Quick answer: Start and end in Dubrovnik and the week carries no one-way fee. On a one-way week between Split and Dubrovnik that fee pays for the yacht’s empty run home: roughly 800 to 1,500 euros on most crewed yachts and up to 3,000 euros each way on the largest. See our one-way fee guide. Our loop runs Dubrovnik, Šipan, Okuklje, Lastovo, Korčula, Mljet National Park, Lopud and back to Dubrovnik: about 145 to 160 nautical miles: five days of about two to three hours under way, one of about four, and one long day.
How we made this list: Each numbered stage is one day. The two open-water crossings, out to Lastovo on day 3 and back to Korčula on day 4, come early in the week, so the forecast decides them early and days 5 to 7 stay among the islands. The price is that the route runs along Mljet’s north coast on days 2, 3, 5 and 6: sleeping in Okuklje keeps day 2 short and saves the park for day 5, and makes day 3 the longest of the week. Most days are about two to three hours at a sailing catamaran’s 7 knots, with a swim stop before the night’s berth. The crew books dinner ashore on the day. Distances are straight lines plus a routing allowance, with the river runs to and from the marina measured along the water. The captain sets the real passage plan and makes the go or no-go call each morning.
- 1. Dubrovnik to Šipan
- 2. Šipan to Okuklje, east Mljet
- 3. Okuklje to Lastovo: the long day
- 4. Lastovo to Korčula Town
- 5. Korčula to Mljet National Park
- 6. Mljet to Lopud
- 7. Lopud to Dubrovnik, under the walls
1. Dubrovnik to Šipan
About 11 to 12 nautical miles: under two hours at 7 knots, under an hour at 19.
The group lands at Dubrovnik airport and boards in the afternoon at the ACI marina in Komolac, upriver from the old town. The yacht runs down the river, past Lapad and out to the Elaphiti Islands.
Šipan is the largest island of the group, with two villages, Šipanska Luka and Suđurađ. The first night is at Suđurađ, in the harbour or at anchor off it.
2. Šipan to Okuklje, east Mljet
About 13 to 14 nautical miles: about two hours at 7 knots.
A short day across to Mljet. Lunch and a swim at anchor, then the night in Okuklje, a small, protected bay on Mljet’s north coast, in the east of the island.
3. Okuklje to Lastovo: the long day
About 40 to 45 nautical miles, west along the north side of Mljet and out across open water to Lastovo. The longest day and the longest stretch of open water in the week.
At 7 knots under engine that is about 6 hours; under sail it takes longer. On a 19-knot motor yacht it is a little over 2. The west of Mljet is national park, and it allows anchoring only in its defined areas at Pomena and Polače. The park sells its vessel ticket as navigation permission, so day 3 may need one even without a stop. The captain confirms that with the park before the day.
Lastovo is a nature park island and was a closed military island for decades. The nature park has its own vessel ticket, separate from Mljet’s. Bought in the park, a one-day ticket is 45 euros in June to September for a yacht of 11 to 17.99 m and 90 euros for 18 to 24.99 m, and half that the rest of the year; the webshop is cheaper, and the park’s anchorage fee, 40 euros a night for 10 to 20 m and 60 euros for 20 to 30 m, is paid to the rangers on top. The night is in Zaklopatica, a sheltered bay where, in season, the restaurants have offered free moorings to boats that eat there; the crew confirms on the day.
Lastovo town, with its carved chimneys, the fumari, sits inland from Zaklopatica; ask the captain how best to get there. There is almost no light pollution, so the sky is the reason to stay on deck after dinner.
4. Lastovo to Korčula Town
About 18 to 20 nautical miles north: about two and a half to three hours at 7 knots, with a swim at Badija before town.
Afternoon and evening are Korčula Town: a walled town on a small peninsula, St Mark’s in the middle. The captain chooses the berth: the ACI marina on the east side of town or stern-to on the town quay, where the old town starts at the gangway.
5. Korčula to Mljet National Park
About 17 to 19 nautical miles in all: about 15 to 16 to Pomena, then a short hop round to Polače for the night. About two and a half hours at 7 knots.
Yachts visiting the park moor at Pomena or Polače, its two ports on Mljet. Veliko and Malo Jezero are two saltwater lakes inside the island, and St Mary’s islet sits in the bigger one with its Benedictine monastery. Park boats carry visitors across Veliko Jezero to St Mary’s. Walk the shore, cycle or swim in the lakes. Polače is a deep, sheltered anchorage with the ruins of a Roman palace on the shore.
The yacht’s ticket is navigation permission only. Going ashore to the lakes needs a visitor ticket per person on top. From the park’s 2026 price list:
- Yacht of 11 to 17.99 m: 100 euros in June to September, 50 euros the rest of the year.
- Yacht of 18 to 24.99 m: 160 euros in June to September, 80 euros the rest of the year.
- Yacht of 25 to 34.99 m: 320 euros in June to September, 175 euros the rest of the year.
- Adult visitor ticket: 30 euros in June to September, 20 euros the rest of the year. Children under 7 go free.
Those are the prices at the park; the park’s webshop is a little cheaper. A one-day vessel ticket is valid until noon the next day. In May or October the vessel ticket is about half the summer price, and the adult ticket is 20 euros instead of 30.
Worked example: CLOUD 9, about 21 m, with 6 adults. In July that is 160 euros for the yacht plus 6 times 30 euros, about 340 euros. In October it is 80 euros plus 6 times 20 euros, about 200 euros. If day 3 needs a ticket too, add a second vessel ticket; the captain confirms it with the park.
6. Mljet to Lopud
About 28 to 32 nautical miles, east down the Mljet channel and past Šipan: about four to four and a half hours at 7 knots, an hour and a half at 19. The second-longest day.
Lopud has no cars, a Franciscan monastery on the waterfront and Šunj, a sandy bay where the yacht can anchor for the night.
7. Lopud to Dubrovnik, under the walls
About 16 to 18 nautical miles: about two and a half hours at 7 knots, with a swim off Lokrum before the marina.
The yacht passes the old harbour and runs along the walls to Fort Lovrijenac, then rounds Lapad and goes back upriver to Komolac. The old town is about 8 km from the marina by road, so dinner in town means a taxi. Ask the captain to reach Komolac early enough to take a taxi into town for the wall walk and dinner. If the day runs late, walk the walls on the morning of day 8 before the airport.
Day 8 is disembarkation in Komolac, about 30 minutes from the airport.
When the wind changes the plan
Jugo, the south-easterly, has the whole open Adriatic to build swell, and it puts that swell into south-facing bays. On this loop that is the Lastovo crossing on days 3 and 4. When it blows, the captain decides at Okuklje on the morning of day 3, drops Lastovo and keeps to the sheltered side: Korčula and the Pelješac channel. The FAQ below has that week.
Bura, the north-easterly, blows down off the mainland and lands hardest in the channels near the coast. On this loop that is every leg in the Mljet channel, days 2, 3, 5 and 6, and the run into Dubrovnik on day 7. Day 3 is the long one, so it is the first the captain moves or shortens; the others he times around the forecast or waits out in harbour.
The captain decides each morning from the forecast; there is no fixed wind limit for this loop.
If you land in Split instead
If you land in Split, a Split round trip fits better. For the larger question of where to begin, read Split or Dubrovnik. For the night before you board, see our Dubrovnik hotel picks.
Which yacht for this route
At 7 knots the week is about 22 hours under way. At 19 knots it is about 8.
Naya is a 2023 Lagoon 46 sailing catamaran that boards in Dubrovnik, crewed by a captain and a chef/steward. She cruises at 7 knots, the pace this route is planned around: about 22 hours under way in the week, with day 3 about six. Your broker confirms her guest capacity, berth and what the rate covers for your dates. The route assumes a Komolac start; days 1 and 7 change slightly from another Dubrovnik berth.
CLOUD 9 is a 2024 Sasga 69 motor yacht that boards at the ACI marina in Komolac, Dubrovnik, for 6 guests in 3 cabins. She cruises at 19 knots, so most legs are about an hour or less; day 3 is a little over two hours and day 6 about an hour and a half.
Ask us to check both for your dates.
Two yachts that board in Dubrovnik
Listing snapshots, October 31, 2026. Both listings give Dubrovnik as the boarding port.
Listing details are snapshots dated October 31, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is 7 days enough for a Dubrovnik round trip?
Yes. Six days run about 11 to 32 nautical miles and one runs about 40 to 45. If the forecast rules out Lastovo, stay on the sheltered side: Okuklje to Korčula through the Mljet channel on day 3 (about 30 to 33 miles), a second day around Korčula and the Pelješac channel on day 4, then Mljet National Park, Lopud and Dubrovnik as planned. That week is about 125 nautical miles, it skips the Lastovo park fees, and you give up Lastovo.
When is the best time to charter from Dubrovnik?
July and August are the busiest weeks. May, September and early October are quieter. In May and October the Mljet vessel ticket is about half the summer price and the adult ticket is 20 euros instead of 30. Outside high summer some island taverns keep shorter seasons, so the crew books dinner ashore on the day.
Can the yacht go into Mljet’s lakes?
No. The yacht’s park ticket is navigation permission only, and yachts moor at Pomena or Polače. Visitors reach the lakes on foot with a visitor ticket per person, and park boats carry them across Veliko Jezero to St Mary’s.
Last updated: October 31, 2026.
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