Where to stay on Korcula Island

The question of where to stay on Korcula Island is one often emailed to me and of course, the simple answer is that it depends on what you’re looking for. I recommend that you start off by having a look at the map of places on Korcula Island to familiarise yourself with where the different places are located on the island in order to plan your stay. Bear in mind that the distance between Korcula Town and Vela Luka is 50 Km, which is about 50 minutes drive by car, or about an hour by bus.

Best towns in Korcula Island

Vela Luka

Vela Luka – On the western tip of Korcula Island, you will find Vela Luka, which is located in a large bay. Vela Luka has a couple of nice hotels as well as plenty of private accommodation such as houses, rooms, and apartments located in the town itself. In the near vicinity of Vela Luka, the string of bays and small settlements dotted along the western coast of the Island, you will also find places to stay in private accommodation.

Blato, Smokvica, Cara & Pupnat

Blato, Smokvica, Cara, and Pupnat (check map of Blato and Smokvica and a map of Cara and Pupnat ) are located in the continental part of the Island. Although not places to stay if you are after swimming and sunbathing, they are good for other activities such as walking and hiking, cycling, bird watching, etc.

Prizba, Brna & Zavalatica

Prizba, Brna, and Zavalatica are good places to stay, as they are located on the seashores of the Island and besides two popular hotels: Hotel Pricapac and Hotel Feral they have plenty of private accommodation on offer. Unfortunately, public transport to these places is inadequate, so if you choose to stay there you will need to rely on taxis or your own transport. (check map of Prizba, Brna and Zavalatica and the surrounding area)

Lumbarda, Zrnovo & Racisce

The village of Lumbarda and Zrnovo are suitable places to stay if you would like to be in the vicinity of Korcula Town, as they are only 3-4 km away. Lumbarda has more accommodation on offer than Zrnovo. They both have frequent bus connections with the Town (except in the evenings).

The village of Racisce (12 km away from Korcula Town) has some nice rooms and apartments on offer but unfortunately suffers from the same lack of public transport in the evenings (check a map of Lumbarda and Zrnovo and a map of Racisce with the surrounding area).

Where to stay in Korcula Town

Korcula Town is the most popular place to stay – it is located on the Eastern side and it is historically the center of the Island. People choose to stay here because of Korcula Old Town and its architecture, history, museums, Moreska sword dance, beaches, restaurants, nightlife, etc. The town has several hotels as well as plenty of private accommodation on offer. Here is a short review about the best locations to stay while you visit Korcula Town.

Location map of recommended accommodation areas

Korcula town is considered to be a stretch of coast between Medvinjak and Luka Korculanska bays also including Domince and Sveti Antun suburb that is mainly non-coastal parts of the town.
As you can see from the below map, the Old Town is approximately in the middle of this whole space. The walking distance to the center of the town is up to 25 minutes max from the furthest recommended points.

The best areas to stay in Korcula Town

Starting from the West (left side on the map) here are my recommendations:

Medvinjak Bay

Medvinjak is about 20 min walk from the center of the town, it has a small pebble beach and a local corner shop. Most of the houses in Medvinjak rent their rooms and apartments that overlook the sea (Peljesac channel). Some apartments are located right near the beach while others are situated up the hill so access to these can be difficult as it involves climbing up the hill. A downside for this area could be a nuisance of passing by traffic to Kneze and Racisce. Visit Medvinjak’s page to see my recommendation for accommodations. (marker 5)

Strecica Bay

Strecica is situated just before Medvinjak on about a 15 min walk from the town center. Most of the houses that rent apartments here have sea views from large terraces or patio/gardens. Some houses that are facing East are shady in the afternoons which can be really nice if temperatures outside are very warm. Medvinjak pebble beach is on 3-5 min walk. Rocky slabs and jetties for sunbathing are right there in front of the houses. Again, a downside for this area could be a nuisance of passing by traffic to Kneze and Racisce. My recommendation for accommodation here is on the Strecica page. (marker 4)

Cvjetno Naselje Street

Running parallel with Sveti Nikola Street and elevated up the hill Cvjetno Naselje street offers truly fantastic views over Korcula Old Town and the Channel. The houses here offer several apartments and rooms available for holiday let. The center of the town is on few minutes’ walk while the nearest beaches are just down the steps. The area is very quiet, with no shops or cafes in the near vicinity so a good night’s sleep is guaranteed. If you don’t like walking up the steps this could be a downside for accommodations around here.
My recommendation for accommodations here is on the Cvjetno Naselje page (marker 3)

Sveti Nikola Street

Sveti Nikola promenade is just a few minutes walk from the town center. As far as properties are concerned, this is a prime location in Korcula Town – right next to pebble beach offering uninterrupted sea views over the Old Town. The houses here are the first row to the sea most of them offering waterfront rooms and apartments with great views on just a few minutes’ walk from the town center. A downside for these accommodations could be some noise from passing by cars or motorbikes as Sveti Nikola is a one-way street with some local traffic so you might end up keeping your windows closed if you want a good night’s sleep. My recommendation for accommodations here is on Sveti Nikola’s page (marker 2)

Korcula Old Town

Staying in the Old Town of Korcula has some advantages as well as disadvantages. The advantage is that all the main attractions, museums, restaurants and shops are just steps away from your accommodation. The disadvantage is that only the limited number of apartments has terrace and sea views due to the medieval town planning system. Another downside could be that the bells of the St Mark’s Cathedral ring every 15 minutes 24 hrs a day so your good night’s sleep can get disturbed. The houses here are tall and narrow so if you rent a larger apartment it would definitely involve getting up and down the steps unless you stay on the ground floor.

The town is pretty busy during the day, however, gets quiet at night when all of the nightlife move away from the Old Town to Borak and beyond. My recommendation for accommodations here is on the Old Town accommodation page, though I must say the best places to stay in the Old Town is Hotel Korcula De La Ville (web). (marker 1)

Borak

If you stay in the Borak area, which is just about 5 to 10 min walk from the Old town, you will have Banje beach just steps away. The local marina with lovely masts and sailing boats is in front of your window and several restaurants and cafe-bars are just there along the promenade. Most of the apartments and rooms here have sea views while some have a terrace or patio/garden at the back of the house. The downside of staying here could be the noise from several bars so when choosing your accommodation to try to avoid apartments that are in the near vicinity of these. Choosing an apartment or room with decent insulated windows (double glazed) is also a good idea. My recommendation for accommodations here is on the Borak page (marker 6)

Naselje

Staying in Staro and Novo Naselje area is a similar experience as staying in Cvjetno Naselje (at the other side of Town). Running parallel with the main promenade in Borak, elevated up the hill Novo and Staro Naselje offers great views over Korcula Old Town and the Channel from the eastern side. Most of the houses here offer accommodation with sea views. The center of the town is on 5-10 minutes walk while the nearest beach is in the near vicinity. A good night’s sleep is certain. If you don’t like walking up and down the steps this could be a downside for accommodations around here. My recommendation for accommodations here is on the Naselje page (marker 7)

Luka Korculanska Bay

Korcula Hotels – Book now!

Luka Korculanska is the prime location in Korcula Town. Houses here are all detached, situated on the very seashore each with nice jetties and sunbathing spaces and terraces. The bay is deep and quiet all day around, backing onto the local park. The road leading to the bay has hardly any traffic. The sandy beach is just across the waters on the other side of the bay (about a 5-10 min walk). It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the town center. There is hardly any downturn point to mention for accommodations in this area except that it might be a bit of the trek to walk in the town center in the warm weather. My recommendation for accommodations here is on the Luka Korculanska page (marker 8)

Note: I would recommend you to stay in Domince and Sveti Anton areas only in case you are looking for the cheapest options for your holiday in Korcula. Both areas are away from the seashore, have no sea views and the walk to the town center is on 30+ minutes.

See also:

• Korcula Old Town Accommodation – list of available accommodation in Korcula Old Town
• Holiday cottages to rent on the Island

If you need any other practical advice or recommendation, please email.