From Dubrovnik the reachable islands are the Elafiti, on state line 807: Koločep, Lopud and Šipan, four sailings a day Monday to Saturday and two on Sundays and holidays. That halving, not the distance, is what decides whether a port day works.
Line 807 is the port day
Dubrovnik has few scheduled options and one good one. Line 807 is a Jadrolinija passenger ship working Suđurađ on Šipan, Lopud, Koločep and Dubrovnik — three islands close enough to be a genuine afternoon, on a service that runs all year. The catamaran line 9807 goes further, to Mljet and beyond, but it is a one-rotation service built for islanders rather than for visitors on a fixed window.
| Day | Sailings each way | Last boat back from Dubrovnik | What that gives you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday | 4 | 20:00 | First boat out of Suđurađ at 06:00, and a real choice of return |
| Sundays and holidays | 2 | 20:00 | One committed decision, taken in the morning |
| Sundays and holidays, high season | 2 | 21:00 | An extra hour at the end of the day, not an extra sailing |
Four sailings gives a real choice of return; two does not. On a Sunday the day becomes a single committed decision made in the morning, and the margin that makes a port call comfortable disappears. Check the day of the week before the island.
49,275
passengers through Dubrovnik airport in November 2025, against 337,851 at Zagreb in the same month — the scale of the town’s off-season
That contrast is the clearest published measure of how seasonal this end of the coast is. It is an airport figure, not a harbour one, but it moves with the same season: the services, the crowds and the boats all thin at the same time of year, and the register thins with them.
What the crossings cost
The Elafiti fares are flat and low — the same price to all three islands — which means the choice between them is about what each island is, not what it costs. The calculator also carries the two longer legs on line 9807, so you can see where the price and the commitment start to rise.
Crossing
Travelling as
Tariff period
At €5.40 in season and €3.40 outside it, the Elafiti are the cheapest good decision available from this port. Mljet at €8.70 is a different sort of day and needs the whole of one.
The 15:20 sailing does not call at Lopud
It is one line in the timetable and it is the one that ruins afternoons. The third departure out of Suđurađ, at 15:20, skips Lopud entirely — so a plan built on “there is a boat at half three” can leave you standing on the wrong island with the next option hours away.
On a Sunday or a public holiday the same day only has two sailings each way to begin with. Read the per-line timetable for the actual date rather than the summary, and if your call falls on a Sunday, treat the island day as a single fixed commitment.
For what the islands themselves are worth once you land, the Elafiti page takes them one at a time, and Šipan is the one with room to walk. If the call is long enough to consider the southern chain instead, the coast page explains why Korčula is usually not on it.
What to decide before you book
- Check the day of the week first. Four sailings Monday to Saturday, two on Sundays and holidays. It halves the day.
- Pick the island by what it is, not the fare. All three Elafiti cost €5.40 in season from Dubrovnik.
- Avoid the 15:20 out of Suđurađ if Lopud is your island. It does not call there.
- Treat Mljet as a full day, not a port day. Line 9807 is a rotation built for residents, not for a fixed shore window.
Tell us the call date and we will read the timetable against it
The difference between a four-sailing day and a two-sailing day is the difference between an easy island afternoon and a committed one. We check the 2026 per-line timetable for your actual date, including which sailings skip which ports.
What do you need to work out next?
The port day is decided. These four follow.
Where to stay
Where do we stay the nights either side?
The islands hold 355 settlements across 7 counties, 18 cities and 41 municipalities.
Getting around
Which of the three islands?
Same fare to all three: €5.40 in season, €3.40 outside it.
When to go
How warm is the sea on the day?
23.3 °C in August, still 21.8 °C in September.
Planning
What does a Split call reach?
Ten state lines, but line 9604 runs one rotation a day.
Ferry data: Agencija za obalni linijski pomorski promet (ZOLPP), 2026 state coastal line register and per-line timetables. Passenger figures: Državni zavod za statistiku (DZS), monthly airport traffic releases. Climate data: DHMZ (meteo.hr), climate normals 1971–2000.