El Classico Route

Always wanted to be a part of El Classico?! Now you have the opportunity as this El Classico Tour of Croatian islands will give you a familiar feeling of excitement as the real thing would. Your first stop should be the fishermen village Milna on the island of Brač. The option is to search for a berth in the ACI marina in Milna, in which case you should reserve it earlier during Saturdays, or to choose from one of the beautiful bays close to Milna as Bobovišća bay. Nice little bay in a fishtail shape with a "konoba" to grab something to eat. The well-equipped ACI marina in Milna is a good place to spend the night with excellent protection from strong winds and to have the proper introduction with local customs and way of life. 

And now...in the other corner, the Real Deal starts! Sail out of Milna and head direction SE to the deep bay on the island of Hvar where the town of Stari Grad awaits you since 384 BC when it was founded by the Greeks as Pharos. It is the second oldest Greek town in Croatia after Issa on Vis, with numerous sites and buildings that speak of history and tradition from that and previous age, all the way up until our time. First of all, your vehicle. It would be wise if you intend to tie the boat on the promenade in the town itself, to reserve it in advance as it can get crowded. The other option is to catch a buoy out there or in some of the bays around the town. When you set yourself free, start exploring the town and dive into the old times. Imagine the old Greeks coming into the same bay as you with their ships (no problem with berths for sure) and settling on this fertile piece of land. They exploited that and created their parcellation in the long field to the east of the town, nowadays the oldest example of that kind of parcellation in the Mediterranean, making it one of the most important pieces of cultural heritage in the world, which UNESCO recognized in 2008. Along the field, going further inland, there are a lot of small stone churches, tiny old stone houses and the remains of villae rusticae, Roman holiday houses. One other thing you will notice wandering around Hvar is the smell. Some will notice it immediately as it will resemble to those from their private quarters back home, only that one is mixed up with lots of smells and odors and…anyway, on Hvar it comes from the vast fields of lavender that grow all around. The same case is with the wine and vineyards. I’m not talking about the smell. You should go for some of the indigenous wine sorts such as Plavac Mali. The reason behind all these growing and prospering on the island is the climate of course, as Hvar is “the sunniest Croatian island” with around 300 sunny days throughout the year. In the town itself, a more modern holiday house, dating from 16th century, belonged to one of the noble families of that time, the family Hektorović. The head of the house at that time, Petar Hektorović (a famous Croatian poet in his free time) has built Tvrdalj, semi-castle, semi-holiday house that attracts tourists with its architecture, inscriptions in Latin and a fishpond in the middle of the complex so definitely check it out. Other interesting places to see include several churches, Biankini palace with an art gallery, and an old windmill. Spend the night with the old Greeks and their heirloom. 

After Stari Grad, you should definitely stay on Hvar, and head for the Hvar Town. Passing along the west cape of the island of Hvar called Pelegrin, wonderful sights, such as the bay of Pribinja, Jagodna and other areas of outstanding natural beauty will capture your attention until you see Hvar and Pakleni otoci. ACI marina Palmižana is an option to spend the night in as it is in the middle of this group of islands. For a more romantic setting, there are number of well-protected bays to provide shelter for the night. Be aware of the shallows and rocks under the surface. If you want to go to Hvar directly, be prepared for the fuss about the berth and buoys as lots of boats come in regularly. Rich in monuments such as Hvar Cathedral, Arsenal, Franciscan monastery and a real gem, the first civic theatre in Europe built in 1612, Hvar has a great cultural significance, and historical too. The Fortica Fortress is another example of the long history and architecture. Climb up on it and prey your eyes on the beautiful view of Pakleni islands, numerous bays and beaches. Exceptional gastro offer in Hvar can be tested in many restaurants: fresh fish, olive oil, and wine from the island vineyards will tingle your taste buds. Although Hvar is soaked in history, it is very much alive and synchronized with the modern world, as it is well-known for its parties and nightlife that attract young people from all over the world, among them lots of those coming on sailing boats and catamarans. For the ones longing for some peace and quiet, we suggest avoiding such nights on Hvar (usually on Sunday and Monday night). 

To the big sister, straight on! Time to visit Issa, the first Greek colony in the Adriatic, after you were introduced with Pharos. Inhabited since prehistory, Vis as an island was on a perfect geographical position on the Adriatic Sea routes. It was Illyrian before the 4th century BC when Syracuse founded the colony of Issa. Afterward, it was a Roman town.  Nowadays a typical Dalmatian town, beautiful and full of history Vis has a lot to offer. We recommend staying overnight and seizing the day by going on Vis – Military tour (the island had an important role in World war II and afterward was isolated for more than 50 years by being a former Yugoslavia naval base till the latest war in Croatia). Other options such as Discovery Tour (tour of ancient Roman excavations, numerous sites that have taken away the breath of Romans and Greeks in ancient times, including modern museums and churches), walking on wine roads, mountain biking, free climbing, paragliding, fishing, diving, and swimming, of course, can play a part in entertaining you as well. Vis as an island and as a town is getting recognized more and more, just like the rest of Croatia, as a perfect place to shoot movies and series. The latest one is the mega-hit, a sequel of the musical Mamma Mia, full of mega-stars such as Amanda Seyfried, Mery Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and Andy Garcia, was shot in Vis, Komiža, and Barjoska beach. Actually, Vis served as a fictional Greek island Kalokairi. They didn’t make any mistake, right? Take a walk, maybe you run into some of the movie gods strolling around…they said they will be back.

Vis has another side as well, so sail on to the west but take a longer route along the eastern side of the island. Yeah, an abundance in that suggestion, but you will realize what we had in mind by proposing this when you come to the small islands of Budikovac and Ravnik. Before getting there, you can make a stop at Stončica bay with a beautiful sandy beach and a lovely restaurant. Perfect time to get to know „picigin“, Dalmatian beach sport. Coming to the beautiful Budikovac you can sail into the lagoon where you will find an amazing pebble beach but bear in mind that it's quite shallow and there are some underwater rocks on one side of the Laguna. The tour continues with the Green cave on Ravnik island, nature's works of art. Winds and waves have carved in the amazing sights inside and outside of hard Dalmatian rock making astonishing color patterns. Keep your jaws and phones checked in order not to fall into the sea. Continuing further west, Stiniva cove is a must-see and a perfect place for swimming as it is a beautiful small beach at the end of a long-indented bay, sheltered with a steep rock that hides it from plain view. The "selfies" taken from here are worth gold in bragging rights. Sailing on, you will reach the town of Komiža, an old fishermen town with a long maritime tradition. We recommend spending the night here, enjoying the calm evening and tasting the Viška Pie, island specialty made of dough, sardines, tomato, olive oil, and onion.  

Up for more wonders of nature? Then you really need to be UP early to get in time to check this wonder before the tide made by the sea and the one made by humans flooding the entrance. You probably heard about it and saw lots of photos, but nothing can prepare you for the Blue Cave on the small island of Biševo, 5 miles from Komiža. The main part of the cave is an open space under the sea which, in combination with the third opening in its roof, about three meters above the sea, creates the most extraordinary and beautiful light effect. The smell, the tranquillity and the colours just make it an out-of-this-world experience. After that, we recommend Maslinica on the island of Šolta as your next stop. Be aware that you will need at least 4h of sailing, so plan your time well as you have a few bays on the northern side of Vis that can serve the need for swimming and some water sports with water toys we have prepared for you. Furthermore, it is reasonable to make a reservation in Martinis Marchi marina in Maslinica, if you plan to stay the night in that port, and we would recommend it as the newly built Marina Martinis Marchi provides a beautiful mooring place with a hotel inside the old castle of Marchi family and an amphitheatre with 500 seats built in ancient Greek style what truly depicts why the marina has been the winner of Best Small Marina in Croatia award for 2018. Breath taking nature, famous Blue Lagoon across the channel on Drvenik islands can be your choice for swimming and enjoying in Dalmatia's mixture for one more day.

The last day of your free wondering across the Dalmatia and the Adriatic Sea is up to you to decide what you want to do. A visit to the Blue Lagoon can be one of the options, as well as some bays along the northern side of Šolta. Keep in mind that you have a 2h sailing from Maslinica to Split, have to arrive before the dark and fuel up before the check out in the morning. Another option is to go straight for Split and head to the Split Old Town, check the Diocletian's palace, Riva (Split promenade), numerous museums and, of course, the restaurants. No wrong move in this, just different sorts of pleasure. :)