Yacht & Catamaran Charter in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Sailing from Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a beautiful town which is now a UNESCO World heritage site and the unofficial home of the Game of Thrones (which is filmed here), but it's also a brilliant place to set sail from. The reliable sunshine and prevailing winds make it easy to skip up and down the Dalmatian coast, stopping at cute villages and secluded bays along the way. There's natural beauty, grand palaces, award-winning vineyards, impeccable tavernas and more to explore, and plenty of great places to throw down the anchor and take a dip in the warm sea.

Be aware that Dubrovnik is a very popular place to sail from, and yachts and catamarans are usually fully booked for the peak season, so don't delay! We can help you find and book your ideal yacht or catamaran, with one of our trusted Charter Partners - just get in touch or search in the pink box with live prices and availability!
 

 SAILING RATING:  Beginner - With easy line-of-sight navigation, clear waters and light winds it's a great start point for sailors (and an easy cruising ground for experienced ones).  Peak season is July & August, but you can sail here from March to October.

 MUST-SEE:  Our full suggested itinerary is further down the page, but we'd highly recommend taking in the pristine beachs of Sipan in the Elaphiti Islands, the ancient walled town of Korcula, and the heart of Croatia's wine scene in Trstenik.

 WHAT WE CAN OFFER:  We have a great range of yachts and catamarans available for charter from our trusted Charter Partners, all available bareboat or Skippered. We can also arrange a Hostess, Personal Chef and other crew.

 GETTING THERE:  The Marina is c. 30 minutes from Dubrovnik's Cilipi airport. We can organise transfers for you - a 4 person taxi is c. €40 - 50.

 WHY BOOK WITH US?  We only work with the very best professional charter operators, who we have met, know, and trust to give you the same outstanding customer service as you'll get from PlainSailing.com.
 

 WHAT NEXT?  Use the pink box to search for yachts or catamarans with LIVE pricing & availability - if you have any other questions or requests, get in touch via Live Chat, the Contact Form, or by phone.

6-day Sailing Itinerary from Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a brilliant place to go sailing, so good choice! From this itinerary, you’ll see mountains, lakes, beaches and bays, plus islands, cliffs, caves and super-cute villages a world away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

This has been designed as a 6-day itinerary because you might not get to the boat until late on the Saturday, and after getting food and drinks on board and briefing the crew, there’s often not enough time to get the boat out beyond a quick tour of the sea nearest the marina.

In total, our voyage will be around 116 nautical miles, which means an average of just under 20 nM a day – with the longest day being 28 nM. In a yacht you should be able to make about 5 knots (Nm/hour), so we’re talking about 3-5 hours of sailing time a day, which should leave ample time to explore the places where you start and stop, to nip into cute looking bays for lunch, or to throw down the anchor so you can have a swim. You’ll return to Dubrovnik next Friday evening, so if you haven’t been to explore it yet, there is still time.
 

 Day 1. Dubrovnik to Sipan – 18 nM 
Once you’ve completed all the check in procedures and got your crew warmed up and ready to go, then we can start to make way. By now you will’ve realised that the marina is a fair way from Dubrovnik old town, but we have plans to visit it by yacht on the last day, as it is an iconic sail.

From Dubrovnik, you need to beating into the wind (the prevailing wind for the summer season is a south-westerly from the sea to the shore. Once out of the channel, bear north-westerly and follow the coast, admiring the landscape (and expensive houses) along the way. Our first port of call is Sipan, on the island of the same name.

Sipan is notable for both its exceptional unspoilt beaches and its snorkelling, with a pretty old town and very welcoming locals.
 

 Day 2. Sipan to Polace – 22 nM 
From Sipan, wind your way through the smaller Elaphiti islands, point your bow in a West-north-westerly direction, and your destination, Polace, should be about on the nose of your boat. It’s not very technical sailing, and there’s cliffs on either side of the channel (so nowhere to swim), so if you wanted to make things more exciting, today is a good day to practice some man overboard manoeuvres. In any case, things get more interesting sailing-wise when you approach Polace, as there’s a number of small islands to keep you on your toes.

Polace is a naturalist’s dream – it is part of a national park and conservation area, so the whole area is full of lush vegetation and is a haven for wildlife. It’s a tranquil and serene place to spend the night, and there are some nature trails to be explored and a beautiful lake to be discovered if you have the time. The name ‘Polace’ is derived from the Italian word for palace, so called because there used to be a magnificent building overlooking the bay (from 100 to 600 AD). Unfortunately, the palace has long since disappeared, but you can still explore its ruins.

During the summer season, the local town includes a couple of bars and a restaurant to help to keep your spirits up, but the population dwindles to below fifty people in the winter.
 

 Day 3. Polace to Korcula – 17 nM 
From the apparent jungle of Polace, we’re heading to the idyllic island town of Korcula. If you’ve seen any pictures, you’ll be pleased to know that the town is as mesmerising in real-life as it is in the photos – with the whole town seemingly crammed onto an island which juts out into the sea. The voyage itself is a straight-forwards island hop across the prevailing summer wind, and Korcula is basically the next major island to the North-west of Polace.

Korcula is an ancient Greek town, which has developed over the years, gaining fortifications and a giant wall along the way. There are crazy atmospheric narrow steets and stacks of architecture to be admired, including the Cathedral of Saint Mark, which has an interior lined with works of art from Italian masters, collected from when it was part of the Venetian empire. The town is perhaps most famous for being the birthplace of the great explorer (and sailor) Marco Polo, who was one of the first Europeans to find China (and certainly the first one to document his travels) and the book he wrote helped to inspire a certain Christopher Columbus. You’ll find a plaque that marks his birthplace in the old town.

Aside from Marco Polo, Korcula is the home to some fine wine and olive oil, and the figs here are supposed to be the best figs in the whole of Croatia.
 

 Day 4. Korcula to Trstenik – 13 nM 
Sailing out of Korcula, it’s strange to think that you’re following in the footsteps of Marco Polo, who himself would have left the same marina many years ago. It actually doesn’t take too much imagination to wonder what it would have been like for him, because the surrounding islands and coastlines are still undeveloped, so they must be pretty much the same as they were for Mr Polo.

Leaving Korcula, it’s time for a change of direction and another island, which is only 13 nautical miles away. Bearing pretty much due East takes you to Trstenik. It’s a small town which is technically on a peninsular from the mainland, but it has the look and feel of a small fishing village.

As it’s only a short sail today, you’ll pass a couple of bays on the port side where it is possible to stop for a quick dip, or you can head straight to Trstenik to enjoy what it has to offer. Trstenik is the main town in one of the key wine regions in Croatia and there’s a number of local vineyards – including the famous Grgic winery – where you can indulge in sampling the local produce. The most well-known wine from the region is a Plavac Mali, which is very, very drinkable.
 

 Day 5. Trstenik to Lopud – 28 nM 
The longest sail of the week is from Trstenik to Lopud, at 28 nM, and taking you back past Polace and Sipan. Follow the coast in a South-easterly direction, going across the prevailing summer wind, which should mean you can eke out a good few knots from the ship.

Lopud is covered with pine trees and has a delightful sandy beach. Some people say it’s the most beautiful island in Croatia, but it’s hard to say – there are so many beautiful islands. Despite being so close to Dubrovnik, it has traditionally been an island that was frequented only by the local aristocrats, so it is never crazy busy, even in the peak season, and you shouldn’t feel as though you have to elbow your way through crowds in the town. There’s no cars here, and if you can’t relax here, you can’t relax anywhere.

Restaurants-wise, you should be able to find what you’re looking for in Lopud, and there’s a good mix of bars to help the evening go serenely.
 

 Day 6. Lopud to Dubrovnik – 18 nM 
And so to the final leg of the voyage. Sad face. From Lopud, it’s only a short sail back to the marina in Dubrovnik, running inland pretty much with the prevailing wind, but it would be a shame to come all this way without seeing Dubrovnik itself from the water, even if you only stop in the harbour long enough to turn around. Dubrovnik was built by sailors, and it’s only by entering the harbour properly – by sea – that you can begin to understand and appreciate it’s magnificence – it’s towering walls, the giant superstructures, and it’s olde worlde narrow stone streets and towers – so we’d recommend sailing South-east from Lopud and entering the main harbour.

Don’t worry if it suddenly feels like you’ve stepped back in time - Dubrovnik is one of the key filming locations for Game of Thrones, and they sometimes dress up the whole city for filming!

After drinking in the atmosphere in Dubrovnik – and getting the same feeling as thousands of other sailors have had down the years – it’s time to head back around the headland and inland to the marina. You should aim to be back in the marina before 5pm so that the boats can be inspected ready for the changeover day tomorrow.

Hopefully you will have enjoyed a fun week, taking in some fine views and really enjoying the sun, sea and sailing, but also enjoying the company of your crew – you’ll likely miss them when you are sat at work next week *sigh* Enjoy your last night in Dubrovnik, have a safe trip home, and then we’ll see you soon on PlainSailing.com to start planning your next adventure!

Sailing Conditions

 WHAT ARE THE WINDS LIKE? 
During the summer sailing season, the winds are pretty much driven by the sun, as it is the sun, heating the land, which causes cooler air to be pulled in off the sea. Along the whole of the Adriatic coast, the wind flies towards the land, which, for Dubrovnik, means it arrives from the South-west.

Winds are usually between Force 3 and Force 6 – which are ideal sailing winds - and the hotter the sun is, the stronger the wind. Oddly enough, you’ll find that winds rise between 9am and mid-day, then there’s a few hours lull (the local sailors say that the wind has ‘gone to lunch’), before picking up stronger from around 2pm to 6pm. At night, there’s light breezes back towards the sea as the air cools, or no breeze at all.

Outside of the sailing season, winds can arrive in any which direction, and at unreliable speeds – they can be strong and brutal winds from the mountains, icy winds from across Russia, tropical storms from across the Mediterranean, or gentle breezes from Italy.

 HOW HOT WILL IT BE? 
The summer in Dubrovnik lasts from mid-April to late September - which roughly coincides with the sailing season and means you should get warm sunny days when you are out and about on the boat. At the height of summer, in August, temperatures can reach the low 30’s, but with wind in your hair, you shouldn’t need air conditioning. In winter, whilst temperatures do drop, it’s still very rare to see frost, snow or ice in Dubrovnik, and the you aren’t likely to see many locals wearing thick, heavy coats.

 HOW WARM IS THE SEA? 
The sea around Dubrovnik is actually hotter than the air for much of the year. The start of the sailing season will see sea temperatures of around 15 degrees, which is a bit on the cold side for most people, but temperatures quickly rise to a comfortable 20 degrees in June, and by August, the sea will be about the same temperature as a swimming pool – making jumping straight in off the boat seem like a brilliant idea.

 WHAT NEXT?  Use the pink box to search for yachts or catamarans with LIVE pricing & availability - if you have any other questions or requests, get in touch via Live Chat, the Contact Form, or by phone.