Croatia Islands Itinerary: Split, Brač, Hvar, Vis & Korčula

This is a concrete, island-by-island plan for hopping the central Dalmatian islands: Split → Brač → Hvar → Vis → Korčula, over about 8 days by catamaran and ferry. It is not the same thing as a general “how ferries work” guide (for that, read our Croatia island hopping overview); this lays out a specific chain, which boat links each island to the next, roughly how long each crossing takes, and the one leg that trips everyone up. Everything runs out of Split, the busiest port in Croatia, and the plan works foot-passenger only - no car needed, and often no car wanted, because catamarans land you right in the island towns.

Two honest caveats up front. First, timetables are seasonal and change every year, so treat the times below as a framework and confirm sailings on the operators’ own sites before you book anything. Second, the Vis to Korčula leg has no direct boat - you either change at Hvar or double back through Split, and knowing that in advance saves a bad afternoon. With those two things understood, here is the route.

The backbone: which boats you’ll actually use

Before the day plan, the boats. One line does most of the heavy lifting: Kapetan Luka (Krilo) runs a daily fast catamaran, the “Krilo Star”, from Split → Milna (Brač) → Hvar → Korčula → Pomena (Mljet) → Dubrovnik and back, from 1 April to 31 October, one departure a day each way. That single line strings together Brač, Hvar and Korčula in one direction - it is the spine of this itinerary. Sample one-way fares in 2026 run around €10 Split-Brač, €25 Split-Hvar and €30 Split-Korčula; confirm current prices on krilo.hr.

The piece that used to be awkward - getting out to Vis and back - got much easier for 2026. Jadrolinija has added a new seasonal fast catamaran, Split → Bol (Brač) → Hvar → Vis, running daily from 19 June to 13 September, twice a day. The morning boat leaves Split at 07:30 and reaches Vis by 09:25, with the Hvar to Vis hop taking just about 40 minutes (08:45 to 09:25); the evening service returns from Vis at 19:35. That means you can now reach Vis from Hvar without going all the way back to Split first - the single best planning change on this route this year. Check jadrolinija.hr for the current schedule.

Day 1-2: Split, the launch pad

Spend the first night or two in Split and treat it as base camp. The whole old town sits inside Diocletian’s Palace, a 4th-century Roman retirement palace people never stopped living in, so you wander Roman cellars, a cathedral built into the emperor’s mausoleum, and the columned Peristyle, then spill out onto the café-lined Riva. Climb Marjan hill for the view, buy any onward catamaran tickets you can lock in, and get your bearings at the ferry port - it is the busiest in the country and your gateway to all four islands. The full city rundown is in our Split travel guide.

Practical note: in July and August the port is chaos on changeover days, and the popular fast catamarans sell out. Book Hvar and Korčula legs online ahead of time; for the shoulder months you can be more relaxed.

Day 3-4: Brač and Zlatni rat

Hop to Brač first - it is the closest island, 15-ish km and 25 to 50 minutes out, on either the Supetar car ferry or a catamaran to Milna or Bol. Aim for Bol on the south coast, home to Zlatni rat (the “Golden Horn”), the pale pebble spit that curls into turquoise water and quietly changes shape with the wind and current - the most photographed beach in the country, and genuinely worth the hype if you go early before the crowds. Windsurfers love the channel here for the afternoon maestral wind.

If you have the legs for it, hike or drive up Vidova gora (780 m), the highest peak of any Adriatic island, for a view down onto Zlatni rat and across to Hvar - which is where you are headed next.

Day 4-5: Hvar, the glamorous island

Cross to Hvar, about 40 km from Split and reachable on the Krilo or Jadrolinija catamaran straight into Hvar town (roughly an hour from Split; the car ferry lands instead at Stari Grad, about 20 km away, so foot passengers have the easier time here). Hvar town is the see-and-be-seen island: a marble main square below the hilltop Fortica (Spanjola) fortress, the oldest municipal theatre in Europe, and a yacht-packed marina that turns into Croatia’s liveliest nightlife after dark. By day, take a taxi-boat out to the Pakleni islands just offshore for clear-water swimming.

Hvar earns a two-night stop, both because there is a lot to do and because it is the pivot of this route: from here you can reach Vis directly on the new 2026 catamaran without backtracking. Our Hvar travel guide has the detail on beaches, the fortress and where to stay.

Day 6: Vis, the wild one

Take the morning catamaran from Hvar to Vis - about 40 minutes on the new Jadrolinija line. Vis is the connoisseur’s island: the furthest of the big islands from the coast, closed off as a Yugoslav military base until 1989, which is exactly why it dodged mass tourism and still feels like the Adriatic of decades ago. Base in Komiža, a steep little fishing town, or in Vis town on the other side.

The headline day trip is the Blue Cave (Modra špilja) on neighbouring Biševo, a sea cave that glows an electric blue when the midday sun refracts through the water - go on an organised small-boat trip, and understand it can be closed in choppy weather, so keep the plan flexible. Round it out with the Stiniva cove, the WWII and Cold War military tunnels, and a glass of the island’s white Vugava wine.

Day 7-8: Korčula, and the leg that catches people out

Here is the honest bit. There is no direct ferry from Vis to Korčula. Your two options:

• Via Hvar (the usual way): catamaran Vis → Hvar town, then change onto the Split-Hvar-Korčula through-catamaran down to Korčula. Budget roughly 2 hours plus a wait between boats, and from about €15 all in. Check both operators’ times so the connection lines up - the layover can be short or long depending on the day.
• Via Split (the backtrack): if the Hvar connection doesn’t work on your dates, return to Split and take a car ferry to Vela Luka on the west of Korčula, or reach the island via the Orebić-Dominče car ferry from the mainland.

Korčula town rewards the effort: a compact walled city on a thumb of land, its lanes laid out in a herringbone pattern to break the wind, guarding Venetian palaces, the cathedral of St Mark, and the house that local legend ties to Marco Polo. The island and the Pelješac peninsula opposite are quiet wine country - Pošip whites and Plavac Mali reds - making this the most relaxed end to the trip. In summer, catch the Moreška, the centuries-old sword dance still performed in town.

From Korčula you can carry on south on the Krilo Star to Mljet and Dubrovnik if you have more days, which dovetails neatly with our road route in the Dalmatia coast guide from Split to Dubrovnik.

Making the plan work

• One island move per day is plenty. Wind (the bura and jugo) can cancel catamaran sailings, so leave a buffer, especially before a flight home.
• Book the busy legs ahead in July-August - Hvar and Korčula catamarans fill up. Shoulder season (late May-June, September) is the sweet spot: warm sea, frequent boats, fewer people.
• The Vis window is narrow. The direct Hvar-Vis catamaran runs 19 June to 13 September only; outside that, reaching Vis means going via Split.
• Foot passenger beats car on this route. A vehicle ties you to the slower car ferries and their out-of-town ports; go on foot and the island towns are all walkable. Save the car for a land-based leg instead - our Istria road trip up north is where wheels really pay off. If you do want them here, read renting a car in Croatia first.

For the mechanics behind all this - car ferry versus catamaran, how to buy tickets, which company runs what - see our Croatia ferries guide and the wider Croatia island hopping overview. If you are still weighing how long to spend, our how many days in Croatia overview compares trip lengths, and if you are still choosing which islands to include, our Croatia islands ranked scores all 15 by beaches, ferries and cost. The routes hub has our other itineraries.

Ferry and catamaran timetables, routes and fares change with the season and the operator - always confirm current details with Jadrolinija and Kapetan Luka (Krilo) before you travel.