Korčula: cruise port guide

Gettting around

Big cruise ships drop anchor close to Korčula Town and bring passengers ashore by tender to the quayside directly in front of the medieval historic centre, which is pedestrian-only and can comfortably be explored on foot in half a day. There’s a small tourist information centre on the seafront at Obala Dr Franje Tudjmana bb, T020-715701.

To reach more remote areas of the island you’ll need to hire a vehicle. Seewww.travelsupermarket.com to compare car hire prices.

Where to eat and drink

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Adio Mare

On the go since 1974, this family-run restaurant does barbecued meat and fish dishes, plus hearty Dalmatian favourites such as pašticada (beef stewed in wine and prunes, served with gnocchi). The setting is a stone-walled dining room with an open-plan kitchen – you might be expected to share a table with other diners when it’s busy.

Address: Svetog Roka, Korčula old town
Contact: 00 385 20 711253, no website
Opening hours: May-Oct, Mon-Sat noon-midnight; Sun 6pm-midnight.
Reservations: recommended.
Payment type: cards not accepted.

Restaurants in the Old Town

Alamy

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Konoba Mate

In the small hill village of Pupnat, this friendly agritourism serves gourmet dishes in the farmhouse’s courtyard garden. All the produce used is either their own or locally-sourced and the menu changes with the seasons. House specialities include homemade ravioli, lamb casserole, and herb-infused sorbets.

Address: Pupnat (13 km west of Korčula Town)
Contact: 00 385 20 717109, www.konobamate.hr
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11am-2pm and 7-11pm; Sun 7-11pm.
Reservations: recommended.
Payment type: cards accepted.

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Pizzeria Tedeschi

For an inexpensive lunch, try Tedeschi serving tasty pizzas at tables under the trees on the seafront promenade in the old town, with fine views across the sea channel to Pelješac peninsular.

Address: Šetalište Petra Kanavelića bb, Korčula old town
Contact: 00 385 20 711586, no website
Reservations: no
Payment type: cards not accepted

What to see and do

Cathedral

Visible from afar thanks to its elegant 15th-century bell tower, the Gothic-Renaissance Cathedral presides over the main square. The building you see today was completed in the 1525, on the site of an older church, of which the 13th-century Romanesque portal, flanked by two finely carved lions, remains.

Inside, you can see two works by the esteemed Venetian Renaissance painter, Tintoretto (1518-1594) – his early ‘St Mark with St Bartholomew and St Jerome’ above the main alter, and the ‘Annunciation’ in the southern nave.

Strossmayerov Trg, old town
Open May-Oct daily 9am-2pm and 5pm-8pm, Nov-Apr variable.
5 Kn

The cathedral is visible from afar thanks to its elegant 15th-century bell tower

Alamy

City Museum

On the main square, opposite the Cathedral, this museum occupies a fine 16th-century Renaissance palazzo. There’s a small archaeological collection including the famed Lumbardska Psefizma (a stone tablet inscribed in ancient Greek in the fourth-century BC, testifying to early Greek settlement on the island), models of antiquated vessels produced in Korčula’s shipyard, and a charming ‘old kitchen’ complete with 16th-century cooking utensils.

Strossmayerov Trg, old town
00 385 020 711420
Jul-Sep daily 10:30am-9pm; Apr-Jun and Oct Mon-Sat 10:30am-2pm and 7pm-9pm; Nov-Mar Mon-Fri 10am-1pm.
10 Kn

Marco Polo House

Just off the main square, behind the Cathedral, this old stone building claims to be the birthplace of legendary explorer Marco Polo (1254-1324). Climb up to the watchtower for fine views over the surrounding terracotta rooftops and out to sea, but bare in mind that the house as it stands today was constructed several centuries after Polo’s death.

Marca Pola bb, old town
Jul-Aug daily 9am-9pm; May-Jun and Sep-Oct daily 9am-7pm; winter by appointment.
25 Kn

This old stone building claims to be the birthplace of legendary explorer Marco Polo

Alamy

Excursions

Wine tasting trip

Take a boat ride across the narrow sea channel to Orebić on Pelješac peninsular, where Croatia’s top red wines, Dingač and Postup, are produced. Organised wine-tasting tours take you to the Miloš and Grgić vineyards, and conclude at the Bartulović winery, for lunch in a traditional stone konoba (wine cellar). Seewww.vinarijabartulovic.hr for details.

Pupnatska Luka

A lovely fine pebble beach with a couple of informal eateries gives onto this stunning deep turquoise-blue bay on the island’s south coast. It lies 19 km from Korčula Town, close to the village of Pupnat, where you’ll also find Konoba Mate (see "Where to eat and drink" above). You’ll need to hire a car or moped to get here – there is a sporadic bus service to Pupnat but then you still have a half-hour walk before you reach the beach.