Badija

Badija is the largest of the islets off Korcula town, wooded in pine and holm oak, and most of it belongs to the Franciscan monastery founded here at the end of the fourteenth century and built out through the fifteenth, with a late gothic cloister that is the best thing on the island. For decades in the twentieth century the buildings served as a sports and recreation centre, before being returned to the order. Fallow deer were introduced and have become entirely unbothered by people, which is what most visitors remember. A path circles the island past swimming spots on the rocks.

What to look for

• A Franciscan monastery - founded in the late 1300s, built out in the 1400s.
• A late gothic cloister - the finest part of the complex.
• Fallow deer with no fear of people - introduced and now resident.
• A path round the island - past rock swimming places.

When to go

May to September, when the taxi boats run. Half a day.

Before you go

The monastery's opening depends on the community and restoration work. Feeding the deer is discouraged and inappropriate food harms them. There are no shops on the island. Swimming is off rocks, not sand.

Nearby

Korcula town is across the water; Lumbarda is on the same coast.

Key facts