Dubrovnik Discovery; Round-Trip Cruise via Korcula and Hvar 7nts (Saturdays)

Check-in from 11:00 in Gruz, Dubrovnik harbour, departing at 13:00 with lunch on board. The first leg runs out to the Elaphiti islands and Sipan, the largest of them, once the summer retreat of Dubrovnik nobility and still scattered with their ruined villas and chapels among the olive groves. Swim stop in a quiet bay. Overnight in Sipan.

On to Mljet, the greenest island in the south, where the national park covers the western end and entry is paid on the spot. Two connected saltwater lakes sit inside it, with a boat across to the islet of St Mary and its 12th century Benedictine monastery. Swim in the lakes, walk or hire a bike on the shore path. Lunch on board. Overnight in Pomena or Polace.

A morning swim stop and lunch on board on the way north to Hvar. The town has a Renaissance cathedral with its original tower and the oldest community theatre in Europe, founded in 1612, and the Spanjola fortress above the rooftops repays the climb with a view over the Pakleni islands. A guided walking tour is included. Overnight in Hvar, or at Stari Grad if berths at Hvar are full.

West to Vis, closed to foreign visitors until 1989 and still the least developed of the larger islands. The town sits beside the remains of ancient Issa, the first urban settlement in Croatia, with Roman baths, the town museum and a shore walk past the villae rusticae. Swim stop and lunch on board. Overnight in Vis town, or at Komiza on the west of the island if berths at Vis are full.

An early run out to the islet of Bisevo for the Blue Cave, where late morning light through an underwater opening turns the water an intense blue. Entry is paid on the spot and the visit depends on sea conditions. On to Korcula with a swim stop and lunch on board. The walled old town sits on a promontory with a fishbone street plan built to catch the breeze, and claims Marco Polo as a local. Overnight in one of the ports of Korcula.

A guided walking tour of Korcula in the morning, then east with a swim stop and lunch on board. Sipan or Slano depending on conditions, both quiet places to spend a last night at anchor, with the Peljesac hills on one side and the open sea on the other. The Captain's Dinner is served on board. Overnight in Sipan or Slano.

A short final leg down to Dubrovnik with a swim stop and lunch on board. The approach from the sea is the best view of the walls anyone gets. A guided walking tour of the old town follows, with the 1,940 m wall circuit open to walk and an optional cable car up to Srd for the view over the red roofs. Evening at leisure. Overnight in Gruz harbour.

Breakfast on board, then check-out and farewell to the crew. Dubrovnik Airport is about 30 minutes away.