Split to Split

Embark at any time after 14:00. Over a welcome drink and a snack, meet your Cruise Director and the crew and get acquainted with the rules and safety measures.

Today is the day for enjoying the highlights of the central Dalmatian coast. After breakfast, choose to explore Split on your own or join an optional walking tour* of Split’s famous Diocletian Palace. Built to house the Roman Emperor, the Palace grew into a city after Slavs ruined the nearby Roman town of Salona. With our local guide, discover the secrets of centuries past in what is today the vibrant core of Dalmatia’s largest city. Then, hop over to the island of Hvar, known for the purple of its lavender, the red of its wines and the Venetian feel of its hotspot Hvar. Join an optional guided walking tour of Hvar* or explore on your own before taking a refreshing swim at Pakleni, the wondrous neighboring islands.

Your captain will choose a secluded bay to hop in the sea and start the day. Surrounded in deep green forests which earned Korčula its name and fame, meditate upon the sound of crickets and silence as you immerse yourself in the essence of this region: the crystal blue sea. Then continue to another green island, this time Mljet. The national park on the island is the home of two salty lakes connected with the sea via a narrow canal. Nature lovers will get a kick from hiking or cycling here, possibly even kayaking to the small islet in the center of the lake, charming with its 12^th-century Monastery of St.

In vicinity of Slano, the petite town of Ston claims its fame for many things gourmand: strong wines, ancient salt production and succulent oysters and mussels. Our optional tour the Taste of Dalmatia** highlights all these treasures, but you can also just relax in Slano before sailing out to Dubrovnik. Midway, a dip on Lopud Island gets you up and ready to join an optional guided tour* of Dubrovnik Old Town. Surrounded in immense city walls, as if in a universe of its own, the world-famous facades line up as you walk the same streets like the cast and crews of the Game of Thrones, Star Wars and Robin Hood.

In the morning, venture east. Past the serene valley of Konavle, cross the border with Montenegro. The scenery turns more dramatic, with snowcapped mountains looming over the turquoise Adriatic Sea. Driving around Boka bay, its beauty entices, with settlements inhabited as early as the Illyrian and Roman times charmingly dotting the shorelines. Discover the picturesque Perast with its quaint seafront and Our Lady of the Rocks church poised on a manmade island facing the town.

The far south of Croatia holds many gems. Scattered between Dubrovnik and Korčula, the Elaphite archipelago is alluring for its pristine islands which were once an oasis for local seamen to build their ships and for captains to build their estates. Today, the Elaphites are praised for their quaint ambiance. Stop at one of the three inhabited ones for a stroll and a swim, before a lunch on board en route to Korčula. You’ll know Korčula was a Venetian stronghold as soon as you lay your eyes on the many lion statues which lurk at you from the town’s facades and gates, intertwined with some of the most outstanding stonework you will get see anywhere on the Adriatic coast.

Breakfast is served over the stunning views of the playfully dispersed archipelago of Korčula, and followed by a scenic sail around the tips of Pelješac peninsula and Hvar Island, perhaps even a refreshing dip along the way. Stop to visit the homeland of ‘the Croatian marble’, the island of Brač. You’ve probably seen this ultra-quality limestone already, perhaps on the front of the White House in Washington DC or Bundestag in Berlin, but the optional tour* to the still-operating stonemasonry school in Pučišća brings a chance to learn more about shaping this stone for eternity. Once back at the mainland, get stunned by the dramatic rocks backing the lovely settlement of Omiš right at the mouth of Cetina River.