October 5-7, 2019

There was one island in Croatia I knew I needed to visit the moment I chose to descend upon the Balkans. When a sequel to 2008’s smash hit movie, Mamma Mia! based on a musical based on the ABBA discography was being developed, the Croatian island of Vis was chosen to represent the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi

I saw Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again three times in the movie theaters. One of those times was with my mom, sister, and aunt. The movie flashes back and forth between past and present as the characters remember the life of Donna (Played by Meryl Streep). It’s a surprisingly emotionally resonant film considering its origins as a fluffy musical comedy based on music that is sometimes nonsensical.

This was four months before my mom died, and while we didn’t know this at the time, it colored the way we experienced the film in profound ways.

To get to Vis you can take a ferry from Split. The more popular island is Hvar, but the scene is completely different. It has much more peaceful feel. I stayed in the fishing village of Komiza at a guesthouse called Kod Senke . There are no hostels on Vis, which is something to keep in mind. As it was off-season, it was still only €20 per night.

The most famous attraction near Vis is the Blue Cave. It gets its name from the color of the cave when the sun hits it at just the right angle. Visiting during off-season has its advantages, but this also meant that tours and ferries were far less frequent. I decided I would rent a scooter and ride around the island.

Vis isn’t very large, but I made sure to visit Vis Town, where many scenes from MMHWGA were filmed.

As I rode around the island I passed vineyards and stopped at what’s known as “Tito’s Cave.“ Yugoslav president Marshal Tito hid out from nazis in the cave in 1944.

The views around the island were remarkable, and I appreciated the sleepy vibe of the place.

I finished the day by watching the sunset by the beach.

For the next day, I booked a tour with Ames Tours. It’s one of the best way to experience the island of Vis because so many areas are difficult to access by road, and a lot of the island can only be seen from the water. It took us to all of the major spots around the island, complete with swimming stops, lunch, and musical serenades.

Stiniva Cove

Stiniva cove is difficult and even hazardous to access by land. You have to drive to steep path where you descend to the beach. Approaching it by boat is ideal. I swam out to the beach from the boat, which was only a little bit cold. The other thing to consider about the cove is that the sunlight gets blocked by the cliffs.

Stoncica Beach

Stoncica is a beautiful beach on Vis with turquoise water. We stopped for a short swim break

Yugoslav Submarine Tunnel

Vis also has Yugoslav submarine tunnels, and our boat was able to go inside.

We were treated to some live music inside of the submarine tunnel, which was very special. I know my mom would have loved to hear this jovial Croatian man singing traditional music and covers.

“Mamma Mia Beach”

Most of the major beach scenes in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. When we got out of the boat we were treated to an ABBA playlist. It was corny and I loved every minute of it.