Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Vis Island’ Category

The editors of Yahoo travel voted the Split to Vis ferry ride the second most beautiful ferry ride in the world (the number one spot went to an Australian ferry line). Think of how many ferries trundle around Greece alone and you can see that it’s quite an honor! The article noted “Among the Adriatic Coast’s thousand islands and 250 miles of ferry routes, this two-and-a-half-hour ride stands out for its exceptional scenery.” The red-roofed buildings of Split recede, you pass little Solta and big Brac before gliding past a sprinkling of islets on your way to Vis Island.

I love the ride and heartily endorse the vote but before you run out and book passage, check the Split-Vis ferry schedules. There are two ferries from Split to Vis: a Split-Vis car ferry and a Split-Hvar-Vis passenger ferry. Throughout most of the year both ferries leave Split in the afternoon and return from Vis in the morning so you’ll have to stay overnight. During the summer months, there’s usually a morning ride out on the car ferry and an afternoon ferry back to Split. It doesn’t leave much time on Vis but you do get the benefit of the scenery. See more on Croatia ferries.

I’m a big fan of Vis Island and try to visit it as often as I can (read about my last visit to Vis Island) which is why I like to see little Vis get some press. The Guardian ran an informative article last week emphasizing Vis Island’s authenticity, its most endearing attribute. Although the subject was the island cuisine, naturally the writer veered off-course into Vis’s slow pace, rural rhythm and relative indifference to tourism. I knew that Vis-landers, like most Croatian islanders make full use of the farm-fresh vegetables, wine and fish that amass with their own hands. “Cooks here also typically think in terms of maximising the use of the ingredients, so that nothing goes to waste: uneaten vegetables will be cooked and bottled for winter; fruit becomes jam or is dried and spiced to keep longer; the broth from the stewed fish goes into the bean stew.” What I didn’t know was that islanders are now putting a few tables and chairs outside their houses to anyone lucky enough to stray by. They’re not exactly restaurants; it’s home-cooking for a small fee and it sounds wonderful. It makes me want to rush back!

Read the article here.

Read my guide to Vis Island.

See photos of Vis Island

Writer Clare Mann wrote a useful recap of her Dalmatia sailing adventure in this week’s Telegraph. What I particularly like is the PR boost she gives to some of Croatia’s less-visited gems. Yes Hvar and Korcula are “party islands” (particularly Hvar) but just sail out to Vis, Mljet or the Kornati Islands and you can get plenty of peace and quiet even in mid-August.

In addition to recounting her itinerary, the writer gives a rundown of where to fuel up, and I don’t mean put petrol in the boat. There sure aren’t a lot of restaurants jostling for space in Zlarin for example, but it’s nice to hear about her scrumptious local meals. Just keep in mind that many of the destinations mentioned are only accessible by sailboat. Another good reason to charter a sailboat in Croatia!

Click here for the article on the Dalmatian islands.
Click here for where to eat and drink.

See my Croatian islands guide.

Vis Island has always been one of my favourites and it didn’t disappoint me this time. Even as the rest of the coast is crowded with visitors, Vis remains relatively relaxed probably because it takes nearly 3 hours to get there by ferry from Split.

Much as I enjoy Vis Town, I couldn’t wait to get to Komiza which really retains  the atmosphere of an old fishing village. Arriving at around 11am in Vis Town, I was too late to take the boat trip to the Blue Cave at Bisevo Island which was a disappointment. To see this awesome blue-lit cave you need to stay overnight on the island in order to get an early boat to Bisevo. Plenty of agencies arrange the excursion but it’s a little more complicated than it once was. You now take the excursion boat to Bisevo island and then change to a much smaller boat that can enter the cave. I was told that at the height of the season, you may need to wait several hours to get on the small boat but do it! It’s really worth it.

Find out more about:

• Vis Island
• Jeanne’s Croatia 2008

This issue (November 2007) of Islands magazine features an enticing article on remote Vis Island, giving the island a well-deserved boost of publicity. Writer Jeff Greenwald started his Croatia island journey on better-known Korcula Island, staying in the Hotel Korcula. After listening to local tales of the Marco Polo-Korcula connection (islanders are convinced the legendary explorer was born in Korcula Town) the writer heads out to farther shores, that is, Vis Island.

“It is impossible to be bored on Vis” writes Greenwald. True enough. Just scuba diving through Vis’s fascinating underwater life, replete with ancient amphorae, shipwrecks, sponges and fish is an exploration of the island’s remarkable historical and natural heritage.

“No guidebook can account for the breathless, suspended feeling I get exploring Vis” writes Greenwald who made his way to both Vis Town and Komiza, the two main island villages. Staying in the Hotel Tamaris in Vis Town, Greenwald notes the difference in attitudes between the rival villages, finding Vis Town more artsy and Komiza with more of a fishermen’s feel.

Instead of doing the touristy thing and boating out to the Blue Cave of Bisevo, Greenwald visits Vis’s local celebrity, sculptor “Ico” Bulic whose whimsical wood and frond fish sculptures have already created a splash (sorry) in Zagreb. His description of the solitary, lighthouse-dwelling artist with “a resemblance to George Clooney” should do wonders both for Bulic’s social life and the Vis Island tourist business.

For those who want to sample more of Croatia, the article points out a number of interesting products: Vis Island wine, Brac Island marble, Hvar Island lavendar, and lobster from Mljet Island. There’s even a sidebar on the sponges from Krapanj Island.

Sadly, this article is not available online.

Read more about Croatia’s islands.