We took a day trip about an hour north of Split to the famed city of Trogir. We left the confines of Dioclencian’s Palace for the local bus station. Catching the bus to Trogir is very easy, the schedules are in plain site and people are very helpful in providing directions. After a bit more than an hour of traveling through local roads we arrived at the gates of Trogir. It reminded me a bit of a land based Korcula. Church towers and tiled roofs appear behind heavy stone fortified walls. Like Dubrovnik, Split and Korcula, Trogir is a registered Unesco World Heritage Site. It’s claim by UNESCO to be “a remarkable example of urban continuity”.

The city is small which makes it very manageable on a day trip. The town features some great things to see such as St. Lawrence Cathedral, a wonderful waterfront with open air cafe’s, Kameriengo Fortress, Radovan’s Portal and excellent beaches.

The beach at Bol is considered Croatia’s most spectacular beach. It’s renowned for the golden sandbar (Zlatni Rat), which wraps around a wooded forest forming triangle styled point that’s just out into the Adriatic. We found a spot and set up camp. Just beyond the swimming area yachts and boats lined side by side. The beach was crowded, but in September most of the Euro-tourists were back and work and school, so it was not too bad. The water was warm and enjoyable. After two days of hiking around Trogir and Split it was good to chill out to one last day of sun and fun.

The Island’s history runs in parallel with Split. It was a part of the Roman Empire, (remnants of Roman Villas are all over the island). It was taken over by Venetians in 1420 then fell to the Austrians with Split in 1797. It was even a Russian marine base until the Austrians took it back in 1918. After World War I it was made part of Yugoslavia, along with the rest of Croatia and it’s neighboring Baltic countries.

Today the island produces olive oil, wine, fruit and livestock. Tourism is it’s biggest industry with thousands of tourists visiting Bol beach for the sun, sand and world class Wind Surfing. Other areas of the island are popular for private villas, secluded coves and easy access to the warm Adriatic ocean.

The largest settlement on Brac is Supetar. It’s 3000 plus inhabitants operate a lively tourist business and transportation hub. The island is renowned as a superior vacation destination. You can navigate the rest of the island from Supetar. busses and ferries come and go at regular intervals.

The island of Brac is easily accessible from Hvar as well as Spit. Part of our travel group traveled there from Hvar in about a 30 minute ferry ride. Laura and I decided to go from Split, which was easy but a bit longer. The Ferry took about 1.5 hours to reach Supetar, the main port entry on Brac. We went directly to the bus station to make the first bus to Bol Beach.

The world famous triangle beach of Bol Croatia is both well known as the only large sand beach in Croatia, and as a world class wind surfing destination. The bus from Supetar cuts through the twisted roads of central Brac to arrive in Bol from Supetar in about 90 minutes. The ride over is filled with twists and turns, so be warned if you get motion sickness easily. The views of the ocean from the mountains is incredible, as well as the villages and expansive olive fields that pass by.

Visiting Hvar, you immediately get a sense that you are in a place that has been blessed with good fortune. The natural beauty and feeling of peacefulness and harmony with nature is evident in every aspect from the deep blue Adriatic, to the Lavender and Rosemary covered hills of the Sv. Jerolim and the surrounding Pakleni islands.

Our travels kept us in and around Hvar town. The hub of activity for the island. It’s gotten the reputation of being the “New Riviera” for the jet set. There are quite a few entertainment celebrities, business tycoons, and Euro-royalty that vacation here, either in villas on the island itself, or drop anchor from their yachts. If fact, the marina was buzzing with yachts pulling in and out of the marina during our stay.

The main square of Hvar Town is anchored by the Cathedral of Hvar at the far end of the square. It’s an open area filled with cafe’s, gelato shops, and retail stores geared toward the tourist.

The setting of Hvar town is pitch perfect for a “New Riviera”. The town is formed around a small marina, that is bordered on all sides by shops, cafes and hotels. Hvar Town is nestled at the bottom of steep mountains that vertically ascend just a few meters from the water. The back streets of Hvar town cris-cross up and up finally ending at the entrance to the grand Fortress, Fortica Spanjola that guards the city below.

Our driver dropped us at Orebic, where we caught a water taxi across the bay to Korcula. The boat was a beautiful wooden taxi boat that could hold maybe 30 passengers. It’s low slung hull put us just above water level. As we cut a path through the deep blue, warm waters of the Adriatic the perspective of the approaching fortress city was enhanced by our low eye line.

We exited the boat and walked up the grand stairs of the main gate into the city. We wandered across the city to the far side and had lunch, which consisted of my usual pizza and beer. Others had great success with fresh fish. After lunch we found the destroyed ruins of what is supposed to be Marco Polo’s house. I got some good shots through what used to be the windows, through to what looked like the main fireplace in the house. There is a museum there that likely explains the whole Marco Polo story, and provides background on the house and his place in the history of Korcula. We decided our limited time was best spent exploring.

We found wonderful streets with quaint houses, elaborate garden gates and a church at the peak of the city, which provided some excellent interior photo opportunities.

What a place to see! I can’t recommend this beautiful city enough. I would love to return to experience the local area some more.

We drove south stopping at two other resort towns like Orjen to pick up other passengers then we were on our way. The drive was pleasant, but very curvy. The terrain was essentially the same rocky coastline and high mountains. We passed through Ledenice and Risan until we could begin to see the incredible Fjord’s of the bay of Kotor, which is a huge inlet of the Adriatic ocean. We passed through Orahovac and onto Kotor.

1. Rector’s Palace:

Right off Luza Square is the Rector’s Palace. It was the seat of the Ragusan government, where the Rector lived and worked. The first prince (Rector) ruled the Republic from here. After Napoleon’s army dissolved the Dubrovnik Republic the Rector’s position was reduced. In fact a new Rector was selected each month.

The central portico features beautiful archways and a second story mezzanine. The rooms are interesting, and not so extensive you feel obligated to spend tons of time wandering through. For me, the highlight was the portico with the open ceiling and archways.

2. Pile Gate:

This is the north gate into the city. It features a stone bridge with two gothic arches. If you exit towards the outside you can get to Tower Loverjenac, something we did not do. On entering, the outer draw bridge is met by an internal bridge that leads into the city. If the light is right, some good shots are to be had from Pile Gate. My suggestion is to walk down the path to the left as you exit out of the town. at the end you’ll be at the bay I mentioned from the wall tour. There is a great view of the enormous Tower Loverjenac and Tower Bokar with the Adriatic in the background.

3. Big Onofrio’s Fountain:

You’ll see this round structure near the pile gate. It’s close to the entrance to the wall tour. It’s a 16-sided water fountain and is considered a masterpiece of engineering for the early 1400’s. This is not only for the design, but for the design of the irrigation flow. The water that serves it is 20 kilometers away.

4. Church of St. Blaise & the Cathedral:

While the Church of St. Blaise is worth seeing, mostly because of the religious artifacts in a small room behind the alter, I liked the Cathedral much more. At night the lighting is dramatic and great for night shots. The courtyard in front of it was not that busy when I was shooting, so I was able to take a long exposure without people walking through.

5. Franciscan Monastery:

The Franciscan Monastery is a must see for fans of great architecture as this courtyard and surrounding buildings are considered a masterwork of Dubrovnik architecture. The Roman-Gothic styling features an outside courtyard with the second oldest pharmacy in Europe, and it’s still a pharmacy today. Inside the library features 30,000 volumes of books and 1500 hand written documents. The garden area is extraordinary.

6. Troubadour Jazz Cafe:

One night after dinner, we were walking through the main square where outdoor cafes were busy with customers. We ended up at the Troubadour Jazz Cafe, where they played some great American style jazz. It was quite a treat listening to our home music under the stars with a cold Karlovacko beer in hand in Durbrovnik.

7. Cafe Buza:

This is the THE find in Dubrovnik, and not all that well known. On an ally way in the along the main western wall you’ll find a non-descript small door. Enter it to find the coolest bar you might ever have a beer in. The cafe is built on the side of the rocky cliffs and into the Dubrovnik wall. At the water level is a small beach if you’re in the mood for a swim. We sat at sunset and took in the view and the dramatic scene of the wall rising above our heads. It was truly spectacular and is still a personal highlight of the trip for all of us who went.

There are plenty of other famous Dubrovnik icons that you’ll run into during your stay. Thinks like the bell tower, the Jesuit Church, Orladno’s Column, and Fortress Revelin you’ll find just roaming around. Palace Sponza is worth seeing as well, though we did not spend much time there.