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Čitaj na hrvatskomThis page is also written in hrvatski.

Badija

A wooded islet off Korcula with a fifteenth-century Franciscan monastery and tame fallow deer.

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Typeisland
WhereDubrovnik-Neretva County
Nearest cityKorcula town, about ten minutes by boat
Best seasonMay to September
Time to allowHalf a day
Getting thereTaxi boat from Korcula town harbour
EntryBoat fare

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. The monastery was confiscated after the war and used as a sports and recreation centre for decades 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 you actually see

  • 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.

Honest expectations

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.

What to pack for Badija

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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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