days
Dates: Available upon request, contact us for details
Trip starts/ends: Split//Dubrovnik
Activity level: 1 - 2+ – GENTLE: This tour is perfect for a “light active” tour where you walk a lot in cities and towns without doing any long-mileage hikes. Or, if you’d like to get more steps in, we can add some level 2 walking as we go through the islands [more info]
Group size: min 4 - max 14

Highlights

  • Visit the UNESCO World Heritage cities of Split and Dubrovnik
  • Walk through the former palace of Roman Emperor Diocletian, the only emperor ever to retire and live a quiet retirement
  • Explore the island of Brac, whose marble quarries have provided the stone for many of the world’s monuments
  • Spend 3 nights on the beautiful island of Hvar, always on travelers’ “top ten” lists
  • See the birthplace of Marco Polo in Korcula island
  • Enjoy a wine tasting of some of Croatia’s best red wines, including the native grape Plavac Mali
  • End your tour in the elegant city of Dubrovnik, nicknamed “the Pearl of the Adriatic”
  • Swim in azure seas
  • Taste delicious Dalmatian cuisine which blends Italian flavors with a Slavic touch
  • Island-hop using local ferries and hydrofoils

Trip price includes

  • 7 nights in 3 and 4-star hotels
  • 7 breakfasts and 5 dinners
  • all visits and transfers as per itinerary
  • at least 1 bilingual guide to accompany you throughout the week

Not included

  • 7 lunches and 2 dinners
  • drinks other than water at meals
  • anything not mentioned in the inclusions

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival in Split
Arrive independently in Split, which is well connected to European hubs with standard as well as low-cost airlines. Meet your guide for a walk around the city this afternoon and learn about its fascinating history. Roman Emperor Diocletian was originally from here, so after he retired (the only Roman emperor to do so!) he returned and built a lavish place in 295 AD. It covered some 30,000 sq.ft. and included temples, reception halls, and private apartments within its imposing walls. After Diocletian’s death the palace was abandoned and the current city gradually grew up around it. Meet up again this evening for drinks followed by dinner together. Overnight Split.

 

Days 2 – 5: Brac, Hvar and Vis

Explore three different islands while returning every night to your hotel in elegant Hvar town. The first, Brač island, has a stonemason school, an interesting museum, and the highest point in the Adriatic. Hvar Island is always on everyone’s “most beautiful island” list and is famous for its lavender, which blooms in June. We can walk up to the old medieval fortress or spend a day out on sea kayaks. We can also spend a day out on a sailboat or catamaran to head over to remote Vis island, which many Dalmatians say is their favorite. 3 nights on Hvar island.

 

Days 6 – 7: Korčula, the Peljesac Peninsula and Dubrovnik

Continue south through the islands with a transfer this morning to Korčula, where we explore the birthplace of explorer Marco Polo. This part of the Mediterranean was under Venetian control for centuries, which explains why Marco sailed under the flag of the Doge of Venice. The next day we make our way to the Dingač Peninsula, where some of Croatia’s finest wines are made. We can have a lovely walk high above the sea and then stop for a wine tasting. We can also sample the region’s famous fresh oysters and visit the twin bastions of Ston and Mali Ston, which are connected by a 3 km defensive wall that is second in length to the Great Wall of China (by a LOT, obviously!). A short transfer takes us to our final destination, the dramatic walled city of Dubrovnik. 1 night Korčula and 1 in Dubrovnik. 

 

Day 8: Tour Ends

Enjoy a guided tour of Dubrovnik this morning and then have a final lunch together before we say good-bye. The trip ends after lunch in town so your onward arrangements are not included.

 

Getting there and away: Both Split and Dubrovnik are serviced by the national carrier (Croatia Airlines) as well as low-cost flights to other European hubs. There are also ferries with Italy if that makes an appealing stopover.

from €3,190
[info on prices]

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Activity Levels

Some tours have a range of activity levels through the week, where some walks may be more challenging than others, but this will give you a general idea of the type of walking/hiking involved on your tour.

1 – EASY: City walking, all or mostly paved, minimal climbing
2 – GENTLE: Moderate hills & easy terrain
3 – MODERATE: Some sustained hills with occasional steep grades on a mix of terrains
4 – HIKE: Classic hiking with rough/rocky terrain, sustained hills, and longer mileage
5 – CHALLENGING: Challenging hiking with steep climbs and descents over rocky terrain and some longer mileage

See below for more detail:

1 – EASY: City walking, all or mostly paved, with minimal climbing (though some cities may have steeper inclines). Archaeological sites may be unpaved but the grades and difficulty level is easy. TOURS: Sicily Coast-to-Coast and any “light active” version of a tour

2 – GENTLE: Moderate hills & easy terrain
The terrain is easy to navigate with packed earth or gravel roads. There are some climbs but nothing too challenging. TOURS: Tuscany, Puglia, Provence
[2+ The “plus” indicates more challenging terrain though the walks are gentle].

3 – MODERATE: Some sustained hills with occasional steep grades and rocky terrain
Here you find a mix of terrain with some steep stretches.
TOURS: Corsica, Sardinia, some of the Dolomites tours, and some hikes on the Greek Islands
[3+ The plus indicates rockier terrain or lots of stone steps (Amalfi, the Cinque Terre) or greater elevation gain/loss (the Dolomites)].

4 — HIKE: Classical hiking with rough terrain, sustained hills, and more mileage. These hikes are on a mix of rough terrain, sometimes involving steep stretches and difficult footing. TOURS: some of our hikes in Sardinia, some of the days in the Cinque Terre, some of the variants of our Dolomites tours.

5 – CHALLENGING: Longer days, challenging climbs, rocky terrain. We don’t do a lot of seriously challenging tours but we do have a Dolomites trip where we hike from hut to hut, so that’s probably the closest we get to a 5.

Info on prices

The price indicated is for a minimum of 6 people and our basic itinerary based on double occupancy (a “single supplement” covers hotel prices only, we apply no extra fees). Departures with fewer people or with upgraded hotels will have a higher price. We can organize private departures for any number of people but prices vary depending on number of participants. Please contact us for details!