Cruising Croatia
I’m sitting on a terrace at a vineyard that’s been producing wine for more than 2,400 years. Below rows of grapevines flow like waves down a hill toward a small town. The only structure I can make out is a church steeple, almost perfectly framed by hills on either side. The deep blue of the Adriatic Sea blends into the sky and fills in the rest of the canvas. The wine is good. The weather is perfect. The view is fantastic. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be, which leaves me wondering why I was so hesitant to be here.
Croatia was not my first choice for a vacation destination. I’ll confess it wasn’t even on my radar until my sister and her husband proposed that my wife and I join them for a weeklong cruise from Split to Dubrovnik.
I immediately turned down her offer. The idea of spending a week on a ship with thousands of other people all fighting for space in the buffet line is not my idea of fun. But my sister went on to explain that the cruise she had in mind was on a small ship that took only a few dozen passengers. She ran through the basic itinerary, which would have us visiting a different island each day, and by the time she got to the very reasonable cost of the cruise, I was ready to commit.
None of us really knew what to expect. We were all aware of the region’s turbulent history. Croatia and its neighbors that make up the Balkan region have been a flashpoint for competing religions and cultures dating back to the ancient Greeks, Turks, and Romans. In more recent times, the region has seen a violent war after the fall of communism and the end of the nation of Yugoslavia. Croatia escaped most of these troubles, but for Americans, the conflict came to define the whole region’s image as anything but a tourist destination.
Today Croatia’s history, climate, and culture attract more than 18 million tourists a year, but Americans account for less than 3 percent of them. That is starting to change, thanks in part to the popularity of HBO’s Game of Thrones, much of which is shot in Dubrovnik and Split.
One of the first indications of how much the region has changed was a sign that greeted us outside the airport in Split: “Care less/Wear less.” This seemed a great slogan for a wonderful country, especially as we came to realize that Croatia has become “party central” for much of Europe’s under-35 crowd. It’s not hard to see why — beautiful beaches, wonderful weather, plenty to see and do, and enough bars and pubs to ensure that no one ever waits in line for a drink. Croatia, we would come to learn, is a fantastic mixture of history, fine cuisine, ancient cultures, and adventure.
Our journey began in Split, Croatia’s second largest city. We arrived a couple of days ahead of the ship’s departure date to have enough time to enjoy the city and take in Diocletian’s Palace.
Diocletian became the emperor of Rome in 284. He is best known for leading the last great persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. When he retired in 305, he built an enormous palace in Split in which to enjoy his senior years. It’s an impressive retirement home by any standard, taking up an entire city block. Over the centuries, the locals moved in and built their homes within the fortified walls, but what remains of the original structure is still impressive. The basement alone was worth the visit, with massive vaulted rooms large enough for a small army and, as Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones would learn in Season 5, a pretty nifty place to keep your fire-breathing dragons.
Split’s other main attraction is the waterfront promenade. My wife, who firmly believes that any good vacation should include at least five miles of walking each day, convinced me to join her in hiking the harbor’s full length. Our journey took us past one yacht after another, with every mooring spot along the harbor taken, and more anchored just offshore. This was clear evidence that Croatia has become a choice destination for Europe’s wealthy. A little over an hour into the hike, we reached the far end of the harbor and found a nice outdoor bar with a panoramic view of the Adriatic where we relaxed and enjoyed a glass of local wine.
We woke Saturday morning to discover that the entire south end of the harbor had filled overnight with at least 30 small cruise ships. These ranged from older wooden vessels geared to more budget-minded travelers to newer luxury yachts like ours.
The Cristal, our ship, carried 40 passengers and a crew of 10. The cabins were spacious and clean, with ample-sized private bathrooms. The top level of the ship featured a sun deck and hot tub. The deck immediately below contained a shaded salon as well as the kitchen, dining room, and bridge. Most cabins were on the main deck with a few in the lower hull. Our fellow passengers ranged from the mid-30s to the early 80s and, while there were a couple of other Americans on board, most were from Australia.
The Cristal’s crew served a full buffet breakfast each morning and a three-course lunch around 12:30. Dinners were generally “on your own,” with passengers dining in any of the many restaurants in each town we stopped at. The ship’s bar was always open, with reasonably priced drinks.
Our plan was to check-in and then take the optional river rafting tour. Unfortunately, the tour was canceled because of river conditions, so we stayed with the ship while it cruised to our first destination, Makarska. Any disappointment we may have felt about losing out on rafting was quickly forgotten as the Cristal pulled out of the harbor and headed south.
Croatia’s coastline features one small town after another, each dwarfed by the Biokovo mountain range that runs just inland. The mountains appeared almost purple against the blue sky, providing a vivid contrast to the coastline’s many white-walled buildings and their orange tile roofs.
We dropped anchor for an hour near the city of Omis for the first of what became a regular, daily swim stop. The water in Croatia is remarkably clear. The bottom is largely white limestone that reflects most of the sunlight that penetrates the surface. This adds greatly to the overall visibility. While there wasn’t much in the way of fish life to see, and other stops later in the week would prove to be better, it was great to take our first dip in the Adriatic. I wanted exercise credits for all the swimming I did but my wife refused to acknowledge it. She may have had a point; the ship’s crew offered passengers foam “noodles” that provided all the buoyancy needed to float for hours without exerting oneself.
Makarska was our first overnight stop. The horseshoe-shaped harbor is enclosed by a peninsula to the north and a manmade jetty at the southern end that served as our dock. The old town, facing the harbor, is a quaint collection of homes dating back to when Venetians and Turks ruled the region, with a few modern buildings sprinkled in. Walking along the promenade, we crossed over the neck of the peninsula and came upon a thoroughly modern resort area with new hotels and a seemingly endless choice of restaurants and bars overlooking the water.
The next morning, we headed to the island of Brac. In addition to having one of the nicest swim spots, the island is also home to a quarry that supplied the stones used to build the White House. It seems odd that the United States would be shipping in stones all the way from Croatia in the late 1700s, but it did.
After lunch it was on to the town of Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, arriving as a race, featuring nearly a hundred small sailboats crewed by boys and girls between ages 7 and 12, was finishing up. While it looked like a lot of fun, I couldn’t help but notice that most of the children’s parents seemed to be having an even better time in the harbor-side bars drinking beer and chatting while their kids raced. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Stari Grad is considered one of the oldest towns in Europe. The population today is probably not much more than it was a thousand years ago. But what makes it remarkable is how little seems to have changed in those intervening years. With its narrow alleys and stone buildings, it’s easy to imagine Greeks, Romans, and Turks walking the same promenade along the town’s picturesque harbor and quite possibly drinking wine at the same cafes that today line much of the waterfront.
Later that afternoon, our group, along with most of the other passengers, signed up for a local wine tasting. Remarkably, the vineyard could trace its history back 2,400 years to the original 73 Greek families that settled the island. According to our guide, the key to the vineyard’s survival is that each invading army — whether Venetians, Romans or Turks — was welcomed with a good glass of wine. It’s a strategy that clearly worked.
The following morning we left port and headed for the city of Hvar.
If Croatia is party central for Europe, Hvar may be its epicenter. It is a welcoming blend of ancient buildings, housing all kinds of restaurants, shops, and bars, overlooked by a huge fort that dominates the high ground. We joined others from the boat for a walking tour of the fortress before breaking off on our own.
Like all the towns we visited, Hvar has a wonderful pedestrian walkway that stretches for miles — from the monastery on the south side of town all the way around the harbor to a newer part of the city that features a grand resort hotel where we stopped for an excellent dinner featuring local shrimp.
From Hvar, it was on to Vis, with a quick stop on the island of Bisevo to tour the Blue Hole, a coastal cave entered by boat. It is illuminated by light reflected through underwater openings. My wife and I passed on the tour, but my sister and her husband opted to go. Their most vivid memory of it seems to have been the cute dog that greeted each tourist while they waited in line for small boats that would take them through the cave.
Vis’ most recent claim to fame is that it was the shooting location for the movie Mamma Mia 2, but that is far from its only brush with destiny. This small island has been central to the region’s history for hundreds of years. Vis is only one of Croatia’s two islands with a substantial source of freshwater. Combined with its unique position in the Adriatic, this has given it unprecedented military value dating back to ancient times. Vis is home to an early 19th-century British fort that played a prominent role in the Napoleonic wars. A few decades later, the Austrian navy defeated the Italians in what the locals consider the first battle of ironclad warships. During World War II, the Allies built an emergency airfield on the island. And, for the first 27 years of the Cold War, the Yugoslavian government ran 16 military bases on Vis, closing the island to visitors. We got to see all of this by taking the optional military tour. For five hours we were bounced around in vintage Land Rovers across dirt roads with refrigerator-sized potholes while our driver traveled as fast as possible, gesturing wildly and keeping his eyes squarely on the passengers in the seats directly behind him. Amazingly, we survived with only a couple of bruises and some occasional head banging (no seatbelts). Even with minor injuries, we all felt the tour was worth it.
While the forts and bunkers were impressive, and this is especially true of the bizarre submarine pen built by the communist government in the early 1980s, the incredible views around each turn were even more spectacular.
One notable stop was the town of Komiza. This small city looks much as it probably did 500 years ago. Our guide told us there are 25,000 people living in the United States, mostly in San Francisco, who can trace their lineage back to this place, including the founder of StarKist Tuna.
Korcula was our next destination. It’s a small 13th-century city the Venetians built on a peninsula that faces a narrow passage between the island of Korcula and mainland Croatia. It’s a beautiful city with a unique layout designed to channel a steady breeze through the town. The narrow streets are lined with shops offering a nice selection of local goods. The walls of the city on the western edge of the peninsula feature a row of restaurants, each providing a splendid view of the channel and the mainland not far away. Korcula also offers visitors an opportunity to tour the home where Marco Polo grew up before embarking on his epic journey to China.
Mljet was our last island. This part of the country was home to a sect of Benedictine monks who made it their mission to preserve the area’s natural beauty. Today, nearly half the island is a national park providing visitors with a number of activities to choose from. As in Brac, the park’s ticket office came complete with a friendly dog who believed his job was to enthusiastically welcome each visitor to his island paradise, spending a few moments with each guest before moving on to the next group.
My wife and I rented bikes and pedaled around the two “lakes” that make up much of the park. It turns out these are not technically lakes because they open to the sea through a narrow channel. We were willing to overlook this bit of false advertising since, by any measure, the entire area is beautiful. We ended up biking the “lakes” twice — first to get the lay of the land and second as an excuse to stop at several outdoor pubs for refreshing cold beers. My sister and her husband took advantage of a walking tour that included a boat ride to a small island in the middle of the larger lake that houses the original 12th-century monastery.
Perhaps unique to Croatian cruising is the way ships are berthed in the harbors. This was very apparent in Mljet. Most harbors we visited are far too small for full-sized cruise ships or for many of the smaller ships that visit each day. The work-around is to have the first ship tie up at the dock and to then have the next tie up to it. The next ship coming into port ties up to the second, with the next one tying up to the third, and so on. Eventually, you can have eight to ten ships all lashed together with only the first having a direct connection to the pier. It looks odd, but it works.
Dubrovnik was the last port of call. It’s Croatia’s jewel in the crown. First settled in the 8th century, the city’s walls and buildings create an unbelievable sense of stepping back in time. Renaissance highlights include the Sponza Palace, which dates from the 16th century, and the St. Savior Church. Dubrovnik’s best-known house of worship is St. Blaise’s Church. It was built in the 18th century in honor of Dubrovnik’s patron saint. Judging from the number of bridal parties we saw, it seems to be a wildly popular place to get married.
Dubrovnik’s popularity is directly proportional to its beauty. The city is not much larger than one square mile and was packed tighter than Disney World. This is in part because Dubrovnik is one of just two places we visited (the other being Split) that allow large cruise ships to dock. But these ships alone can’t take all the blame. No trip to Croatia would be complete without a visit to this stunning city, and with 18 million visitors a year it’s not hard to understand why the crowds are so large.
The next morning found us at the airport in Dubrovnik waiting for the first leg of our flight home. This provided an opportunity to look back on our wonderful journey.
Traveling by ship made for an easy vacation. There was no need to worry about how to get from one place to the next. No hauling bags from town to town. No worries about transportation or hotels.
All of this was expected, but the cruise offered something we hadn’t counted on — forced relaxation.
While we had plenty of time for visiting gorgeous islands and historic towns, and the morning swims were a good opportunity to get some exercise, the ship’s daily itinerary also included time to do nothing. On most mornings, passengers were free to spend a couple of hours lounging on the sun deck, or in the shade of the salon, or just hanging out in their cabins. It was a way to meet and talk with other passengers or to do nothing more strenuous than gazing at the coves and villages on the islands we passed. And while the ship offered wifi, few people seemed to spend more than a few minutes each day checking in with home or office.
Cruising Croatia offered everything most people look for in a vacation: the chance to escape from routine, to explore beautiful places, to connect with other cultures and, most of all, to relax.
