Dubrovnik
via Lopud & Lastovo.
Saturday-to-Saturday yacht route from Dubrovnik via Lopud, Mljet (Saplunara, Pomena, Polače), Lastovo and Korčula — full sailor brief with distances and mooring notes.
Day-by-day route
Click any pin on the map or any day in the Route summary below to see the daily stop, narrative, and photos.
Dubrovnik → Lopud
8 nm northwest from ACI Marina Dubrovnik (Komolac) into Lopud — car-free island in the Elaphiti chain, with the Šunj sandy beach a 30-minute walk across the island from the main harbour.
Distance
7 NM
Sailing
~1.4h at 5 kn
Route at a glance
Route summary
Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative, and mooring tip.
Day-by-day journey
Named anchorages, restaurants, and route notes for every leg of the week — written by sailors who've actually run this passage.
Dubrovnik → Lopud
Out of ACI Marina Dubrovnik in Komolac, the opening leg is a short eight miles down the Rijeka Dubrovačka, past the Old Port (a daytime tender stop, never an overnight) and northwest along the coast into Lopud, the second-largest of the three inhabited Elaphiti Islands. Lopud is car-free — the small village wraps the main bay on the northwest side of the island, with stern-to mooring on the village quay accepting own anchor for a modest harbour fee. The headline draw is the Šunj sandy beach on the southeast side: one of the few natural sand beaches on the entire Croatian coast, reached by a 30-minute walk across the island from the village. Off the boat the ritual is the walk across to Šunj for an afternoon swim, the small Franciscan monastery (15th-century, fortified) on the village seafront, and the konoba dinner — grilled squid (lignje na žaru) and the local Pošip white from the Korčula vineyards across the channel are the standbys.
Things to do
Walk the 30-minute path across to Šunj sandy beach
Visit the 15th-century Franciscan monastery on the seafront
Order grilled squid (lignje na žaru) at a village konoba
Pair with a glass of Pošip white from Korčula
Climb the ruined fortress above the village for the panoramic view
Mooring tip
Stern-to on Lopud village quay with own anchor — modest harbour fee, water and power on the central berths. Bay is well-sheltered from S, SE and SW; exposed to N gradient (rare in summer). If N forecast above 18 kn, push 4 nm into Šipanska Luka on Šipan or back into ACI Marina Dubrovnik.
Lopud → Saplunara Bay (Mljet)
Fourteen miles west takes you to Saplunara, the small village on the southeast tip of Mljet. Saplunara sits outside the National Park boundary — no Park fees apply — and the headline draw is the long, shallow sandy beach at Saplunara Bay (one of only a handful of natural sand beaches on the entire Croatian coast). Drop the hook in 4–6 metres on the sand floor or pick up one of the seasonal restaurant buoys laid by two of the konobas on the beach. The bay is well-sheltered from N, NW and W; only S gradient pushes any swell into the inner section. Once secured, swim from the boat (the water is exceptional — the sand floor combined with shallow depth gives the bay turquoise tones), walk the path inland to Blace Bay (a smaller, quieter sandy beach 20 minutes north on foot) or just stay on board and read until the konoba dinner. Saplunara village itself is tiny — a handful of stone houses, the two konobas on the beach, and the path that climbs the hill to the small white chapel above.
Things to do
Anchor on the sand floor and swim from the boat
Walk to Blace Bay 20 minutes north (smaller, quieter beach)
Order grilled orada at a Saplunara beach konoba
Climb the path to the small white chapel above the village
Stay on deck for the open-Adriatic stars after dark
Mooring tip
Anchor in 4–6 m on excellent sand holding (the standard choice). Free restaurant buoys also available with dinner ashore. Bay is sheltered from N, NW and W; exposed to S gradient. If S forecast above 18 kn, push 6 nm north into Okuklje (also outside the National Park, fully sheltered).
Saplunara → Pomena (Mljet National Park)
Fifteen miles west around Mljet takes you to Pomena, the small village at the western tip of the island and the eastern landing of Mljet National Park. Pick up one of the green Park mooring buoys in Pomena Bay (overnight fee paid at the ranger kiosk, includes Park entry for the crew) or take a stern-to slot at the village pontoon. From Pomena, a 15-minute walk leads to Malo Jezero, the smaller of the two saltwater lakes inside the Park, and a short footpath connects to Veliko Jezero where the Park ferry runs out to the 12th-century Benedictine monastery on St. Mary's islet. Allow the afternoon for the lake circuit — the trail loops both lakes in about 9 km, swimming is permitted, the cicadas are deafening. The Pomena overnight pairs naturally with the lake walk; the small village has two konobas and a tiny shop, with dinner running on grilled fish and the local Pošip white.
Things to do
Pick up a Park buoy in Pomena Bay and pay the ranger
Walk 15 minutes inland to Malo Jezero saltwater lake
Take the Park ferry to St. Mary's monastery on Veliko Jezero
Hike the 9 km lake-loop trail
Order grilled fish and Pošip white at a Pomena konoba
Mooring tip
Pomena Bay uses paid Park mooring buoys (current 2025 rate around €40/night including crew Park entry) — pay the ranger on arrival. Bay is well-sheltered; only NW gradient above 18 kn pushes any noticeable swell into the entrance. Village pontoon also takes a few stern-to boats with own anchor.
Pomena → Lastovo (Zaklopatica Bay)
Twenty miles southwest takes you to Lastovo — a Nature Park, the lowest light pollution in Croatia, the quietest island in the central Adriatic in season. Zaklopatica is the natural overnight: a U-shaped bay carved into the north coast with a low islet across the entrance breaking any swell, and five family-run konobas that each maintain a string of free mooring buoys for guests who eat ashore. The mooring economics are simple — book a buoy and a dinner table at the same konoba. Anchoring on bottom is discouraged because of the seagrass meadow, but the buoy field has plenty of capacity outside July peak. Lastovo's signature dishes are the local lobster (jastog) — boats fish them daily on traps north of the island — and šporki makaruli, a rustic beef-and-pasta stew. Off the water there is little to do, which is the entire point: on a clear August evening the Milky Way is visible directly overhead before midnight, and you can read by starlight from the cockpit.
Things to do
Pick up a konoba's free buoy in exchange for dinner
Order Lastovo lobster (jastog) or šporki makaruli
Walk the path inland to the Lastovo Town fumari (chimney stacks)
Snorkel the islet at the bay entrance
Stay on deck for the Milky Way after midnight
Mooring tip
Free konoba mooring buoys at Zaklopatica — confirm with the konoba on arrival, dinner reservation locks the buoy. Anchoring on bottom is discouraged due to seagrass. Bay is fully sheltered from N to W; if SE forecast above 15 kn, move 4 nm south through the channel to Skrivena Luka.
Zaklopatica → Korčula
Fourteen miles northeast takes you to Korčula Town, the walled medieval port on the eastern tip of Korčula island. The skyline is unmistakable from offshore: a peninsula of red roofs, a single bell tower, the limestone curtain wall sliding down to the sea on three sides. ACI Marina Korčula sits on the eastern side of the peninsula and offers full services with lazy lines; alternatively the town quay on the western side accepts a few stern-to boats with own anchor for a harbour fee — closer to the gates but exposed to W Maestral and rolly when the channel funnel kicks in around 14:00. The Old Town fits in the palm of your hand, but the layout is famously the precursor to the radial grids the Venetians later used elsewhere. Headline stops: the Cathedral of St. Mark (climb the bell tower for the channel view), the (debated) Marco Polo House, the Land Gate. The Moreška sword-dance performance — a 16th-century theatrical sword combat — runs Monday and Thursday evenings at 21:00 in season. Pair the dinner with a glass of Grk, the indigenous white grape grown on the sandy soils of Lumbarda just east of the town.
Things to do
Watch the Moreška sword dance (Mon and Thu evenings in season)
Walk the Old Town at dusk after the ferries leave
Climb the bell tower of St. Mark's Cathedral
Visit the (debated) Marco Polo House
Pair dinner with a glass of indigenous Grk white from Lumbarda
Mooring tip
ACI Marina Korčula on the eastern side is the all-weather option — lazy lines, water, power, full services. Town quay on the western side accepts stern-to with own anchor but is exposed to W Maestral; rolly after 14:00. Lumbarda Bay 3 nm southeast is the sheltered alternative.
Korčula → Polače (Mljet)
Eighteen miles southeast takes you back to Polače, the long fjord-like inlet on Mljet's north coast that serves as the western landing of Mljet National Park. The bay is one of the best-sheltered overnight options on the entire south Croatian coast — fully protected from N, NE, E and SE — and the entrance is unobtrusive until you are inside it. Pick up one of the green Park mooring buoys (overnight fee paid at the ranger kiosk on the waterfront, includes Park entry for the crew) or take a stern-to slot at the small village pontoon. The remains of a 4th-century Roman complex sit metres from the waterfront — the basilica walls and the corner tower are the obvious survivors and can be walked through with no fee. The afternoon move is to hike Montokuc Hill (253 m) — the highest point on Mljet's western half, with a 360° view across the Park — or to take the Park ferry across to St. Mary's monastery on Veliko Jezero. Black risotto cooked with cuttlefish ink is the village dinner standby.
Things to do
Pick up a Park buoy and pay the ranger on arrival
Walk through the 4th-century Roman complex on the waterfront
Hike Montokuc Hill (253 m) for the 360° Park view
Take the Park ferry to St. Mary's monastery on Veliko Jezero
Order black risotto at a village konoba
Mooring tip
Polače uses paid Park mooring buoys (current 2025 rate around €40/night including crew Park entry) — pay the ranger on arrival. Bay is one of the best-sheltered overnight options on the entire south coast: fully protected N, NE, E and SE.
Polače → Dubrovnik
The final leg is twenty-four miles southeast from Polače back into ACI Marina Dubrovnik in Komolac. Saturday handover protocol applies: the boat must be back at base by 09:00 with fuel topped, holding tanks emptied, decks rinsed and inventory checked, with the skipper available for the off-going inspection between 08:00 and 09:00. The course passes the Elaphiti chain on the way south — a final swim stop in Šipanska Luka or Lopud is the standard close to the week before pushing into the Rijeka Dubrovačka river estuary and up to the marina pontoon. ACI Marina Dubrovnik sits eight kilometres inland from the Old City; once fuel is pumped and inspection clear, Bus 1A or a taxi takes you to the Pile Gate of the Old City in 15 minutes. The walls walk and a long lunch in the back lanes off Prijeko close the week.
Things to do
Stop for a final swim in the Elaphiti islands
Top up fuel and pump out before the 09:00 inspection
Walk the Old City wall circuit before the airport transfer
Visit the Rector's Palace or the Franciscan cloister
Stand a long lunch in a Prijeko back-lane konoba
Mooring tip
Return into ACI Marina Dubrovnik in Komolac per your charter contract — base manager directs the slot. Saturday handover window 08:00–09:00; arrive by 17:00 Friday if your contract specifies night-before return. Allow 30 minutes door-to-door from the marina pontoon to the Old City Pile Gate by Bus 1A or taxi.
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