Croatia is perhaps one of the most beautiful countries in the world, not only for its scenery but for its culinary richness. Croatia offers 1100 miles of coastline with varied landscapes of coastal towns, mountains and hillside vineyards. Croatia is also the birthplace of the zinfandel grape, an indication of the quality of wine you will find here.
Wander with us for 8 days along the Southern Dalmatian coast of Croatia. This is a trip is for people who love to wander, eat & drink. We are going to several carefully picked vineyards throughout the Dalmatian coast and embarking on historic walks and food tours throughout several UNESCO world heritage cities.
This trip begins in spectacular Split and takes a meandering pace east to rural region of Imotski famous for its red and blue lakes and wine. Then the island hopping begins as we travel to the island of Korčula and onward to the famous Pelejšac peninsula, known as the ‘empire of wine‘. The tour concludes in grand style with a couple days in Dubrovnik, the famed walled city and perhaps one of the most magestic in the world.
Split is Croatia’s 2nd largest city in Dalmatia and is equally as beautiful in its own right. Its one of the only cities in the world where the old town is actually inside an ancient palace called Diocletian. The great location of our hotel makes it easy to stroll around the ancient city or relax at the Riva, Split’s boardwalk.
Split also resides very close to some amazing wineries. We will visit to one of my favorite vineyards for its fruity rose and intense reds. Its called Babe [pronounced bah-bay] and is the most picturesque in Croatia. The winemaker will give us a tour of his hilltop vineyard and a wonderful tasting. More fantastic wine producers in the area are Bibich and Sladić. These producers make some fantastic local varietals in both red and white. Bibich is considered one of the best winemakers in Croatia. After Bibich, we will visit another special winemaker called Sladić, where they are going to prepare a special wine tasting accompanied with delights from their garden. Expect to buy a several bottles.
The region of Imotski is one of the highlights of the trip. This town is on the edge of the border with Bosnia border and is famous for its blue and red lakes and is virtually free of tourism, which makes for a unique experience. It also boosts a spectacular winery, one of the tours favorites where we can attest to buying over 35 bottles on our last trip.
We are staying in a restored Croatian farm village high in the hills around the town and will dine on a traditional dish called peka. The property is quiet and gorgeous and will provide some much needed down time.
For a taste of a little island life, we are taking the ferry to Korčula. Korčula is one of Croatia’s most treasured islands although, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, not quite as popular. The locals event refer to the main town as “Little Dubrovnik” because of its medieval squares, churches, palaces and houses.
We are here to explore its old town and have a wine lunch of pošip, a delicious white wine famous in this region.
Pelejšac is referred to as the ‘empire of wine‘ with acres and acres of vineyards along its 35 mile peninsula. Pelejšac is known for its high quality red wines and arguably the best called dingač. We have many planned wine stops here and will be spending 2 nights in the town of Orebić.
On the eastern edge of Pelejšac is the beautiful walled city of Ston. Ston is the gateway to this wine region and well known for its cultivated salt. It is also where we are going on a private boat trip to learn how locals harvest oysters and mussels with plenty of samples and wine along the way.
Dubrovnik is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Croatia and ask anyone who has been there, it’s possibly one of the most beautiful in the world. That’s why millions visit this city each year alone. The old city is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage city and it won’t take you long to see why. We have a couple days to soak it all in and are staying in Lapad, a charming neighborhood with its own beach.
Dubrovnik has lots to offer the visitor from a walk around its defensive walls to a cable car to the hills above it. We have planned a culinary tour in the old city to welcome you to a long standing love affair with seafood. There is an option to stay an extra day in Dubrovnik!!
Megan is your guide for this trip. She came here first in 2015 and again in 2016 and 2017. She came for the beaches and stayed for the wine. She led her first food and wine trip here in 2017.
Price of this trip is $3650 for each wanderer. The price for couples is $7000. Single occupancy is $650.
This Southern Croatia Food & Wine Trip is designed for active wanderers. If you have questions about physical specifics of this trip, please contact us. Trip prices are based on accommodation (4 star hotels) and a American tour guide for duration of the trip. All trips will have an orientation (in person if geography suffices) for all guests approximately 4 weeks before departure.
Deposit Requirement: A deposit is required immediately with each booking request. A booking cannot be guaranteed without a deposit.
Deposits can be paid by check, Venmo or credit card. All credit cards are processed through Stripe.
Trip Costs: This trip must be paid in full prior to 4 months start of trip. If trip fees are not paid within this time-frame, trip deposits will be forfeited.
Refund Policy: We are refunding 100% of all registrations for this until July 2021. Registrations made after that trip will receive a full refund less a 10% booking fee. This trip is only 50% refundable if the request is made prior to 4 months of start date. If cancellation request is made after, no refund will be issued. This is due to the strict booking policies for desired hotels & in country transportation.
We apologize for any inconvenience of this policy. You can however, transfer your reservation to another willing participant in the event you need to cancel. Just notify us if this is the case.
Tour Cancellations: Big Fat World Tours reserves the right to cancel any trip for any reason and will notify each guest as soon as possible. All deposits and monies paid will be refunded 100% in such an event. Trip Insurance is highly recommended for all wanderers.
These policies are strictly enforced due to logistical partners in country and reservations made with local hotels and providers.
No, this trip is for anyone who wants to go to Croatia, whether they want to drink wine or not.
In the summer months it can get quite hot on the coast with temps in some places reaching the 90’s, so plan accordingly. Winter is true winter in the Continental region and the capital, Zagreb, often with snow. On the coast, in winter it is quite windy and often stormy at times, but also quite mild. Our tours run in the Shoulder Season, providing some of the best weather.
Tipping is customary for good service unless stated otherwise – 10-15% on a restaurant bill is normal, and again note it is not possible to tip with a credit card payment and must be done separately in cash.
Croatia is an incredibly safe and friendly country, with very little crime or theft. It is a beautiful country, with very clean cities, and sea, the tap water is drinkable – no need to buy bottled water.
There are no predators in the gorgeous sea, just keep your eyes out for the black sea urchins.
The diet in Croatia, especially on the coast is Mediterranean and in most places has a focus on seafood. These days vegetarian meals in restaurants are possible, with vegan and gluten free less common but popping up. Some shops like DM drogeria have a selection of gluten free products.
No. The price of trip doesn’t include any flights, although we are more than happy to help you book your flights and offer our money savings tips. One thing to note, the trip begins in Split and ends in Dubrovnik, so all departure flights need to be made from Dubrovnik.
Many will book round trip flights to Zagreb from the US and then book a seperate one way flight to Split and another one from Dubrovnik. It’s also important to note that Croatia has many seasonal flight routes, so please make sure there are dates available when booking.
This trip includes a fully immersive photography experience. Leave those cell phones in your bags and absorb yourself in a 360 degree Icelandic experience. Lindsey Miller of Lindsey A Miller Photography is coming on this trip as your personal photography sherpa. Armed with professional photography skills and a sweet top of the line camera, she will catch all the action from sunrise to sunset (which is around 2am) so you can take home authentic and professional photos of this amazing country.
More details coming soon.