well, i would like to give a link for ferries...
actually, this is a catamaran..you can see all lines on Jadrolinija's web page...
http://www.jadrolinija.hr/pdfs/9604.ljeto.2012.hr.pdf

this is a quickest way to come from split to hvar, and from hvar to vela luka on korcula..
for ferries, just as for catamarans, you can not buy a tickets in advance.. when you come in split, buy a ticket for hvar as quick as you can...in season, it is possible that they sold them out for that day...if there is no ticket fot hvar, another option is to catch a ferry to stari grad, and from there a bus to hvar!
http://www.jadrolinija.hr/pdfs/635.2012.ljeto.hr.pdf
as a catamaran from hvar to vela luka is at 4.15pm, try to buy a ticket during the morning, or at least a 2-3 hours before departure

hope this will help you

Korcula Town (probably where you are headed without a car, on the island of Korcula) is a nice little town, very pleasant but exotic-seeming with the architecture. Should be very nice in August - I was there in early October and the end of the season and it was pretty dead. It would probably be a fun place in August, perhaps very busy. You might have to take a bus to get to a beach away from the town, not sure.

You can get to Korcula Town (not Vera Luka on the other side of the island) by catamaran from Split with a stop in Hvar (I took it the other way from Korcula Town to Split):

http://www.korculainfo.com/ferries/catamaran-korcula.htm

I didn't get to see Hvar, but you might find one island or the other is enough.

You can totally get by without a car on this itinerary. The ferry to Split will arrive near the catamaran departure point. If you have a few hours overlap, you can probably leave your bags at the bus station (which is close to the ferry/catamaran arrival docks) and tour Diocletian's Palace, relax on the Riva, have a slice of pizza or a gelato, etc. depending on how much time you have, how tired you feel.

In Korcula, I highly recommend the Apartment Lenni if they aren't already booked up for your travel dates:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1007309-d1157959-Reviews-Apartments_Lenni-Korcula_Town_Korcula.html
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1. Do I need to book any ferry/bus in advance to get between these towns?
I don't think it is even possible (though I am assuming the Ancona-Split portion has been booked). It is high season though, so when you arrive in Split I would go ahead and purchase the ticket to Hvar, giving yourself enough time to see the historic part of Split.

2. Have we split our time correctly? Is Korcula worth a visit?
I think so, on both accounts. In addition, it is imperative to me to break up long ferry rides, and this does that nicely.

3. We are not planning on renting a car, will we be fine with public transport?
Absolutely, though while in Hvar you may have time for a one-day rental to explore the island.
You probably do not have time for that on Korcula. If you wish for an easy excursion from Korcula, there are frequent buses to the smaller town of Lumbarda. If you rent a car, you can get more ambitious for beaches on Korcula. In Hvar, there are day boat excursions to the Pakleni islands.

4. Any suggestions on places to stay are appreciated!
I stayed here in Hvar: http://www.dalmacija.net/hvar/scepanovic/
nothing fancy, but clean and with lovely owners. I still dream of the dessert the mother gave me!
Note this is a 10-15 minute walk from old town, which you may prefer in high season.

Here are some pics in Hvar and Korucla oyu may enjoy:
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showgallery.php?cat=3882

Hi all

I think I may have a problem as I see that the ferry/catamaran from Hvar to Korcula only runs in the afternoon. Is that right? That would mean that i would only get to Korcula in the evening.

I'm also worried about getting the ferry from Split to Hvar on the day we arrive. We arrive in the morning at 8am, what time is the ferry from Split to Hvar? I can't seem to find times. I'm worried that we cannot reserve these tickets in advance.

How do i get from Korcula to Dubrovnic and what times does the transport run?

I think i might need to change my itinerary to stay in Hvar 1 night, Korcula 2 nights and Dubrovnic 2 nights given the transport times.

Thanks for any suggestions.

The Catamaran KRILO JET, the one I linked to above (service between Split, Hvar, and Korcula), leaves Split at 17:00 and Hvar at 18:10 and arrives in Korcula at 19:25. There are surely other boat options in August. The Jadrolinija ferry will run on certain days as well. Just double check which towns the boats stop at on the islands.

If you take KRILO JET you'd arrive in plenty of time of course even if you are late into Split. Just arrive at the port a little early to get in line. You could spend the afternoon in Split.

There is bus service from Korcula to Dubrovnik that leaves early in the morning. This page claims there may be a second bus in the summer months that leaves in the afternoon:

http://www.korculainfo.com/dubrovnik/

So plan on taking a bus to Dubrovnik at the crack of dawn, but once you arrive perhaps you could adjust your plans if you find out there's a second bus, if you wish.

Did you also check ferries from Split to Stari Grad? The bus from SG to Hvar takes less than 30 minutes.
Check the jadrolinija site periodically if they have not yet posted summer schedules.

Thanks. I think I'm going to take the ferry to Stari Grad from Split and then take the bus from there. Do the buses run frequently between the two? It seems that we can only leave for Korcula in the evening (to take the fast ferry) so I don't know if it's worth going to Korcula at all or if we should just go straight on to Dubrovnic - I was hoping for a full day in Korcula. My only other option is to rather stay for 1 night instead of 2 in Hvar and spend 2 nights in Korcula, that way we will still get 2 days in Hvar and a full day in Korcula. Please let me know what you think?

> take the ferry to Stari Grad from Split and then take the bus from there. Do the buses run frequently between the two?

I believe that the bus and ferry schedules are normally coordinated.