Off the Beaten Track – Best Places in Croatia
by Idyllic Croatia 12th July 2025
Certainly we would recommend getting a bit off the beaten track and heading to less well publicised places on the Dalmatian Coast. As you may imagine, it’s ‘location, location, location’ where a Croatia villa is concerned. Check out our recommended Croatia villa locations…
Have you heard of the Peljesac Peninsula?
Breath-taking Scenery
You will be very glad you discovered the wine region of southern Croatia! Although it’s only just up the coast from the Dubrovnik Riviera, when you turn off the mainland at Ston and onto the Peljesac Peninsula, you get that off-piste adventure feeling! We’d say it’s definitely one of the beast places in Croatia to explore that isn’t hard to get to but often bypassed if you don’t know about it. The first thing you notice is that it has fantastic scenery – it’s really spectacular. The are jaw-dropping views out across the sea, islands and vineyards – the sort of mesmerising Croatia villa views that are in the Netflix film “Faraway”. And with vineyards come an awesome wine scene! Visit a winery and do some wine tasting to be wowed! Drive up the peninsula and you’ll reach the old sea faring town of Orebic where the sea captains of old brought back interesting plants.
Visit a Peljesac Winery
The Peljesac Peninsula is one of the best wine regions in Croatia so a trip to the area is the perfect time to visit a vineyard and its winery! Take the Matusko Winery for example – this is a fantastic winery right in the heart of the vineyards. You can take a tour of the winery and do some wine tasting. Particularly exciting wines to try are the Dingac, Postup and Zinfandel varieties which are specialities of this area.
Peljesac Fishing Villages
Or, carry on through the little villages of Perna, Kuciste, and wind surfers’ paradise, Viganj. Sea edge villas and fishing cottages line the coast. At the end you’ll come to the pretty bay of Loviste where the sea is millpond still and the sunsets are to die for. The seafood restaurants are amazing too. Check out “Gordans” or as it’s officially known, “Restaurant Barsa” on the harbour front and “Pension Gradina” around the bay – idyllic… A Croatia villa anywhere on the Peljesac Peninsula is certainly authentic, yet easily within reach. Particularly given the introduction of the airport shuttle bus. Search Peljesac villas here.
Hop to Korcula Island from Orebic Old Town
The main town of the Peljesac Peninsula is Orebic and Korcula Island is just across a small stretch of water. In fact, from Orebic, just 5 minutes across on a local ferry is the Old Town of Korcula. Explore the undulating island with its many bays and coves and beautiful sea edge Korcula villas. We’d certainly recommend the lesser well know Korcula Island. In many ways, the most authentic of all the southern Croatian vacation spots. Think fishing hamlets in cosy bays, with a mixture of local and luxury villas, simple eateries and stunning scenery. Villa Opus, near Korcula Old Town, doesn’t disappoint on the wow factor scale, but the new Villa Vela at the other end of the island may be best for a smaller family.
You may also not have heard that Korcula was the supposed birthplace of Marco Polo. It isn’t as unlikely as you may think when you consider that this part of Croatia was part of the Venetian empire at that time… Marco Polo’s house is supposedly there for you to find in Korcula Old Town!
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