Travel Dates: May 2019 for 2 weeks
As we researched our first trip to Croatia, it was a bit overwhelming to choose the perfect place to spend 2 weeks. Between the mainland and the many islands, it seemed there are no shortage of beautiful beaches and landscapes (which we will surely explore in years to come). Being on the road for a year, we are keen on finding places that can be enjoyed for more than a week at a time. We were drawn to the island of Brač because it appeared to be big enough with plenty to see, yet lightly inhabited with mostly tiny towns along the picturesque sea. It also appeared to be more of a boat day trip spot from the tourist hubs, with less people actually staying on the island.
While there is a small airport on Brač, it can be easily accessed via car ferry from the mainland towns of Makarska and Split. We flew into Dubrovnik, rented a car, and enjoyed the beautiful 2.5 hour drive up to coast to Makarska. As the car ferry makes its quick trip to Brač, looking back you can enjoy the huge mountains of the Biokovo Nature Park that tower behind Makarska.
There are taxis and a couple buses on Brač, but renting a car is so affordable, that it is well worth it to be able to explore the many towns, beaches, and scenic viewpoints on your own schedule. The main roads are good and well signed. Our first week was spent in a lovely apartment outside the city of Bol. The city’s charming sea front hosts many sail boats and yachts that dock for the day. Also the peninsula beach ‘Zlatni rat’ is the postcard image of Bol, which draws many to relax, windsurf and kite-board. The sea water is so impossibly turquoise and clear, we couldn’t believe our eyes. Most days were spent hiking, reading by the sea, and relaxing on our apartment patio with the host’s kitties.
East of Bol, there is a gravel road that stretches for miles up the coast. We loved that we could walk out our apartment door and “hike” along this quiet coastal road lined with wildflowers, olive trees and grape vines. Every so often we’d come across an isolated house and fawn over the spectacular views and serene lifestyle the owners had.
Before our trip we had read somewhere online of a great traditional restaurant called Konoba Tomić in the small inland town of Gornji Humac. One night we decided to go, and upon arriving, found a quiet, empty restaurant where the owner, Valentino, told us he only does dinner by reservation at least a day ahead of time. We asked if tomorrow worked and he said ok. Returning the next night, we found it was just us to be served that evening (we guess partly due to its secluded location, but also because May is still the off-season in Croatia). What followed was an amazing private dinner which felt like being welcomed into someone’s home. Valentino gave us a tour of the winery/cellar and explained to us that the building has been in the family for over 800 years. His family are farmers and wine makers and up until recently, they only farmed to provide for the community, but recently Valentino opened up the restaurant to share the wealth. Everything he served us came from his farm, including the lamb cooked over an open fire, the pickled vegetables, the potatoes, the cheese, the bread, the olive oil and the wine. That night we thought we were simply going to another restaurant, but instead ended up stepping into a history classroom showing us what centuries of hard-work and sustainable farming look like. Moments like these are what instantly quiets any doubts in our head of “why are we traveling for a year?”
We spent our second week near a small and isolated cove south of Milna on the west end of the island. Milna is a very small town but has a handful of good restaurants and it is enjoyable to walk around the marina.
Each evening we took a long walk around the area which is full of one-lane, boulder-fence lined roads, that cut through endless olive orchards. It is such a unique and beautiful landscape that it made us very happy to be there.
From Milna, we drove east along the southern coast on a windy gravel road. We were driving in hopes of finding the Pustinja Blaca monestary, but the road got so bad that we had to turn around in our rental car. All was not lost though as the coastline here is beautiful with small cove beaches. We came across some submarine pens built by the Yugoslav Army during World War II. They are a bit eerie and beautiful at the same time.
There are a handful of other small coastal towns around the island that are worth visiting during the day. We spent a couple hours in Pučišća which has a stone carving academy. If you’re lucky, you can poke your head inside and see some of the amazing marble carvings. Brač is a sleepy island that you could definitely see in a few days, however you won’t regret spending some extra time here. We really enjoyed the scenic beauty and tranquility of our two weeks here.