1,244
Islands and islets
Croatia has 1,244 islands, islets and reefs along its 1,800 kilometres of coastline. Many are uninhabited and protected as national or marine parks, which means you can anchor in coves of a clarity and silence that is genuinely hard to find anywhere else in the Mediterranean.
3
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Dubrovnik, Split and the historic centre of Trogir are all on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Sailing the Dalmatian coast means passing medieval city walls, a Roman palace that people still live inside, and cities that have been continuously inhabited for over two thousand years.
22–27 °C
Some of the cleanest water in Europe
The Croatian Adriatic is consistently recognised as one of the cleanest seas in Europe. Underwater visibility in the national marine parks frequently exceeds 40 metres, and Croatia holds more Blue Flag beach awards per head of population than any other Mediterranean country.
May – October
Prime sailing season
The Dalmatian coast gets over 2,700 hours of sunshine a year. The Maestral wind arrives from the north-west with near-clockwork regularity every summer afternoon, making afternoon sailing under canvas a genuine pleasure. May, June and September hit the sweet spot: warm, clear and without the August crowds.
Dubrovnik's medieval walls from the water — one of the most dramatic harbour arrivals in the Mediterranean
Beach with crystal clear waters next to a traditional stone church
Korčula from the water: the most perfectly preserved medieval town in the Adriatic
A cove in the Kornati islands: the clearest water in Europe inside a national park
The Dalmatian coast combines perfectly preserved medieval cities, protected natural landscapes and an Adriatic food culture that more than holds its own against the rest of the Mediterranean. These are the experiences that make most sense from the water.
The Kornati National Park — 89 islands of white limestone set in impossibly blue water — is the most otherworldly landscape in the Adriatic, and the only sensible way to explore it is by boat. The coves of Vis, the cliffs of Biševo and the green lagoons of Mljet are protected natural parks that would be largely inaccessible without a sailing boat.
The Peka is the most distinctly Dalmatian way of cooking: octopus, lamb or lobster slow-cooked under a cast-iron bell covered in embers — a method unchanged since Roman times. Plavac Mali wine from Hvar and the Pelješac Peninsula, sheep's cheese from Pag, marinated octopus and dry-cured ham from the Dalmatian interior are ingredients of a quality that mass tourism hasn't yet managed to flatten.
Dubrovnik is the best-preserved walled city in the Mediterranean. But it's far from the only one: Korčula's old town is so precisely laid out that for centuries people believed Marco Polo was born here; Diocletian's Palace in Split is the largest inhabited Roman structure in the world; and Trogir fits on an island barely 500 metres long and still merits a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The Blue Cave on Biševo island, off Vis, is a light phenomenon to rival Capri's — with the advantage that it's usually less crowded and the approach by boat is part of the experience. The seabeds around the Kornati Islands, Mljet and Cape Kamenjak in Istria are consistently rated among the best snorkelling and diving spots in the Adriatic.
Hvar has a well-earned reputation as the liveliest destination on the Adriatic, but the island also grows lavender and produces wine, and the contrast between the two sides of its character is part of its appeal. Dubrovnik and Split have rich summer cultural lives — festivals, open-air concerts within the city walls, terraces facing the sea. And for those who prefer silence, Vis, Lastovo and Mljet offer night skies with almost no light pollution.
Ston, with its fourteenth-century salt walls — the second longest defensive walls in Europe after the Great Wall of China; Skradin, the village at the entrance to Krka National Park with its waterfalls; Vrboska on Hvar, which the Croatians call their little Venice; or Lumbarda on Korčula, known for its white Grk wine grown in sandy soil. Each village has its own pace and its own glass to offer.
From the fjord-like inlets of Istria to the walls of Dubrovnik: three routes through the finest stretch of coast in the Adriatic. Medieval cities, national marine parks and turquoise coves across seven days each.
Practical information for planning a sailing holiday along the Croatian coast, whether you're joining a shared cruise, chartering a private yacht or booking a catamaran.
The second half of June and the first half of September are the best-kept secret in Croatian sailing: warmth, reliable Maestral winds and roughly half the crowds of August.
In Dalmatian restaurants, the menu usually has a 'riba' (fish) section priced by the kilo. Always ask to see the fish before it's cooked, and choose whatever looks freshest from that morning's catch.
Flying to Split for the central island route puts you ten minutes from the charter base. For the Dubrovnik routes, fly directly to Dubrovnik and step from the taxi onto the dock.
White soles only on the boat: dark-soled shoes mark fibreglass decks and are banned on most Croatian charters. Check this before you pack.
