Dubrovnik and Hvar. One arrives by air, the other only by water.
Dalmatia is easy to reach and harder to move around than people expect. Dubrovnik has the airport and the walls. Hvar has no airfield at all, and everything about a good trip there starts with the boat.
The essentials
Dalmatia at a glance
- The southern gatewayDubrovnik (DBV)About 22 kilometres south east of the old town at Cilipi. Allow 25 to 40 minutes by road, and more when several arrivals land together.
- The northern gatewaySplit (SPU)The practical airport for Hvar and the central islands, and the point most charters embark from.
- The island airfieldBrac (BWK)A small field on the plateau above Bol, useful for lighter aircraft and a short hop or ferry onward to Hvar.
- HvarNo airport of its ownReached by fast catamaran or car ferry from Split, or by yacht or helicopter. Hvar town and Stari Grad are different landing points.
- Dubrovnik marinasKomolac and GruzThe marina up the river at Komolac has around 450 berths and good shelter. Gruz, the working port basin, is closer to the city.
- Hvar berthsPalmizana, in the Pakleni islandsThe marina opposite Hvar town has about 190 berths. Anchoring in Hvar town harbour itself is not permitted.
- Peak weeksMid July to end of AugustJune and September are warm, far quieter and much easier for berths, tables and drivers alike.
- FormalitiesCroatia is in the EU and SchengenWhich makes an arrival from another Schengen country simple, and matters when you plan a day across the border to Montenegro.
Arriving
Dubrovnik is easy. Hvar is a boat question
Dubrovnik's airport sits at Cilipi, about 22 kilometres from the old town along a coast road that is genuinely spectacular and, in July, genuinely slow. Twenty five to forty minutes is the honest range, and more when a cluster of flights lands together. The old town itself is entirely pedestrian inside the walls, so cars set down at the Pile gate or at Ploce and guests walk in from there. Hotels on the Lapad and Babin Kuk peninsulas and the villas east along the coast are all a straightforward drive.
Hvar has no airfield. If you are going there, you are going by water from Split, by yacht, or by helicopter, and which one you choose changes where you should land in the first place. Split is the airport for it, the fast catamaran crosses to Hvar town in about an hour, and the car ferry runs to Stari Grad on the other side of the island, from which Hvar town is another twenty minutes or so by road. Brac is worth asking about for a lighter aircraft. See Dubrovnik airport and helicopter charter.
Getting there
Realistic times
| Between | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dubrovnik airport and the old town | 25 to 40 minutes | Longer when several flights land together in July |
| Dubrovnik airport and Cavtat | 10 to 20 minutes | The airport is closer to Cavtat than to the city |
| Split and Hvar town | About 1 hour by fast catamaran | The car ferry to Stari Grad takes longer, plus 20 minutes by road |
| Stari Grad and Hvar town | 20 to 30 minutes | One road across the island, narrow in places |
| Hvar town and Palmizana | 10 to 15 minutes by tender | Across to the Pakleni islands, weather permitting |
| Dubrovnik and Porto Montenegro | 2 hours to 3 hours, plus the border | The frontier queue in August is the unpredictable part |
Realistic ranges, not promises. Ferry and catamaran timings depend on the published schedule and the sea state, and both thin out sharply outside the season.
By sea
Where a yacht can actually lie
Dubrovnik's sheltered marina is at Komolac, some way up the inlet of the Rijeka Dubrovacka, with around 450 berths and full services. It is well protected and a short drive from the city rather than a walk. The working port at Gruz is closer in and takes larger vessels, and it is also where cruise ships call, so the rhythm of the day there is worth knowing before you plan a lunch around it.
Hvar is stricter. Anchoring in Hvar town harbour is not allowed because of the traffic through it, so yachts take a mooring or lie off, and most large vessels use the Pakleni islands opposite: the marina at Palmizana has about 190 berths and there is a string of bays across those islets. Ten to fifteen minutes by tender puts you on the Hvar town quay. It is an excellent arrangement, and it means the tender programme, not the car, is the thing to get right. See yacht charter, crewed charter and sailing yachts.
Planning it well
What regular visitors do
- Decide Hvar or Dubrovnik first, because the airport follows from it. Split for Hvar, Dubrovnik for the south
- Expect to be set down at Pile or Ploce for the old town and walked in. No vehicle goes inside the walls
- Check the cruise calendar against your dates for Dubrovnik and Gruz. It changes how the middle of the day feels
- Treat the Montenegro border as a variable, not a constant, in July and August, and plan the day around it
- For Hvar, get the tender plan right before the car plan. The quay, not the road, is where your day starts
- Look hard at June and September. The water is warm, the berths exist and everything moves
Nearby
The rest of the Adriatic and Aegean
Start planning
Tell us the dates and the party
Dates, how many of you, and whether Dalmatia is a yacht week, a villa week or both. Tell us which islands matter to you and we will come back with the airport, the boat legs and the cars that hold it all together. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Dubrovnik and Hvar
Can we fly into Hvar?
Not directly. Hvar has no airfield. Split is the airport for it, with a catamaran or car ferry onward, or you arrive by yacht or helicopter. Brac is an option for a lighter aircraft.
How long from Dubrovnik airport to the old town?
Twenty five to forty minutes for about 22 kilometres, and longer when several flights land at once. Cars set down at Pile or Ploce, because nothing drives inside the walls.
Can a yacht anchor in Hvar town?
No. Anchoring in the town harbour is not permitted. Yachts take a mooring, lie off, or use the Pakleni islands opposite, where the marina at Palmizana has about 190 berths.
Can we do a day across to Montenegro?
Yes, and it is a lovely drive, but the border is the variable. Allow two to three hours each way in season and more if the queue is long. See Porto Montenegro.
Are these your own cars?
Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester. In Croatia cars are arranged through operators we know, and one person at Odyssey holds the itinerary together.
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