Korcula Town is the main settlement on the island, with a population of about 3000 inhabitants. The main feature/sight of the whole town is the historic Old Town, a medieval walled town with its towers, numerous buildings and monuments, cafés, restaurants, hotels, galleries, open-air cinema, and more. The town is very popular for visitors as a central location from which they explore the rest of the island and its surroundings. It is also an administrative center of the area. (Note: Korcula is pronounced “kor-chula“)
Korcula Old Town is the main attraction of Korcula Town – a medieval walled city positioned on an oval-shaped swelling of land pointing deep into the Peljesac Channel. The Old Town itself is grooved with a succession of narrow streets that branch off the spine of the main street like the fishbone. The fishbone shape was used in the Old Town design to reduce the effects of wind and sun and provide citizens with sheltered and comfortable accommodation.
The architecture in the Old Town is mainly influenced by Venetian Renaissance (palaces). The Old Town center is dominated by the splendid St Mark’s Cathedral built in the Gothic-Renaissance style, completed in the 15th century (by Marko Andrijic) at the place of other churches from the 13th century.. more about the town’s architecture.
There is a local legend that Marco Polo was born in the town and Marko Polo’s alleged house of birth is worth visiting. Despite its rather featureless interior, the houses’ tower (loggia) allows for a panoramic vista of the whole Channel, stretching from east to west. Pretty soon this house is to be turned into the Museum of Marco Polo.
The Town Museum is also interesting to visit as it gives insights into Korcula’s history, as it displays stone carvings, Lumbarda Psephism and Ancient Greece artifacts, shipbuilding historical items, Renaissance Architectural Carvings, Coats of Arms Exhibits, and many more.
At night well known Moreska Sword Dance, a colorful, choreographed sword dance is also worth seeing. The historic town of Korcula is on UNESCO’s- tentative list
Korcula Town has a similar history to other parts of the Dalmatian archipelago. The first known inhabitants of Korcula were Illyrian tribes who occupied a large area of Dalmatia. They lived from farming and fishing. It is still possible to see on the Island their stone burial mounds, roughly shaped as a blunt cone. Upon the arrival of the Ancient Greeks, Korcula became a Greek colony. However, they made no attempts to integrate with the Illyrians, who continued both their tribal lifestyle and their separate existence. It seems that the Greeks never associated themselves with the Illyrians, possibly due to Illyrians being perceived as a part of lower social standing. (History articles)
The town’s Statute is an important legal document from the 13th century that covers the laws of Korcula town and the island. It belongs to a group of oldest Slav legal documents too. The Statute, like a book (compilation) of laws, was passed in 1214, but the only preserved version that is available is from 1265. Various amendments and annexes are added to the statute continuously until the 16th century. The oldest part of the Statute was written in Latin which was later translated into the Italian Language… read more about Korcula Town Statute from 1214.
The town’s pier is the place where the main coastal ferry lines sail to & from Split and to & from Hvar to Mljet and Dubrovnik. The alternative way of reaching the town is via Vela Luka (50 km away) where a car ferry from Split to Vela Luka sails daily. In Vela Luka, all ferries are met by bus links to other places on the island.
To get here from Dubrovnik you can use several passenger ferry lines too. Check here the most comprehensive list of all ferries to Korcula. There is also a daily bus connection. The bus departs daily at 3 pm and it runs along Peljesac Peninsula arriving in Orebic where it joins a 15-minute ferry ride to the town. There are regular buses to the town from Split, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Mostar, and Belgrade.
If you are driving to the town, the good route to take is to drive to Ploce and take a ferry to Trpanj. From Trpanj drive towards Orebic and take a car ferry from Orebic to Korcula (Domince port is 3 km outside the town). If you are coming here from Dubrovnik, drive along the Croatian coast until you reach Doli, and sign to turn left to the Peljesac Peninsula. Drive along Peljesac (about 60 km) to Orebic and take a car ferry from Orebic to Korcula. See all ferry schedules + All Bus schedules
The above video shows views over large areas around the town.
Korcula Town Map with town’s main Locations + Korcula Town visitors map + all maps of Korcula Town
Photo gallery of Korcula Town (click on above image to browse)
Here is a list of town neighborhoods: