Two weeks to sail the whole of Central Dalmatia and the south without ever retracing your course: Brač and Hvar, Vis offshore, the Korčula channel, the island park of Mljet, the Elaphiti islands and the arrival beneath the walls of Dubrovnik. It is the great one-way classic of the Adriatic, with legs of 10 to 25 miles, a maestral that gets up after noon and a harbour or a buoy every evening. Around 180 miles. Details below.
In brief
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Departure base | Split (ACI Marina Split), return in Dubrovnik (ACI Marina Dubrovnik, Komolac) |
| Access | Flight to Split (SPU) outbound, return from Dubrovnik (DBV) |
| Total distance | ~180 NM (one way) |
| Sailing time | ~37 h over 14 days |
| Duration | 14 days / 13 nights |
| Level | Intermediate (one 25-mile crossing, a few crowded harbours) |
| Recommended boat | 40-46 ft monohull or 40-45 ft catamaran |
| Best period | May to June, September to early October |
| Winds | NW maestral 10-20 kt in the afternoon; SE jugo and bura off season |
| Indicative budget | ~€1,700 to €2,600 per person for two weeks, one-way fee included (see Sailing Croatia: Dalmatia or the Kornati?) |
Explore the stops
Approximate destination locations for trip planning. Use current nautical charts and local information for navigation.
Split · Milna, Brač · Palmižana, Pakleni · Komiža, Vis · Vis · Šćedro, Lovišće · Korčula · Mljet, Polače · Mljet, Okuklje · Šipan · Lopud · Dubrovnik · Cavtat
Weather month by month
| Month | Wind | Air | Sea | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | Light maestral, jugo possible | 22-25° | 18-19° | Mild, few boats |
| June | NW maestral 10-15 kt | 27-29° | 22-23° | Ideal |
| July | Maestral 12-20 kt, storms (nevera) | 30-32° | 24-25° | Harbours full by noon |
| August | Maestral 12-20 kt | 30-32° | 25-26° | Peak season |
| September | Easing maestral, first jugo | 26-28° | 23-24° | Ideal |
| October | Variable, bura and jugo | 20-23° | 20-21° | End of season |
The route over two weeks
| Day | Leg | NM | Mooring | Shelter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Split to Milna (Brač) | 12 | ACI Milna | Very good |
| D2 | Milna to Palmižana (Pakleni) | 12 | ACI Palmižana / Vinogradišće | Good |
| D3 | Palmižana to Komiža (Vis) | 25 | Komiža quay | Fair |
| D4 | Komiža to Vis via Stiniva | 18 | Vis quay / Stonca | Good |
| D5 | Vis to Šćedro | 22 | Lovišće bay | Very good |
| D6 | Šćedro to Korčula | 24 | ACI Korčula / Luka Banja | Good |
| D7 | Korčula, day ashore, Lumbarda | 5 | Lumbarda | Good |
| D8 | Korčula to Mljet, Polače | 20 | Polače buoys | Very good |
| D9 | Mljet, the lakes, to Okuklje | 14 | Okuklje | Very good |
| D10 | Okuklje to Šipan | 14 | Šipanska Luka | Good |
| D11 | Šipan to Dubrovnik via Lopud | 12 | ACI Dubrovnik (Komolac) | Very good |
| D12 | Dubrovnik, day ashore | 0 | same | n/a |
| D13 | Dubrovnik to Cavtat and back | 18 | ACI Dubrovnik | Very good |
| D14 | Hand-back in Dubrovnik | 0 | Base | n/a |
| Total | ~196 |
Highlights
Photo: Hvar · Josip Ivankovic / Unsplash
Milna and the Pakleni, two easy first nights: the deep bay of Milna, then Palmižana with Hvar town ten minutes away by water taxi.
Vis, the island furthest offshore, closed to foreigners until 1989: Komiža and its konobas, the Biševo Blue Cave early in the morning, the cove of Stiniva between its two cliffs.
Šćedro, an uninhabited islet south of Hvar, two sheltered bays and a night without a single light ashore.
Photo: Korčula · Hilthart Pedersen / Unsplash
Korčula, the Venetian town laid out in a fishbone pattern on its promontory, St Mark's cathedral and the vineyards of Lumbarda.
Photo: Mljet · Aron Marinelli / Unsplash
Mljet, the most wooded island in the Adriatic: the two salt lakes of the national park, the monastery on its islet, the lakes by bike.
The Elaphiti islands, Šipan, Lopud and Koločep, three car-free islands between Mljet and Dubrovnik, sandy beaches and captains' houses.
Photo: Dubrovnik · Matthias Mullie / Unsplash
Dubrovnik, the arrival by sea beneath the walls, then the walk on the ramparts and the islet of Lokrum opposite.
Technical points and watch-outs
- D3, Palmižana to Komiža: the only real crossing, 25 miles due west, often upwind in the morning then maestral on the beam. Leave at 8 am.
- Crowded harbours: Hvar town, Korčula and Dubrovnik in July-August. Book the ACI marinas, aim for Palmižana rather than the Hvar quay, and Luka Banja or Lumbarda as a fallback at Korčula.
- Mljet: the lakes are closed to boats; you moor on a buoy at Polače (national park, ticket compulsory) and reach the lakes on foot or by bike.
- Bura: rare in summer, but the Pelješac channel and the approach to Dubrovnik get uncomfortable when it blows. Watch the DHMZ forecast from D8.
- Dubrovnik: the ACI marina is at Komolac, at the head of the Rijeka Dubrovačka, 20 minutes by bus from the old town. No berthing beneath the walls.
- One way: charter company surcharge and return delivery to plan for; book early, Split to Dubrovnik one-ways are the most requested in Croatia.
Book and prepare
- Compare the yachts and catamarans available from Split with hand-back in Dubrovnik.
- Charter insurance recommended over two weeks.
- Flights: to Split (SPU) outbound, Dubrovnik (DBV) on the way back, direct in season.
- Activities: Biševo Blue Cave, Korčula walls, Mljet lakes, Dubrovnik ramparts.
See also: the guide Sailing Croatia: Dalmatia or the Kornati?, the 7-day Central Dalmatia itinerary from Split and the page Boat rental in Split.
Nautical data: distances estimated on direct routes between harbours, ACI marinas and the port authorities of Split, Korčula and Dubrovnik. Weather: DHMZ. Mljet National Park rules and south coast moorings to be checked with the base and an up-to-date pilot guide.
Page type: Itinerary (schema.org TouristTrip).
A word from the crew
Logbook. Evening at Polače, the buoys swinging in a bay closed on every side, and the next day you cycle round a salt lake in the middle of the forest. Mljet is where the cruise slows down, and that is why we do it over two weeks.
The mistake to avoid. Trying to link Vis and Korčula in one day. Forty miles on the beam and a night arrival in a full harbour: Šćedro is there to break it up.
Our favourite, and what we skip. Favourite: Lovišće bay on Šćedro, and the Mljet lakes at first light. Skip: the Hvar town quay, and Cavtat on an August Sunday.
Our verdict. Beauty 5/5. Anchorages 4/5. Ease 4/5. Crowds 3/5. Verdict: the most complete one-way in the Adriatic, best in June or September.