Hvar to Dubrovnik

How to get from Hvar to Dubrovnik?

Hvar is an island just up the coast from Dubrovnik, it seems reasonable to assume it will be easy to reach Dubrovnik from Hvar by ferry. Unfortunately, it is currently not as straightforward as it appears as direct ferries are not running all year round.

If you are a foot passenger, there is a fast ferry (catamaran) that departs from April to October daily from Hvar town to Dubrovnik. This is the only direct travel option, the most convenient and fastest way to reach Dubrovnik from Hvar island. The alternative includes indirect bus and ferry routes, in operation all year round. If you are driving and plan to use a car ferry, there are no direct car ferries between Hvar and Dubrovnik. You will have to drive to Sucuraj port, cross by car ferry to Drvenik (mainland) and drive further along the coast, across the Peljesac Bridge to Dubrovnik.

4 Ways to get from Hvar to Dubrovnik

Transport option	Travel Duration	Cost (Ticket Price)
Foot Passenger Ferry (Catamaran)	3 hrs 15 minutes	38.5 Euro (per person)
Bus & Ferry	3.5 hrs	30 Euro (single tickets)
Driving (Self Drive)	3.5 hrs
Private Transfer (Taxi) or UBER	3.5 hrs	295 Euro (price for up to 4 persons)

The nearest distance between Hvar Island and Dubrovnik across the sea is 120 km (or 75 nautical miles). The easiest and most pleasant way to travel is by fast passenger ferry (catamaran). Here are the details:

Hvar to Dubrovnik by Foot Passenger Ferry (Catamaran)

Schedules, Tickets, Booking

Passenger Ferry (Catamaran)	Departures*	Ticket Prices	Booking & Tickets
from Hvar to Dubrovnik (April to October)*	08:50*; 10:50*; 18:00*	38.5 Euro	Book here

Departures*: High season: April (June) to (September) October

In the period between April and October, there is a daily fast ferry from Hvar to Dubrovnik and back. If you are traveling in this part of the year, taking this ferry is the fastest, cheapest and easiest option to reach Dubrovnik from Hvar. From June to September, there is an additional ferry that also connects these two places. Make sure you check schedules carefully and book your tickets in advance as this is a very popular journey and the ferry gets full pretty quickly. The online booking is straightforward, after the payment you get your e-ticket and you are ready for boarding!

Ferry companies that run passenger ferries from Hvar to Dubrovnik are Krilo (Kapetan Luka), TP Line, and Jadrolinija. All ferries depart from the same pier in Hvar town port (map), arriving at the ferry terminal in Dubrovnik (map). For detailed ferry timetables check croatiaferries.com

Important Note: 

In case of stormy weather, the catamaran (fast passenger ferries) is not sailing. In such circumstances, you have to travel across the mainland, by bus or private transfer to Drvenik and cross by car ferry to the island (see more details below)

Driving from Hvar to Dubrovnik (Car Ferry)

There are no direct car ferries connecting Hvar and Dubrovnik. If you are driving, you have the following options (check the map below):

• Step 1: Drive from Hvar town to Sucuraj
• Step 2: Cross by car ferry from Sucuraj (Hvar island) to Drvenik (mainland)
• Step 3: Drive from Drvenik either via E65, along the coast towards Peljesac Bridge
• Step 4: Cross Peljesac Bridge to Brijesta
• Step 5: Drive from Brijesta via Prapratno and Ston (Doli) to Dubrovnik (roads D414 and D8)

By this shortest and the fastest driving route, you can reach Dubrovnik from Hvar town in 3.5 hours. Traveling on this route your driving time will be:

Driving section	Distance	Driving time
Hvar town to Sucuraj	75 km	80 minutes
Sucuraj to Drvenik (car ferry)	7 km	35 minutes
Drvenik to Peljesac bridge	50 km	50 minutes
Peljesac bridge to Doli (Ston)	29 km	30 minutes
Doli (Ston) to Dubrovnik	48 km	50 minutes

Driving tip

Due to Peljesac Bridge roadworks, for time being, the Ston to the Prapratno crossroads section of the route (about 8 km) may take a bit longer than usual. This is expected to change by summer 2023.

Other travel options (Out of Season)

For all other travel options and out-of-season travel between Hvar and Dubrovnik see below – keep reading. Here are several other options to consider when planning your journey from Hvar to Dubrovnik:

Popular routes: Split to Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik to Split, Hvar to Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik to Hvar

Taking a ferry from Hvar to Split and bus to Dubrovnik:

• This option is good for foot passengers: Hvar Island has good ferry connections with Split, while Split is well connected with Dubrovnik by buses. There is a daily morning ferry from Hvar to Split (check schedules). You will be in Split by 9:30. Once in Split, get to the main bus terminal (5 min walk from your ferry terminal) and take a bus to Dubrovnik. Buses from Split to Dubrovnik run at least once an hour. The whole journey from Hvar will take about 5 1/2 hrs (with the bus journey being approximately 4 hours). You can take this journey all year round and out of season (winter), this is the fastest way to reach Dubrovnik if you are not driving.

Take a ferry from Hvar Island to the mainland and drive or take a bus along the coast to Dubrovnik:

• This option is good for foot passengers as well as for driving: Hvar Island is connected to the Croatian mainland by a daily car ferry that runs between Sucuraj on Hvar Island to Drvenik, on the mainland. If you rent a car with a pick-up option at Hvar and drop-off in Dubrovnik, the whole journey will take about 3.5 – 4 hrs. If you don’t have a car, use one of the public buses which pass through Drvenik on the way from Split. It will take longer by bus but at least you don’t have to go back to Split to get on the bus from there. You can take this journey all year round and in any weather as a ferry from Sucuraj to Drvenik sails even in the worst weather conditions.

Taking a ferry to Korcula (Vela Luka) and another ferry to Dubrovnik:

This option is good for driving as well as for foot passengers:

• If you are traveling out of season or would like to do a detour via Korcula island, this is a good travel option – Get on a fast ferry from Hvar town to Vela Luka and get on a bus from there to Dubrovnik. In the winter, this would involve overnight on Korcula island as buses to Dubrovnik goes just once a day, in the morning. However, from June to September there are several buses a day so you can adjust your journey according to your preferences. (see bus schedules here and for ferry schedules check the croatiaferries.com website)
• If you are making your journey in July and August, you can take a ferry from Hvar to Korcula (Vela Luka) and then get a bus to Korcula Town. Once there, you can take the afternoon ferry to Dubrovnik. This journey is available daily. The whole journey from Hvar Town to Dubrovnik via Korcula will last from early morning to late afternoon – arrival in Dubrovnik is at 6.30 pm.

Hvar to Dubrovnik by Bus

If you prefer to travel by bus, you can get a bus from Hvar town to Sucuraj and from Drvenik several times per day. Bus departs from Hvar bus terminal and drives to Sucuraj ferry port, from where you will take the car ferry to cross to the mainland. Buses are fairly frequent in tourist season, while out of season, there are just a couple of buses per day. It takes about 3.5 hours to reach Dubrovnik (see above table). The current single ticket cost is about 30 Euros one way (see timetable and prices)

By Taxi, Uber, or Private Car Transfer

A taxi ride between Hvar and Dubrovnik lasts at least 3.5 hours including a ferry crossing from Sucuraj to Drvenik and crossing the Peljesac bridge. The current price quoted to me is 305 Euro. The cheapest quote from UBER is 295 Euros (see photo/map below). This is a comfortable travel option if 4 people travel together and share the costs of the taxi.

Map

The above map of how to get to Dubrovnik is showing all transportation options including the car ferry route as well as the driving and bus routes. As you can see on the above map, driving is not as convenient as getting by ferry – check the map here.

Travel forum conversation about travel between Hvar and Dubrovnik – latest:

• Car ferry Hvar to Dubrovnik
• Hvar to Dubrovnik the easiest/fastest way
• Ferry from Split to Dubrovnik via Hvar in one day
• Hvar to Dubrovnik and back Dubrovnik to Split
• Travelling from Hvar to Dubrovnik

Additional info:

• For the return journey, check the Dubrovnik to Hvar travel options
• If you plan to do some detour between these two places there are two articles that can be of interest:  this article and this one
• Map and listing of ferries to/from Hvar
• Local buses on Hvar island
• all Dubrovnik ferries
• Dubrovnik ferry map