Dubrovnik to Mljet

How to get from Dubrovnik to Mljet National Park?

If you spend more than a couple of days around Dubrovnik Old Town try not to miss the opportunity to visit Mljet National Park on Mljet Island. Once you arrive and settle in Dubrovnik, you will find several opportunities to visit Mljet, using either day trips organized by Dubrovnik’s travel agents (which are more expensive) or by using public transport (i.e. local ferries that are much cheaper).

If you are a foot passenger, there is a fast ferry catamaran that departs daily from Dubrovnik (port of Gruz) to Mljet. This is the fastest and most convenient way to travel to the island. The alternative is the bus ride & slow ferry. If you are driving and plan to use a car ferry, there are no direct car ferries between these two places. You would need to drive along the coast and cross by car ferry from Prapratno (Peljesac).

4 Ways to get from Dubrovnik to Mljet

Transport option	Travel Duration	Cost (Ticket Price) €
Foot Passenger Ferry (Catamaran)	1hr to 1.5 hrs	14.50 Euro (per person)
Bus & Ferry	1 hrs, 45 min	16 Euro (2 single tickets)
Driving (Self Drive)	2 hrs
Private Transfer (Taxi) or UBER	1 hrs, 45 min	150 Euro (price for up to 4 persons)

The distance between Dubrovnik and Mljet across the sea is 30 km (or 16 nautical miles). The easiest and most enjoyable way to travel is by fast passenger ferry (catamaran). Here are the details:

Dubrovnik to Mljet by Foot Passenger Ferry (Catamaran)

Schedules, Tickets, Booking

Passenger Ferry (Catamaran)	Departures*	Ticket Prices	Booking & Tickets
from Dubrovnik to Mljet (daily)	14:30	8 Euro	Book here
from Dubrovnik to Mljet (April to October)*	15:15 & 16:30*	14.5 Euro	Book here

Departures*: High season – April to October only

Ferry companies that run passenger ferries (HSC) from Dubrovnik to Mljet are Krilo – Kapetan Luka (see its ferry here) and TP Line (see its ferry here). All depart from the same terminal in Dubrovnik ferry port (detailed map) and arrive at the Pomena, Polace, or Sobra ports@Mljet. For detailed schedules and prices check with the croatiaferries.com website.

In case of Bad Weather (important)

In case of bad (stormy) weather, the catamaran (fast passenger ferries) is not sailing. In such circumstances, you have to travel along the mainland coast, by bus or taxi/Uber to Prapratno and cross by car ferry to the island (see details below)

Driving from Dubrovnik to Mljet (Car Ferry)

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

• Step 1: Drive from Dubrovnik to Ston (Doli) via roads D8
• Step 2: Turn left to D414 road to Prapratno
• Step 3: Cross by car ferry from Prepratno to Sobra (Mljet island) – (ferry run by Jadrolinija)

By this shortest and the fastest driving route, you can reach Mljet from Dubrovnik in just under 2 hours. Traveling on this route your driving time will be:

Driving section	Distance	Driving time
Dubrovnik to Doli (Ston)	48 km	50 minutes
Doli (Ston) to Prapratno	8 km	10 minutes
Prapratno to Sobra (car ferry)	9 km (5 nm)	45 minutes

Driving tip – Peljesac Bridge Roadworks

Due to Peljesac Bridge roadworks, until sometime in summer of 2023, the Ston to the Prapratno crossroads section of the route (about 8 km) may take a bit longer than usual.

By Bus & Ferry

If you prefer to travel by bus, or if the weather is not perfect, you can get a bus from Dubrovnik to Ston several times per day. The bus departs from the bus terminal and drives to Ston, from where you will take a taxi to get to Prapratno ferry port. Buses are fairly frequent in tourist season, while out of season, there are just a couple of buses per day. It takes about 1 hour to reach Ston and another 10 minutes to Prapratno. From there, get on the car ferry to the island. The current ticket cost is about 16 Euros one way – check Arriva for tickets

Dubrovnik to Mljet Taxi, Uber, or Private Car Transfer

A taxi ride between Dubrovnik and Mljet lasts about 2 hours including a ferry crossing from Prapratno to Mljet (Sobra). The current price quoted to me is 120 Euros. The quote from UBER is 75 Euros to Prapratno (see quote/map below). If you take Uber to Prapratno, you can then cross as a foot passenger on the cheap car ferry to the island. This is a good travel option if 3 to 4 people travel together and share the costs of the taxi, plus you will save on ferry crossing price too. Once on the island, you can get another taxi to your destination.

Dubrovnik Airport to Mljet

If you are arriving at Dubrovnik airport and plan to travel straight to the island, here are your options:

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

• Option 1 – get from the airport to the ferry port and from there get on the ferry to Mljet. Bear in mind that the last ferry to the island is at 16:30
• Option 2 – If your arrival at the airport is later than 16:30, get a taxi or Uber to Prapratno and take the car ferry from there. The latest ferry from Prapatno is at 20:30, so if your flight arrives at 18:30 or earlier, you can make it to the island (taking into consideration passport control & luggage collection at the airport). The total cost is about 120 Euro (see below)

There is also a Dubrovnik airport bus shuttle to Prapratno for a ferry connection to Mljet island which you can use for day trips too – see info and arrange private transfer here

Day trip

Day Trip by local transport

Mljet island is situated across the channel, about 15 nautical miles from Dubrovnik. It takes just under two hours to sail there by fast catamaran ferry. Check the catamaran ferry schedules at this link.

In the summertime, you will depart at 8 am from Dubrovnik’s port Gruž (ferry terminal in front of Hotel Petka) by Nona Ana ferry and will arrive at 9.50 in Polače, Mljet – the place in the near vicinity of National Park.

You will then have the rest of the day to explore the National Park (see map), visit both lakes, have lunch in one of the local restaurants and come back to Polače to get a return journey at 5 pm arriving in Dubrovnik, port Gruž at about 7 pm.

In the wintertime, or out of the main tourist season (November to April) the ferry schedule is not as convenient for a day trip, as the ferry leaves for Mljet in the afternoon and sails back to Dubrovnik in the morning, so you will have to spend at least one night on the Mljet. (If you decide to do so, check for Mljet Island accommodation here.)

Before booking, try to work out if is it cheaper and more convenient for your own needs to spend a night or two on Mljet, or book a much more expensive day trip by a local agent, spend all day on Mljet and come back to Dubrovnik in the evening in your Dubrovnik accommodation.

Important warning: If you decide to use Dubrovnik to Sobra fast catamaran, it sails to Sobra village, which is far away from Mljet National Park. Of course, you can always rent a car, take a taxi,  or use your bicycle for cycling to the park but it will take you a long time (the distance between Sobra and Polače is about 25 km). So, you will be better off if you get to Polace or Pomena instead.

Button: Click to book your day trip to Mljet national part from Dubrovnik

Update: There are now three fast ferries that sail from Dubrovnik to Mljet, to 3 different ports: Pomena, Polače, and Sobra. All offer flexible and convenient departure times (departing in the morning, returning in the afternoon) for day trips to the island and National Park – see all info here

Entry ticket to National Park. If you get there by organized day trip your entry fee is already included in the price.

Map

The above map of how to get to Mljet island shows 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 day-tripping by ferry – see map here.

Maps of Mljet Island

• Map of Mljet Island and National Park Mljet
• Ferries to Mljet Map

Forum conversation about visiting Mljet from Dubrovnik

Check also a conversation on a travel forum about visiting Mljet from Dubrovnik where you may find helpful info for your particular circumstances – check also other ferries from Dubrovnik

• Return visit to Sobra (Mljet) from Dubrovnik Airport
• Excursions or recommended day trips from Mljet
• Dubrovnik to Mljet in April, daytrip
• Help with Mljet – Korcula – Dubrovnik itinerary
• Car ferry from Dubrovnik to Mljet