February 9, 2020 – Instead of racing for that last ferry on arrival or worrying about missing the connection for the flight home, there is a simple Dalmatian solution to a relaxed start and finish of an Adriatic island holiday. It is called Trogir.
After many years of living in Dalmatia, and having experienced countless frustrations (both my own and countless others with a Western mindset), I reduced my decade of life learning here to a single sentence of advice. It was advice that would serve any visitor well if they adopted it immediately on arrival, or they could go through the same years of frustration I did and then come to the same conclusion:
Do not try and change Dalmatia, but expect Dalmatia to change you.
Things do not happen quickly in Dalmatia, nor are they supposed to. It is part ot the charm. And yet so many tourists come with the rules of their busy lives back home and apply them here. Nowhere is this more true than those coming to gorgeous Dalmatian islands such as Hvar and Vis.
As an island boy for so many years, I was in constant amazement as the number of visitors who had come to relax in paradise, but whose emotional energy was so invested in the stress of arrival and departure. The early evening arrival – will we make the last ferry, or will we be forced to spend the night in Split? Will we wake up for the 06:00 catamaran to catch that early flight home, and what happens if there is a bura and the catamaran is cancelled?
There is another way.
It is called Trogir.
Living on Hvar, I had not appreciated the majesty of Trogir as the ideal accessory to a perfect Dalmatian holiday until I saw it through the eyes of several friends from the UK, who were regular visitors to their holiday homes in Jelsa. For them, every holiday – usually 7 to 10 days – began an ended with a night in Trogir.
Instead of arriving and stressing over the ferry departure in the 40-minute taxi ride from the airport, they instead turned right out of the airport and were in the heart of an historic UNESCO World Heritage site within 5 minutes. A town oozing in 3,000 years of rich history, with the architecture to match, of delightful cobbled alleys, picturesque squares, and a spectacular waterfront. A town with a great gourmet scene filled with authentic Dalmatian restaurants, whose local dishes were washed down with the wines from local vineyards. Vineyards which just happen to be the home to the original world-famous Zinfandel grape variety.
The perfect start to a holiday. And then the leisurely transfer to Split and the late morning ferry to Stari Grad, where the main island holiday can begin. And the same experience in reverse at the end of a magical island holiday.
Rather than a 04:30 start to catch that early ferry or catamaran and transfer to the airport for that morning departure, a chilled afternoon ferry crossing the day before, brining you to your accommodation in time for an early evening walk around Trogir’s timeless streets, before one final dinner and a cocktail at sunset to reflect on a holiday in fabulous Dalmatia. And in the morning, a relaxing breakfast and effortless five-minute ride to the check-in desk at Split Airport.
I asked one of my friends to sum up why Trogir in an email recently. This is what she replied:
Trogir – Croatia microcosm- Perfect intro to the best of Croatia in terms of what most tourists think of, when they are heading to Croatia.
Lovely compact old town that is easy to walk around as a pedestrian. Car free centre. Lots of interesting buildings – fort, campanile, monasteries. Good range of restaurants by water and in old pjacas.
Quirky – tortoises in the cloister for example. Beach. 8 or so minutes to Trogir from the airport to break journey to the islands. Hopping off point for the yacht flotillas.
Accommodation options feel more local – get to know the real Croatia? No big hotels. We stayed at the Kampanel (boutique hotel) and my sister books Airbnb.
The best way to enjoy Dalmatia is to embrace the Dalmatian way of life – ‘pomalo.’ Rush for that last ferry and rise before the crack of dawn on the final day if you must, or take the ‘Trogir option.’
It really is one of the most delightful and complete destinations on the coast, just minutes from your arrival and departure point.
To learn more about this UNESCO wonder, check out the Total Croatia Trogir in a Page guide.
This article was produced in association with the Trogir Tourist Board.
