Croatia island-hopping cruises: Amazing scenery and delicious food

The names of these islands – Korcula, Hvar, Brac and Pag – might not glide off the tongue with the same sugar-coated sibilance as "Positano" or "Saint-Tropez", yet this slice of sea-washed heaven is also subtitled "The Riviera of the Adriatic", and it fits.

The journey begins at Sibenik, about an hour's drive north of Split, set on the edge of a finger-like bay formed by the river Krka. Much of the Croatian coastline is a narrow shelf backed by limestone hills and one street back from the waterfront Sibenik rises into a labyrinth with corridors and steps instead of streets, too narrow for traffic, but ideal for the wandering tourist. The architecture is authentically medieval but there's a jarring reminder of modern history in the door of the cathedral, punctured by bullet holes during Croatia's fierce and brutal civil war, a chaser to 50 years of communism. In the afternoon we board the ship that will be our home for the next week. The Royal Eleganza is a handsome motor cruiser with room for just 31 guests. Cabins are compact but organised like a Swiss Army knife with heaps of storage space and a decent-sized bathroom. There's air conditioning throughout, and in the summer you need it, but most of the 16 cabins open to the deck to catch the sea breeze. There's a sunny top deck with day beds, Wi-Fi available in the lounge/dining room and back deck and a relaxed crew who can knock out marguerites in double-quick time.

Over the next few days the Royal Eleganza conjures up a string of jigsaw-shaped islands from the blue waters of the Adriatic. Early one morning we board a bus and drive across the Bosnian border to visit Mostar and its legendary bridge. At Krka National Park we swim in chilly freshwater falls that come tumbling down from a mountain spring. On Hvar we drive through a classic Mediterranean landscape of olive trees, vineyards, and lavender fields. The distinctive feature of Hvar is dry stone walls that terrace the island into a grid of tiny fields. The town of Hvar, close to the western end of the island, is one of the superstars of this part of the world, as testified by the showcase of gleaming nautical hardware along its quay and the smart waterfront cafe where an iced coffee sets me back $15.

Hvar has a reputation as a party town. At the end of the quay is a famous nightclub, Carpe Diem, which set the tone for the town when it opened several decades back. The nightclubs spread and became louder, until the residents imposed a noise curfew. No problem though, when the curfew kicks in the partygoers head off to another club on a neighbouring island where the party goes on as long as someone is left standing.

Our ship is berthed at Hvar Island's second town, Stari Grad, where we dine that night at a restaurant in a courtyard garden. There's antipasto for starters and caprese salad followed by peka, a Croatian lamb dish cooked with potatoes and other vegetables for hours on top of a stove beneath a bell-shaped cover like a tagine. As we walk back along the quay a fireworks display lights up the night sky, a fitting end to a cracking day.

The town of Korcula on the island of the same name is my favourite, a mini fortress encased in honey-coloured walls crowned by a church. Korcula claims Marco Polo as one of its native sons and this was once an outpost of the Venetian empire, set on a major trading route, enriched by the exotic cargoes that once passed through its hands.

A large part of the charm of these island towns is down to their architecture. The villagers used the abundant supply of limestone the islands provide, from which they built houses with red tiled roofs and window shutters in villages spiked with church spires and overshadowed by hilltop forts. After the withdrawal of the Venetian Empire, relative poverty preserved these island towns from aluminium window salesmen and cement block improvements, and in an age with a taste for the past they are blessedly intact, perfect models of medieval and renaissance vernacular architecture.

After a couple of nights in the islands we spend an evening wandering around Diocletian's palace at Split, and all agree, if you're a Roman Emperor, you get to pick the primo spot for your retirement villa. Born on the Dalmatian coast, Diocletian rose through the ranks of Rome's military machine to become emperor at the end of the 3rd century AD. He abdicated in 305 and spent his last years at this vast walled compound he created on the Bay of Aspalathos. Diocletian was buried within the city, although his mausoleum was made into a Christian church, the oldest cathedral in the world according to my guide, Milan, and an ironic end for an emperor renown for his persecution of Christians. Once a formidable piece of military engineering, today Diocletian's palace is a town within the city, a maze of cobbled alleys and marbled-paved piazzas lined with jewellers, art galleries and cafes that ply their trade from facades that were carved out 1700 years ago.

The cruise ends at Dubrovnik but for the previous two nights we tie up at Opuzen. It's a medium-size town on the river of the same name, and vessels rarely come this way. Rare enough that when we motor along the river and tie up at Opuzen's wharf, there's a two-man band serenading us with piano accordion and guitar, accompanied by a noisy chorus of sparrows in the chestnut trees along the river. They're happy to see us. A dozen or so townsfolk have even come out for the event. The duet play John Denver's Take Me Home Country Roads then segues into an Elvis Presley medley while we knock back thimble-size glasses of grappa and fruit-flavoured rakija. It's Friday night and after dinner I saunter into the local square. Some kids are kicking a football around, their hoots echoing off the bleached walls of the square. There's music here too, a rock band, and the singer is one hard rocking mamma, with a whisky-poured-over-gravel voice that comes from somewhere between Patti Smith and Amy Winehouse. It's not at all what you expect. I sit down for a pistachio gelato at one of the cafes that ring the square, and I'm the only tourist there.

TRIP NOTES

MORE

traveller.com.au/croatia

FLY

Singapore Airlines has daily one-stop flights from Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney to Rome and Frankfurt, with frequent onward flights to Split and Dubrovnik from both. singaporeair.com

TOUR

The 8-day Croatia Coastal Cruising trip costs from $2985 per person. See peregrineadventures.com

Michael Gebicki was a guest of Peregrine Adventures.

See also: The most overlooked paradise in the Adriatic

See also: Tips for a week of walking in Croatia