Boats!

Jun 18, 2026 · Stuart · Hvar, Croatia

After a disappointing lack of boats on the so-called “Lago” di Garda, we have finally taken to the sea in Dalmatia. Specifically, the Adriatic Sea. Here are our top 5 boats.

5. The Split » Hvar Ferry

⭐

This is more of a necessity than anything else, given that it is way too far to swim and we don’t own a helicopter. But at least it’s a boat!

4. The Hvar » Korčula Ferry

⭐⭐

Slightly more luxurious than the last ferry, but nothing really to write home about. Had a coffee, it wasn’t great.

3. Split Pedalo

⭐⭐⭐

Our journey around the Lago di Garda frequently featured the thrill of finding a pedalo place for rent, followed by the immediate disappointment of realising that the pedalo guy hadn’t bothered coming to work that day.

But not in Split! We found the pedalo guy, arrived promptly at opening time, and… he wasn’t there. But then we WhatsApped him, and an hour later he bowled up!

Stuart

What did you like most about the pedalo?

Miles

The slide

Jake

The slide

Sonia

The quest to find a pedalo guy who was open has finally ended

2. Vis boat tour

⭐⭐⭐⭐

We booked a spot on a 12 person tour out to Vis. For more information you can check out Jake’s post.

1. Paklinski islands self-drive tour

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The best day of all, courtesy of David. We picked up our 20HP tinny at 8:30 and headed out to Paklinski, map in hand.

The boat crew assembles

Captain Miles takes us out of port

After checking out a few different bays, we tied our boat up at a convenient berth and headed overland.

Plenty of Cacti on Sveti Klement (but no parrots)

Jake checks out a bay on the Northern side of the island

After a quick wine sample and a cleansing beer, we headed back to the mainland via the spectacularly overpriced Carpe Diem bar. Top tip: you can just bring your own €1 supermarket beer and swim in the same bay with the same view as if you paid €20 for a watery cocktail.

Cheers!

Our final stop of the day was a late lunch back on the mainland at the secluded Robinson Bay. A pricey but delicious seafood gnocchi, seafood salad and a plate of olives was perfectly complemented with a glass or two of the local white wine.

All in all, a successful day of boating.

Verdict from the rest of the crew

Stuart

What was your favourite boat trip?

Jake

The tour to Vis

Miles

The pedalo

Sonia

The organised one

Well, you can’t win them all.