We hadn’t originally planned to spend much time in Korčula with kids. It was a convenient stop on our Croatia family vacation, located between Hvar and Dubrovnik. We’d heard great things about the beautiful Korčula Old Town, but we weren’t sure there would be enough things to do in Korčula to keep our active kids entertained.
As much as we enjoy exploring historic towns, we also love getting outdoors as a family. We always look for opportunities to go hiking, spend time at the beach and let the kids explore somewhere new. As it turned out, Korčula was a great fit for our family, with some excellent hiking, interesting places to explore and beautiful beaches.
We spent three days in Korčula with our kids and were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed our time on the island. From wandering the narrow streets of Korčula Old Town to hiking through unusual rock formations and exploring the rocky coastline, we found plenty of fun things to do in Korčula with kids.
In this article, we share our 3-day Korčula itinerary, including five of our favourite family-friendly activities on Korčula, where we stayed and practical tips to help you plan your own visit.
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Is Korčula Worth Visiting with Kids?
Korčula is a great destination for families who enjoy history, beaches and outdoor adventures. With three days in Korčula with kids, you can explore the charming Old Town, hike to the unusual rock formations in Kočje Protected Area, discover the rocky coastline of Peninsula Ražnjić and relax at family-friendly beaches.
Our 3-Day Korčula Itinerary with Kids
Day 1: Explore Korčula Old Town
Our ferry from Hvar arrived mid-morning and we waited out a lunchtime thunderstorm in our Korčula apartment rental. After our little guy’s nap was over, we walked to the Old Town to do some exploring.
Korčula, Croatia is a small city blessed with an amazing Old Town, which fills a small thumb-shaped peninsula. It’s historic Old Town has medieval origins, with much of its surviving architecture dating from the 14th to 16th centuries.
Its fishbone layout was ingeniously designed to keep Korčula residents warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Not only that, but exploring the uniquely shaped Old Town is a really fun thing to do in Korčula with kids.
We entered the Korčula Old Town through the south gate via a large and elegant stone staircase. We walked up the main street all the way to the end and along the way we admired St. Mark’s Cathedral, explored the charming side streets and did a little souvenir window shopping.
Once we reached the north end of Korčula Old Town we stopped and enjoyed the views of the towering mountain of Peninsula Peljesac across the water.
Turning back south, we let the kids choose which side streets to explore. Our kids loved these narrow passageways with flowers, restaurants, shops, stairs to climb, houses, etc. There was a new adventure or surprise around every corner.
Exploring Old Town is an essential kid-friendly activity for your family trip to Korčula.
Day 2: Hike to Kočje and Visit Beach Ispod Duvana
Hike from Korčula to Kočje Protected Area
One of our favourite things to do in Korčula with kids was hiking to Kočje Protected Area. In fact, this 12 km (7.5 mile) hike was one of the highlights of our entire family trip to Croatia.
Our 4.5-hour hike began in Korčula Town and took us uphill to the British-built Forteca fort, where we enjoyed beautiful views of the Adriatic Sea. From there, we continued through the historic village of Žrnovo before reaching Kočje Protected Area.
Kočje was easily the highlight of the hike. This narrow, shaded valley is filled with enormous rock formations covered in moss and ivy. The kids loved exploring among the rocks, and the lush green surroundings were unlike anything else we experienced during our time in Croatia.
At 12 km, this is a fairly long hike for younger kids, but we found it well worth the effort. Between the coastal views, quiet countryside and unusual rock formations at Kočje, there was plenty to keep our family interested along the way.
Want to do this hike with your kids? Read our complete guide to hiking from Korčula to Kočje Protected Area for the full route, hiking directions and our experience tackling this trail as a family.
Family Hiking Destinations
If you enjoy hiking with your kids while travelling, don’t miss our post on our favourite family hiking destinations around the world.
Beach Ispod Duvana
In the afternoon, we walked back to Beach Ispod Duvana, a tiny little beach near Korčula Old Town. We discovered this fun little beach at the tail end of our family hike to Kočje.
Beach Ispod Duvana is tiny, measuring roughly 1.5 m by 12 m (5 by 40 feet), but it had small rocks and small waves and was a fun thing to do with kids for an hour or so.
As you can see, this tiny Korčula beach was close enough to town that it affords some pretty amazing views of the peninsula. The beach was a little dirty, with lots of smooth sea glass, etc., but it wasn’t so bad that it wrecked the outing for anyone. The kids mostly spent their time at Beach Ispod Duvana finding interesting rocks, then chucking them into the water.
Day 3: Hike Peninsula Ražnjić and Visit Pržina Beach
Peninsula Ražnjić Hike
On the final morning of our family trip to Korčula, we hopped on the 8 am local bus to Lumbarda to do a little hiking and then finish the morning at the beach.
We got off the bus at a cute little Catholic church just east of Lumbarda. This is the final stop on the route before the bus turns back to Korčula.
From here, there are two roads to choose from. The southeast one goes to Pržina Beach and the eastern one goes to Peninsula Ražnjić on the very eastern edge of Korčula Island.
We wanted to hike the trails on Peninsula Ražnjić, so we walked east. The walk towards Peninsula Ražnjić was on a quiet country road lined with charming vineyards and olive groves. It was a very enjoyable family walk and we even got to see two large, colourful pheasants.
The road soon entered a forest, where the trees provided welcome shade from the hot Croatian sun. The road climbed up a little bit, providing some very nice views of the Adriatic Sea and the surrounding islands through breaks in the trees.
Soon enough, the road started descending towards sea level and ended at the entrance to Peninsula Ražnjić.
For more practical advice, read our guide to hiking with kids and see the hiking gear for kids we recommend for family adventures.
Peninsula Ražnjić is small, but it packs a lot of scenery into it. The small, rounded peninsula has a rugged, rocky coastline and a forested interior. The rocks are a little difficult to walk on, but there is a hiking trail around the outside which makes walking a little easier.
We stopped in a shady spot at the edge of the trees to have a mid-hike snack before slowly walking all the way around Peninsula Ražnjić. Everywhere you look the views are spectacular. Running around and exploring the beautiful Peninsula Ražnjić was one of our favourite things to do in Korčula with kids.
AllTrails Map
Download the hiking trail map to Peninsula Ražnjić on the AllTrails app.
Pržina Beach
Our next stop was Pržina Beach. To get there, we had to walk almost all the way back to the bus stop, turning left onto a country road just before reaching the church. Our vacation rental host recommended Pržina Beach to us as one of the best beaches on Korčula for kids.
Pržina Beach is a real sand beach, which is very rare for a beach for Europe! Pržina Beach is a long beach with some nice shallow areas for the kids to play in.
Best of all, there are large stretches of beach with honest-to-goodness sand, both on the beach and in the water! It was one of the few beaches with sand we found anywhere on our family trip to Croatia.
Oblivious to the sand, our kids wanted to play in an area of Pržina Beach which had mostly rocks. They were attracted by the little tide pools with lots of sea life. We saw a crab and some little fish, but mostly they just wanted to hop from rock to rock and splash around in the water.
Our kids were having so much fun we didn’t see the need to move to the part of Pržina Beach with a sandy ocean floor.
The other really nice thing about Pržina Beach is that it stays shallow a long time, making it a kid-friendly Korčula beach. The shallow water also makes the water warmer than found at many other beaches in Korčula.
Where to Stay in Korčula with Kids
Old Town Korčula is very small, taking only takes 5 minutes to walk from end-to-end. Finding a place to stay anywhere inside the amazing Korčula Old Town is a good bet, but it can get expensive. Those travelling to Korčula on a budget can find a good place to stay just a few minutes’ walk outside Old Town.
We rented a three-bedroom Korčula apartment a few minutes walk south of the Old Town gates. We chose to stay at a vacation rental as we enjoy the family-friendly amenities like separate bedrooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities. Plus, its location outside Old Town also made it a more affordable place to stay.
There are plenty of great places to stay in Korčula with kids, especially if you want a little extra space. We recommend browsing these family-friendly vacation rentals in Korčula, where you can find apartments with multiple bedrooms and kitchens, making travelling with kids easier.
If you prefer a hotel, we recommend browsing these family-friendly hotels in Korčula to compare accommodation options and find a place that suits your family’s needs and budget.
How to Get to Korčula, Croatia
Korčula does not have an international airport, which means most visitors will travel there from Split, Hvar or Dubrovnik.
We travelled from Hvar to Korčula on the Krilo passenger ferry. We chose to take a passenger ferry as we didn’t have a rental car and the Krilo ferry offers direct service from Hvar Town to Korčula Old Town.
If you are flying into Split or Dubrovnik and wish to get to Korčula without renting a car or bringing your own child seats, check out a private transfer to Korčula. Your private transfer includes transportation to the ferry, child seats (if requested) and ferry tickets. Plus, your driver will meet you at the airport.
Private Transfer from Split Airport to Korčula Island (including ferry)
Private Transfer from Dubrovnik Airport to Korčula Island (including ferry)
Follow Along on our Croatia Family Holiday
We started our Croatian family holiday with a fun day in Zagreb with kids. From there we hopped on a bus from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park, which was amazing! See our 15 tips you need to know when visiting Plitvice Lakes with kids.
Then, after three days in Split with kids, we continued island hopping, beginning with 3 days in Hvar with kids, then sailing to Korčula for the trip we describe above. We finished our family trip to Croatia with a very fun trip to Dubrovnik with kids.
Read more about our European family vacation with stops in the Czech Republic with kids, Budapest with kids, Croatia with kids and a final stop in Iceland with kids.
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
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