Vela Luka

Vela Luka anchors the western end of Korčula Island — its name literally means “large port” in Croatian — and it’s been a working harbour far longer than it’s been a tourist stop. High above the town, on Pinski Rat hill, sits Vela Spila, a cave that’s been occupied on and off since around 20,000 BC. Archaeologists have pulled pottery fragments dating back 17,000 years and human burials from roughly 13,500 BC out of it, making it one of the more important prehistoric sites in Europe. Serious excavation only started in 1951, and digs are still going.

The town is also home to Kalos, a rehabilitation hospital built in the 1960s on Kale cove to take advantage of a local mineral spring and mud deposits historically used to treat rheumatic conditions — it’s still operating as a specialist facility today.

For boats, the shelter is decent: Marina Vela Luka sits close to Luka Korčula Bay, where the muddy seabed and depths of roughly 1–7 metres make for solid holding, protected from everything except northerly winds. It’s not a flashy stop, but many charter guests anchor here for the afternoon before pushing on around the island.