Elaphiti Islands Guide: Koločep, Lopud & Šipan from Dubrovnik.

The Elaphiti Islands sit between five and eleven nautical miles north-west of Dubrovnik. Of the thirteen islands and islets in the group, only three are inhabited: Koločep, Lopud and Šipan. Koločep and Lopud are car-free and Šipan has a single road, all criss-crossed with old stone paths and quiet enough that a single fish-grill counts as a busy night out. They are, in our completely unbiased opinion, the best day from Dubrovnik you can spend on a boat, and the route our guests book most.

Full-day Elaphiti tourSee the tour →

This guide is written from the wheelhouse. We have been running the Elaphiti route since 1997. Below is the order we recommend, the swim stops we use, and a handful of things most guidebooks miss.

1. Koločep, the closest island and the Blue Cave

Koločep is the first island you reach out of Dubrovnik. Twenty minutes on a fast boat, the southernmost inhabited island in Croatia. There are two villages, no cars, and a small population that swells in summer with day-trippers.

The headline stop here is the Blue Cave, a sea-level cave on the western side of the island. Sunlight enters under the water and turns the interior an electric, ghostly blue. It is at its best between roughly 10:00 and 13:00, when the sun is high enough to push light through the entrance.

Practical notes from the wheelhouse:

• Anchor outside the cave, not inside, and swim in through the entrance when the sea allows. Boats over a certain size cannot enter at all.
• Bring goggles. Most of the magic is below the surface.
• If the sea is choppy or there is a north wind, the cave gets too rough to swim safely. We will switch the order of the day and come back later. Listen to your skipper.

2. Lopud, Šunj Bay and a long lunch

Lopud is the middle island and our favourite for the lunch stop. The main village runs along a single, long palm-lined promenade. Here you’ll find stone houses, ferns, an old monastery, a couple of churches and a handful of restaurants. You disembark, you walk 15–20 minutes across the island, and you arrive at Šunj Bay.

Šunj is one of the very few sand beaches near Dubrovnik. Soft sand, shallow turquoise water, two beach tavernas. The water shelves so gently you can walk out fifty metres and still be at chest height. If you have small children, this is where the day belongs.

Tips for Lopud

• The walk from the harbour to Šunj is about 15–20 minutes. It is gentle but exposed in midday sun. Wear sandals you can walk in.
• If you cannot face the walk, there is a small electric tuk-tuk service in summer.
• Book your taverna lunch in advance in July and August. We will do it from the boat if you want.

3. Šipan, the biggest, the quietest, the coves

Šipan is the largest of the Elaphitis and the least visited, and the only one of the three with a road and cars. Two villages, a vineyard or two, a handful of summer houses owned by the old Ragusan families, and a coastline of small, secluded coves. This is where we go in the afternoon to escape any crowds Koločep and Lopud might have collected.

Our preferred stops, depending on wind and where everyone else is:

• Pakljena, deeper water, an old shipyard, often nobody else.
• Suđurađ, the easier one, a small village with a stone-paved waterfront, perfect for a quiet coffee.

When to go

The Elaphitis are at their best from late May to early October. June and September are perfect: the sea is warm, the days are long, and the crowds are manageable. July and August are hot and busy but still rewarding if you start early and stay late.

Mid-October to April is technically possible, but the swim stops lose their point and most island restaurants close. If you are in Dubrovnik in winter, save the islands for another trip.

How to do this trip

You can do the Elaphiti route by public ferry, but the schedules constrain you (fixed times, village harbours only, no Blue Cave). Most people do it by private boat. A full-day private tour, our most popular, gives you the route above at an easy pace in about eight hours; a half-day covers a shorter loop in about four.

If you want longer, a full-day tour adds time ashore on each island, a longer lunch and more swim time. We can also tailor the order if you want sunset at Lopud or a champagne stop on the way back.

Getting there without a private boat

All three inhabited islands are on the regular Jadrolinija passenger line from Gruž, Dubrovnik’s ferry port. It is the cheapest way to reach them and works well for a single island: a morning boat out, a beach, an evening boat back. Check the timetable on the day, as it changes between summer and winter. Keep in mind that the line stops at the village harbours, so the Blue Cave and the outer coves are out of reach.

A private boat is the better choice when you want two or three islands in one day, the swim stops between them, or simply your own timetable. See the half-day Elaphiti tour for the short version.

The Franciscan monastery on Lopud

At the end of Lopud’s waterfront stands the Franciscan monastery founded in 1483, with its fortified walls built against pirate raids. After decades of decay it was restored and is now run as a cultural foundation, Lopud 1483, with visits on certain days in summer. If you would like to see it, tell us when you book and we plan the lunch stop around the opening hours.

Šipan and the Ragusan summer villas

Šipan was where Dubrovnik’s noble and merchant families built their summer residences, many of them still standing in the two villages, Šipanska Luka and Suđurađ. In Suđurađ the fortified summer house of the Skočibuha family, from the 16th century, sits right above the harbour, a few minutes’ walk from where we moor. It makes a good short stop for anyone who wants a little history between swims.

If your visit may fall on a village feast day, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board keeps an up-to-date list of events and island festivals.

Keep reading

• Quiet coves near Dubrovnik: the anchorages around the Elaphiti that day boats skip.
• Dubrovnik sunset cruise: the same islands in the evening light.
• Mljet in one day: the next island along, for a longer day.
• Plan the day: full-day Elaphiti tour or the shorter Blue Cave and swim stops trip.

Questions