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Croatia: The Dalmatian Islands
Activity Level:
Moderate |
Daily Mileage:
13 - 35 mi |
Daily Biking:
2 - 5 hr
Air package plus
10 days from only
$3395
Price includes roundtrip airfare.
Land only
7 days from only
$2345
Pre-trip Extension:
Dubrovnik · 3 nights $495
Post-trip Extension:
Split · 2 nights $245
Dubrovnik · 3 nights $495
Post-trip Extension:
Split · 2 nights $245
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 - Depart U.S. / Fly overnight to Split
Depart from the U.S.
for Croatia.
The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight
itinerary and airline tickets.
Day 2 - Arrive in Split, Croatia / Transfer to Trogir
Upon arrival at the Split
airport, claim your luggage and clear customs. Our local representative, who
will be holding a VBT sign, meets you outside the customs area in your arrival
terminal. Your minibus transfer (approximately 30 minutes) is provided by the
Hotel Palace Trogir.
At the hotel, check in and spend the remainder of the day
exploring Trogir. (If you arrive early, your hotel room may not be available
until 2pm. You can store your luggage at the Reception
Desk.)
On a tiny island behind medieval walls lies the Old Town of
Trogir – just steps away from your hotel. Its streets form an intriguing maze
and Romanesque and Renaissance edifices wait around every corner. Masterful
architecture and a magnificent cathedral have earned Trogir a place as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. Outside the walls of the Old Town,
you can stroll the seaside promenade, lined with cafes and luxurious yachts in
the summer.
VBT provides you with City Information in your Final Travel
Booklet that includes recommendations on what to see and do in Trogir during
your stay.
Day 3 - Meet Trip Leaders / Transfer from Trogir to the Island of Brac / Warm-up ride / Welcome Reception
VBT No-Air Package guests: Your VBT Trip Leaders and the
rest of the group meet you at the Hotel Trogir Palace in Trogir at 9 a.m.
(address: Put Gradine 8, 21 220 Trogir, Croatia; telephone: +385 (0) 21 685
555) If you are scheduled to arrive at the Hotel Trogir Palace later than 9 a.m.
or if you are delayed, you must take a taxi, a ferry, and then another taxi at
your own expense.
In the event of a late arrival you will need to travel on
your own to Hotel Pastura in Postira on the island of Brac
(approximate cost is 30 euros/$39 USD, travel time approximately 2 hours).
Please contact Hotel Pastura (telephone: +385 (0) 21 740 000) to advise the
staff of any travel delays or changes, and they will alert your VBT Trip
Leaders.
VBT Air Package and Pre-Trip Extension guests: Meet your VBT
Trip Leaders at 9 a.m. They will be wearing VBT staff garments. Please have
your bags out for collection before 8am so they may be transferred to the ferry
ahead of the group. The group will leave the hotel at 9:30 a.m. for the 45-minute
drive to the Split pier for your ferry, which
sails at 11 a.m. to the port of Supetar on the island of Brac.
Across from the ferry terminal in Split, you may purchase something to eat from
one of several small restaurants or grocery stores to bring along during the
one-hour journey to Brac.
On arrival at the port
of Supetar, minivans transfer our group
to the village of
Postira and the Hotel
Pastura, your home for the next three nights. This welcoming, 4-star hotel's
location is convenient and quiet and features comfortable, air-conditioned
rooms with balconies.
A charming and quiet village now, Postira dates to the 14th
century. Located five miles from Supetar, Postira is nestled between ocean and
hill, embraced by centuries-old olive fields and pine groves. One of this
town's most famous sites is the remains of a basilica in Lovrecina, a bay with
a very beautiful sandy beach.
In the afternoon, join our Trip Leaders for a safety and
bike-fitting session, followed by a short warm-up ride along Postira's harbor
and a loop to the picturesque village
of Dol. In the early
evening, we walk to a nearby typical village restaurant for a welcome cocktail
reception on the quaint terrace, followed by a traditional Brac Island dinner. Later,
return to the hotel and fall asleep to the lapping sounds of waves outside your
room.
Day 4 - Cycle from Postira to Pucisca and Skrip / Visit stonecutters' school / Home-hosted dinner
We start our ride to Postira, following a quieter road along
the scenic north coast and passing through simple villages bordered by fig and
olive trees. You'll enjoy views of the mainland throughout our ride. Stop in
the port town of Pucisca
and visit the stonecutters' school here. Brac's world-renowned stone has been
used in the construction of some the world's most famous buildings, including
Diocletian's palace in Split and the White House
in Washington, D.C. This is a unique opportunity to see
students' work and learn about a near-forgotten craft at one of the world's few
remaining stonecutting schools.
After lunch on your own, you may choose to shuttle back to
the hotel or cycle back to Postira. Today's longer option is to continue past
Postira to Skrip, then return to Postira. Skrip is the oldest settlement on the
island and the source of the stone we learned about earlier. Upon returning to
the hotel, use your free time to relax or walk to the beach.
Just prior to dinner, your Trip Leaders give us an
introduction to the Croatian language. Use your newfound skills tonight as you
share a simple but authentic Croatian dinner in a local home. We always connect
with our hosts during this event, and it gives us a chance to witness daily life
on this breathtaking island.
Day 5 - Shuttle to Vidova Gora, the Summit of the Adriatic / Ride through rural villages / Visit Milna, the Bay of a Thousand Ships
After breakfast, we shuttle to the highest point on the
island, Vidova Gora. This lookout, known as the summit of the Adriatic,
affords some breathtaking views. From here, enjoy more great scenery as we
coast through the villages of Nerezisca and Lozisca.
From Lozisca, we ride a nine-mile loop down to the port of Milna, the most beautiful marina on the
island. We stop here and relax for an included lunch at a local restaurant.
Afterward, we continue toward the port town of Sutivan and then along the coast back to our
hotel in Postira via Supetar.
Tonight, you may explore the typical Croatian restaurants in
town. Your Trip Leaders can make recommendations.
Day 6 - Bike to Bol and Zlatni Rat Beach / Boat ride / Explore Hvar town and fortress
This morning, we say goodbye to our hosts and transfer by
coach across the top of the island to the base of Vidova Gora. From here, we
ride through easy terrain and the ancient medieval settlements of Praznica and
Gornji Humac – real examples of how the island's towns and villages developed
from separate homes, usually shepherd's houses.
Enjoy breathtaking views during our downhill roll to the beach of Zlatni Rat
(meaning “Golden Horn”), the most famous beach in all of Croatia. This
spit of land reaches out into the water with a gently sloping beach. Here, you
can swim in the Adriatic's crystal-clear water before lunch on your own in the
adjacent town of Bol.
Just after lunch, embark a private boat to Jelsa on the island of Hvar. Then, we shuttle to our hotel in
Hvar town. (In the event of inclement weather, this transfer operates as noted
below.)
Nearly 42 miles long and 7 miles wide, and only 3 miles at
its narrowest point, Hvar is the most famous and seductive Adriatic island.
Along with Bali, Zanzibar, Mykonos and Capri, Hvar has been called “one of the most beautiful
islands in the world” by Condé Nast
Traveler magazine. Its permanent population of 12,000 people clusters on
the west of the island, adjacent to the most fertile and protected land.
Your hotel's central location affords the perfect vantage
point to explore Hvar town, a medieval Croatian town with a strong Venetian
influence dating to the 16th century. Visit the Arsenal, built in 1612 as the
first municipal theatre—Europe's oldest and
perhaps smallest. Its purpose was to bring the aristocratic and bourgeois
classes together, and it stands as a symbol of reconciliation between social
classes and of the abolition of privilege. Women were not admitted until the
second half of the 19th century. Take in the expanse of Saint Stephen's Square,
the largest square of the Adriatic after Saint Mark's in Venice.
Tonight, walk to a nearby home for a delicious dinner hosted
by Margita and Boris. They teach us how to prepare some of the best local
dishes during a group cooking lesson. Dalmatia is known for its Prosek (sweet
wine) and Plavac (local red wine); taste both over a festive dinner on a
terrace that overlooks the Adriatic.
Inclement Weather
Itinerary:
If rough weather makes it impossible for our small chartered
ferry to operate, guests travel between Brac and Hvar on the large car ferries
that operate via Split.
This creates a longer travel day. The two ferry rides are separated by a
two-hour visit to Split,
where you take a discovery walk and enjoy lunch on your own. Inclement weather
may make the promoted activities impossible.
Day 7 - Ride Hvar's dramatic wilderness / Explore Stari Grad
After a leisurely breakfast, we ride past fields of poppies,
rosemary and lavender. The ride starts with a steady climb of about four miles
to the village of
Brusje and rewards you
with a sparsely inhabited and dramatic landscape crisscrossed by a seemingly
endless number of stone walls. Views stretch across the sea to neighboring
islands and the mainland. If you prefer, start the ride in Brusje and pedal to
Stari Grad, finishing with a four-mile downhill coast into this authentic
Dalmatian town situated at the end of a narrow bay. Originally founded in the
fourth century BC, the town's main square offers a number of options for lunch
on your own.
For a greater challenge, continue past Stari Grad on one of
two long-ride options. After lunch, you can continue biking to pass near Jelsa
and climb toward Poljica into an even more remote environment, finishing with a
two-mile downhill ride to Velika Stiniva (“Big Cliff”). Enjoy a swim, and later
board our VBT van for the shuttle back to our hotel.
Back at the hotel spend the afternoon exploring more of Hvar
town or swimming at a neighboring beach. Dinner is on your own.
Day 8 - Ride through lavender fields / Explore Vrboska harbor
Today's ride, certain to be a highlight of your trip, is
relatively flat. It carries us through verdant fields and quiet stone villages
and alongside the narrow harbor between Vrboska and Jelsa.
Our first destination is Vrboska, an adorable harbor famous
for its fortified church. Unique in Croatia, the structure resulted
from a strange but urgent need for both the church and the secular citizenry to
fortify their village from invaders. From here, we skirt a fjord on a flat and
scenic road, perhaps stopping at a small cove for a cooling dip (don't forget
your swimsuit!). We end the morning with a picnic in the old fishing port of Jelsa, where we see the well-maintained
houses of local ship captains. Enjoy a refreshing dip here.
Then, we ride through the mountain village of Pitve.
With its traditional stone houses, konobas, or taverns, and terrace gardens,
Pitve epitomizes the island towns of Croatia. We shuttle back to the
hotel from Stari Grad in the late afternoon, or opt for a longer ride that
brings us back through Brusje to Hvar.
Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner on the terrace of our
hotel, overlooking Hvar harbor.
Day 9 - Transfer to Split / Free time / VBT No-Air Package ends
VBT No-Air Package guests: After breakfast, transfer back to
the port of Split, arriving at approximately 1:15 pm. (Important: Flight departures
from Split
airport prior to 4pm are not recommended. If you depart earlier, you must make
transfer arrangements from the last hotel at your own expense. Taxi cost from Split harbor to Split
airport is approximately 300 Croatian Kuna /$60 USD; travel time is about 40
minutes.)
VBT Air Package and Post Trip Extension guests: Transfer
after breakfast by ferry and van to the Hotel Atrium in Split for your final
overnight stay (travel time is approximately three hours). Arrive around 2pm,
then spend the rest of the day shopping or relaxing in one of the city's
outdoor cafes. VBT provides you with
City Information in your Final Travel Booklet that includes recommendations on
what to see and do in Split
during your stay.
Day 10 - Depart for U.S. or begin your optional extension in Split
VBT recommends you check the time of your transfer with your
Trip Leaders during the week. The transfer is prearranged and prepaid.
* Note: For guests with early-morning departures, breakfast
at the hotel may not be available. Please check with the Front Desk to verify
the times that breakfast is served.
** VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in
advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay
beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will
be at your own expense.
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