The old town sits on a small peninsula with its streets laid out like a fishbone, angled to catch the breeze and block the wind. It also has a sword dance performed nowhere else, and a tower that claims Marco Polo.
Checked: 25 August 2026
Korčula's old town is built on a peninsula the size of a few city blocks, and its plan is the reason to look up: the side streets run at an angle off the spine, open to the west so the summer breeze comes through, closed to the northeast so the bura does not. Medieval town planning you can feel on your skin. Everything below fits into one day on foot.
- 09:00Up the stairs, through the Revelin tower
A broad stone staircase sweeps up to the land gate, set into the Veliki Revelin tower that has guarded the town since the fourteenth century. Climb the tower first: the postcard view of the peninsula is from up there, and it is better before the day boats arrive.
- 10:00Saint Mark's, and the stone animals
At the highest point of the town the cathedral's carved portal is flanked by strange stone beasts. Inside hangs an altarpiece attributed to Tintoretto. The bell tower is worth the climb for how small the peninsula looks from it.
- 11:00The Marco Polo tower
Korčula insists Marco Polo was born here in 1254, and a narrow stone tower marks the supposed spot. The claim is disputed and the steps are steep; the small roof terrace at the top is the actual reward.
- 14:00Badija, twenty minutes by taxi boat
A short crossing puts you on a green islet where a fifteenth-century Franciscan monastery stands among the pines. Swim from the rocky coves, and expect to share the paths with the deer that live there.
- 21:00The Moreška, if it is a performance night
Two armies, the Black King and the White, cross blades in seven figures to win back an abducted bride. The dance survives only in Korčula. Summer performances are regular but not nightly, so check the date before you plan the evening around it.
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