We have put our most popular walks near the Lumbarda area of Korcula Island, together in this post, as we find most of our guests at The White House Lumbarda like to stretch their legs while heading to try new restaurants while on holiday; explore the natural wilderness on the Island and find beachside café bars and wineries enroute.
We mention our favourite restaurants too, making these short walks perfect for pre-supper or pre-lunchtime exercise!
The first three walks also pass by a number of the local ‘Grk’ Wineries, and by completing these walks and combining with tapas and wine tasting ensures you have enjoyed the best ‘Grk’ wine Lumbarda has to offer.
Walk 1 – Sandy Beaches Walk, Lumbarda Korcula.
Distance: 2.5km
Time – If done without stopping 1hr, but you could take all day and enjoy the beaches, cafes and restaurants and bars and sandy beaches of Lumbarda.
This walk starts from from The White House Lumbarda and takes in both of the sandy beaches of Lumbarda. It can be extended or shortened as desired. There are plenty of cafes, and wineries that you pass and so it is perfect as a walk to your sunbed in the morning, or to a favourite restaurant in the evening. It also helps you to get your bearings when you first arrive at The White House Lumbarda!
Directions
Walk up the drive leaving The White House and turn left on the road. Keep walking straight, do not take any turn, the road narrows and bends round to the left where you will pass both the Popic Winery and the Vitis Winery. Whilst walking along this road breathe in the stunning coastal scenery to your left!
At the end of the road, do not turn left, but carry straight ahead, this road provides a stunning view over the bay to the south of Lumbarda and following the road left you will see the first sandy beach ahead. This is Vela Przina Plaza.
The cafe at this beach serves amazing seafood and salad for a casual lunchtime snack, and it is the quieter of the two sandy beaches as it is a little further away.
Leaving the café, cut through the car park and take the lower road to the roundabaout with the Church on. (Crkva Svetoga Kriza).
Here you have two options:
1. For a Shorter Walk
Take the path to the right and walk down the sandy trail taking you to Billin Zal Beach. There is another beautiful castle – like café here for refreshments.
If you are doing this walk early evening then I highly recommend restaurant Konoba Luka. To reach it walk along the sandy beach and it is located just on a street, slightly uphill with a panoramic view over the Adriatic. This is a seafood restaurant of choice in Lumbarda, and everything tastes delicious, the price is reasonable, all washed down with the local wine. I have had the mussels here, and find them to be the most delicous there is!
Walking along the sandy beach here and at the end you will find the coastal path that takes you back to the main street of Lumbarda. Enjoy the spectacular sea views, taking in some of the smaller islets off the coast and stretching out to the Croatia Peninsula.
Once you reach the road you will find more restaurants catering to your every taste.
Just after you pass the Water Taxi jetty you will also find Café Bar Prvi Zal to end your evening with a tasty cocktail while enjoying the activity at the marina close by. There is live music here a couple of evenings a week in the summer.
A stroll along the main promenade brings you back past the main Lumbarda Square turning left up the road to the supermarket and right up the path opposite will bring you back to The White House Lumbarda.
2. Extend The Walk to Svjetionik Raznjic (the southern most point of Korcula) – Additional 1 hour.
Note* There are no refreshments on this part of the walk so make sure to fill your water bottle at the café at Vela Przina Beach before starting this section. Also the section around the lighthouse is quite rocky and sharp made up of large white rocks washed ashore by storms over the years; so be sure to wear a good pair of trainers or walking shoes, and finally, make sure to have lots of suntan lotion with you as once you reach the light house you are exposed to the elements as there is little shade*
If you take the 3rd right road at the roundabout with the church on you can follow this road all the way to the lighthouse at the end. When the road forks in two, take the left to keep on track.
To reach the lighthouse will take about half an hour, but it is a really lovely lane with lots of shade from the dense pine trees on either side. When you reach the knob on which the lighthouse sits there is a small circular path that takes you round it.
The spot around this peninsular is perfect for jumping and diving into the water; with many people coming just for the snorkelling due to the variety of fish found. It is also a very popular fishing spot. You can cliff jump at the point after the lighthouse, and will also find ladders making it an easy access point into the crystal clear waters.
You have to return the same route you came in on when you are ready to leave this section, and then you will re-join the main walk at the roundabout with the church on; where you can either retrace your steps back to The White House Lumbarda; carry straight forward and take the main road back to The White House Lumbarda, turning left up hill at the signpost to the Posip winery; or continue on the walk at point 1.
Walk 2 – Lumbarda Heartland
Distance: 2km
Time – 1hr with opportunity to indulge in a variety of restaurants on the sea front.
This circular walk takes you through the heartland of Lumbarda village, passing old churches and quaint Croatian houses. A perfect opportunity for an evening stroll to the selection of restaurants along the seafront.
Turn right out of the drive at The White House, right again down the lane to the supermarket, and left at the bottom of the path on the main road, where on entering the main promenade there is a choice of restaurants for your evening meal.
At The Maestral restaurant (the Lumbarda pizza here is hands-down my favourite pizza on Korcula Island), turn right and walk past along the sea front passing the marina, hop on/ off water taxi keep on going past The Pizzeria Torkul ( where the Greek Salad is amazing!) and Ferral Restaurant ( for a more refined evening of delicous seafood)
Opposite the harbour entrance, to the right ( before the main coastal path to the beach) you will some steps going up; follow these to Sv Petar ( place of worship). Continue along the path, enjoying the sights of the houses, their gardens and vines; and you will come out at St Roch’s Church. From St Rochs Church you will get a fantastic view of The White House Lumbarda across the vineyards! There is also some seating outside for you to pause and enjoy the architecture and the small climb up the hill of Vela Glavica!
Continue down the road and cross the main road, walk straight up the hill to the Vitis Winery. Turn right and opposite you will be at the Popic Winery.
Enjoy a cool glass of ‘Grk’ at either of these two wineries whilst admiring the sunset before continuing along the path, which will join the road back to The White House Lumbarda.
Walk 3 – The Bays of Lumbarda
Distance: 3 km
Time: 1 ½ hours with no stops to a full day if you are planning on finding a comfortable rock to sit, read and relax while looking across to the Peninsula.
This walk starts from The White House Lumbarda and provides a fantastic viewpoint of the Lumbarda promenade and marina, before dropping down to the bay before Lumbarda and the coastal path back to Lumbarda village. You will pass a number of wineries on this walk, and a couple of wonderful restaurants in the first bay making this a perfect walk before lunch, or a pleasant evening walk before supper.
From The White House Lumbarda at the top of the driveway, turn right down the narrow street, continue as far as you can on the street and you will see some steps leading down to the right. Take them and you will come out on the middle road of Lumbarda. ( the Podstrana).
This road takes you past a couple of wineries, Cipre Winery first and then Bire Winery just further along; and eventually, after approximately 20 minutes you will find yourself at the first bay just before the entry to Lumbarda. As you are walking down this road make sure to stop and enjoy the birdseye view of Lumbarda promenade and marina to the right.
Cross the main road, and with the bay to your left, follow it round. This is a really pretty bay. If you take the road first to your right you will arrive at Konoba Skafetin. This restaurant is a perfect lunchtime venue due to the tables being situated in shade under the Olive trees. The desserts here are to die for! An Alternative great food restaurant is just further along, on the bay itself. You will see Gavuni Restaurant and Konoba. This is another fantastic family owned small friendly restaurant where the Octupus, Calamari, Squid and Seafood Risotto, come highly recommended, and the view directly looking out cross the bay is just heaven!
Continue past this restaurant for your return journey along the coastal path that links the two bays of Lumbarda. Take your time and enjoy the peace and quiet along this coastal path, with sea to your left, and the trees to your right. Following this path round and you will soon find yourself back in the bay of Lumbarda, where you will find a further two restaurants that are renowned for their friendly service and great value – Konoba Diva Faustina and Konoba Dusica, turn left at the end past these restaurants to return to Lumbarda village.
When you reach the bay of Lumbarda, at the end of the coastal path where the road rejoins if you wish to visit Lovric Winery take this road away from the bay and the winery is just round the corner, and retraceyour steps afterwards to rejoin the walk and return to The White House Lumbarda.
Walk 4 – Badija Island
Distance – 2km
Time – 1 hour without stopping, but there are plenty of little coves for you to sunbathe and swim as you work your way round. Plus with a visit to the Fransiscan Monastery courtyard, and spotting the locals ( fallow deer), can be enjoyed for half a day or more!
A holiday to Lumbarda would not be complete without experiencing the Hop On/ Hop Off water taxi to the islets of the Korcula Archipelago.
This walk around the Island of Badija combines cultural interest with a visit to the Monastery, nature, scenic views over to Orebic on the mainland, and Korcula Town, and the local fallow deer!
This walk can be done in the morning before a snack and refreshments at the café, or, if you are enjoying a fully cultural day, before carrying on your journey to explore Korcula Town where the promenade along the sea wall provides a huge variety of restaurants from Pizzeria to Thai for your supper! There is also the only michigan restaurant on the island in Korcula Town, Restaurant Filippi here for you to try! The food here is classic mediterranean with the spotlight on fish.
*Note – if you continue on to explore Korcula Town, the Water Taxis stop as around 6.30pm, and so you will need to get a car taxi back to The White House Lumbarda.
As you exit the water taxi jetty, you will see the café to your right. Head towards the café and a well-marked footpath takes you round the Island.
The Deer will usually be near the jetty to welcome you to their island!
The walk ends at the Fransiscan Monestry, where you can read about the history of this beautiful structure, and wonder around the courtyard and the exquisitely decorated church, which at the time of writing is in the process of some renovation works.
Walk 5 Zrnova – The Magical Kocje National Park
Distance 3km
Time : Allow half a day for exploring the national park!
Žrnovo, a petite village situated inland, provides an assortment of pathways suitable for all levels of physical fitness. Within a moderate 40-minute walking distance from Žrnovo, you will discover the protected Kocje nature park, which is filled with large unusual dolomitic rock formations covered with green moss and ivy, and stone labyrinth maze, ideal for those wanting an afternoon exploration scrambling over rocks and amongst the dense forest.
Note * If you are walking early afternoon and intend to eat at one of the restaurants mentioned after your afternoon’s exploration it is worth booking in advance; as the popularity of the restaurants mentioned mean they are often fully booked. Also note there are no refreshments in the park itself so take a plenty of water, and suntan lotion with you.
Kocje National Park has a magical feel about it and is a fun way to spend an afternoon admiring the natural vegetation of Korcula Island and the lush dense forest which Korcula is famous for. Perfect for the nature lovers amongst us.
Park by St Michaels Church and head to Brdo, from there follow the signposts to Kocje.
Once you have explored to your nature-loving hearts content follow the same route back where you will pass two excellent restaurants Bevana Agroturizam ( where the herbs and vegetables are picked from the garden, and there is no menu as the food depends on what is freshly made that day), and Konoba Belin ( renowned for its meat dishes slow- cooked in the traditional manner).
Alternatively in the area try Atrij Restaurant with its’ speciality of the local ‘makaruni’; or the Tasjavoc Winery for indulging in some local wine from a different region in Korcula; in its’ beautiful courtyard setting.
Tried any of our walks?
Email us with pics and your handle at info@totalactivityholidays.com and we will feature you on our instagram page!