This is the verified 10-day Croatia route from Split to Dubrovnik that we would actually run on a 40m to 50m motor yacht. The 7-day Split-to-Split loop is the broker default, and it works, but Croatia's geography is built for a one-way run from north to south. A 10-day route delivers the central and southern Dalmatian islands without the backtracking that a 7-day loop forces, and it ends in Dubrovnik, which is the second-best airport in the region for the disembarkation transfer.
The cost band, as of May 2026, is approximately $650K to $980K all-in for a peak 10-day window on a recent-build 45m motor yacht, including the Croatian VAT and the tourist tax. Shoulder season compresses that to roughly $510K to $770K all-in.
The route below is for a 40m to 50m motor yacht with at-anchor stabilisers, twin tenders, a beach club, and a crew of 9 to 12. It can scale up to 60m with the noted dockage adjustments, and down to 35m with the noted shore-tender adjustments.
The shape of the route
Day 0: Embark Split (ACI Marina or Brodogradilište Split, depending on yacht draft). Day 1: Brač and the Bol anchorage. Day 2: Hvar (Pakleni Otoci anchorage, not Hvar town overnight). Day 3: Vis (Komiža and the south-coast caves). Day 4: Vis to Korčula via Lastovo or via the south-Vis coast. Day 5: Korčula and the Pelješac side. Day 6: Mljet National Park. Day 7: Mljet to Lopud and the Elafiti islands. Day 8: Lopud and Šipan, Dubrovnik approach. Day 9: Dubrovnik (Old Port for an evening, anchor on the Lokrum side). Day 10: Disembark Dubrovnik.
Total nautical miles: approximately 200 to 240 across the 10 days. Average daily run time at 12 knots is under 2 hours. The longest single run is Day 4 at approximately 30 nautical miles. The route does not double back. Each day moves south.
Day 0: embark Split
Split has two practical embarkation options for the 40m to 50m segment. ACI Marina Split (also called ACI Marina Split-Spinut) handles 45m berths but the entrance and the inner basin are tight, and a 50m will want a pilot in any meaningful wind. Brodogradilište Split (the shipyard quay) is the alternative, with more swing room and easier access for a 50m, but the surroundings are industrial and the road transfer to the airport is comparable.
Our default for a 45m: ACI Marina Split. Embark afternoon, depart by 17:30 if daylight allows or hold overnight on the berth and depart Day 1 morning. We default to holding overnight on the embarkation berth in Croatia because the chef's provisioning logistics in Split are denser and easier than the equivalent in Hvar or Korčula, and the first night on a calm berth lets the principal settle.
Day 1: Brač and the Bol anchorage
Depart Split by 09:30. Run 12 nautical miles south to Brač and the Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn) anchorage off Bol. Anchor in 18 to 25m on the eastern side of the Zlatni Rat tongue. The Zlatni Rat is photographed more than it is used by charter clients because the standard route does not make it the first day.
Lunch aboard. Afternoon: tender into Bol for a stroll, swim at Zlatni Rat from the yacht side rather than the beach side, or reposition 4 nautical miles to the Murvica anchorage on the Brač south coast for a quieter swim. Sundowner on the deck.
Overnight at anchor at Bol or repositioned to the Pučišća side of Brač if the wind is forecast to swing. The Pučišća side is calmer in northerlies.
Total nautical miles: approximately 12.
Day 2: Hvar (Pakleni Otoci anchorage)
Depart Brač by 09:30. Run 14 nautical miles south to the Pakleni Otoci, the small archipelago off Hvar town. Anchor in the Vinogradišće bay on Sveti Klement, in 15 to 20m. The Pakleni anchorage is the right Hvar overnight: calm, dark, and 10 minutes by tender from Hvar town.
Lunch aboard or, for charter clients who want a shore lunch, tender into Palmižana on Sveti Klement. Afternoon: tender into Hvar town for a long stroll, sundowner at one of the harbour-side bars, return to the yacht for dinner aboard. If the principal wants to see the Hvar nightlife, the tender ride back at midnight is short and easy.
Overnight in Pakleni. We do not take the Hvar town berth in late July or August. The town berth is in the $5,000 to $9,000 per night band for a 45m, the harbour is loud through the early hours, and the at-anchor sleep at Pakleni is materially better.
Total nautical miles: approximately 14.
Day 3: Vis (Komiža and the south-coast caves)
Depart Pakleni by 09:30. Run 18 nautical miles south-west to Vis. The right Vis stop is Komiža on the western side of the island, not Vis town on the eastern side. Komiža is calmer, less crowded, and the south-Vis coast caves (the Blue Cave at Biševo, the Green Cave at Ravnik) are within tender range.
Anchor off Komiža in 18 to 25m. Lunch aboard. Afternoon: tender to the Biševo Blue Cave (early afternoon is the calm slot), continue to the Stiniva cove for a swim anchorage, return to the yacht for sundowners.
Overnight at anchor off Komiža. The Komiža bay holds well in any northerly summer wind. If the wind is forecast to swing southerly, reposition 6 nautical miles east to Rukavac on the south-east Vis coast.
Total nautical miles: approximately 18.
Day 4: Vis to Korčula
Depart Vis by 09:00. Run 30 nautical miles east-south-east to Korčula. The Day 4 question is whether to route via the south side of Vis (longer, with a stop at Lastovo) or directly across to Korčula (shorter, faster).
The Lastovo detour adds approximately 12 nautical miles and a half-day at anchor. Lastovo is a quieter island than the main Dalmatian chain and the marine park around it has the cleanest water on the southern route. We default to the Lastovo detour for a 10-day charter where the Day 4 cruise time is not a constraint, and the direct crossing for a 10-day charter where the principal wants more shore time on Day 4 in Korčula.
Anchor on the Korčula north-east side in the Račišće bay or take a short-stay buoy off Korčula town. Lunch aboard. Afternoon: tender into Korčula town for a long stroll, the cathedral and the Marco Polo house, sundowner at one of the wall-top bars. Dinner ashore in Korčula town or aboard.
Overnight at anchor off Korčula or repositioned to the Pelješac side at Orebić if the wind is southerly.
Total nautical miles: approximately 30 to 42.
Day 5: Korčula and the Pelješac side
Day 5 is a slow day. The Pelješac peninsula faces Korčula across a narrow channel and the wine country on the Pelješac side is one of the better day-trip plays in the region. Depart Korčula by 10:30, run 4 nautical miles north-east to anchor off Trstenik on the Pelješac coast. Tender into Trstenik or arrange a road pickup for a vineyard lunch in the Plavac Mali wine zone (Grgić or Bartulović are the standard plays, both bookable through the captain).
Afternoon: return to the yacht, swim at anchor on the Pelješac coast, reposition 6 nautical miles back across to Korčula for the overnight. Sundowner on the deck. Dinner aboard or ashore in Korčula.
Overnight at anchor off Korčula or in the Račišće bay.
Total nautical miles: approximately 12.
Day 6: Mljet National Park
Depart Korčula by 09:30. Run 18 nautical miles south-east to Mljet. Mljet National Park is the centrepiece of the southern Dalmatian route. The Polače bay and the Pomena bay both work for a 45m anchorage; Polače is larger and calmer, Pomena is closer to the park entrance.
Anchor at Polače in 15 to 25m. Pay the national park entrance fees through the captain (per guest, payable at the park office). Lunch aboard. Afternoon: tender into the park, walk or e-bike to the Veliko Jezero salt lake, take the small park ferry to the islet of Sveti Marija for the monastery and a long lunch or sundowner.
Overnight at Polače. The bay is dark, calm, and the park gates close at 19:00 so the evening at anchor is quiet.
Total nautical miles: approximately 18.
Day 7: Mljet to Lopud and the Elafiti islands
Depart Mljet by 10:00. Run 20 nautical miles east to the Elafiti islands, specifically Lopud or Šipan. Anchor on the Lopud west side in 18m or off Šipan in the Šipanska Luka bay.
Lunch aboard. Afternoon: tender into Lopud village or into Šipanska Luka. Lopud is car-free and walkable end-to-end, with a couple of small beach clubs and one good fish restaurant on the village front. Šipan is quieter still.
Overnight at anchor off Lopud or Šipan. Both anchorages hold well in any summer wind.
Total nautical miles: approximately 20.
Day 8: Lopud, Šipan, and the Dubrovnik approach
Day 8 is a transition day. Depart Lopud by 10:30, run 6 nautical miles to Šipan if the route did not include a Šipan stop on Day 7, anchor for lunch and a swim. Afternoon: reposition 12 nautical miles south-east toward the Lokrum island anchorage off Dubrovnik. Anchor on the Lokrum side in 25m.
Sundowner on the deck with the Dubrovnik old town as the backdrop. Dinner aboard. The Lokrum anchorage is dark, calm, and a 10-minute tender ride from the Dubrovnik old port.
Overnight at Lokrum.
Total nautical miles: approximately 18.
Day 9: Dubrovnik
Day 9 is the Dubrovnik day. The standard broker move is a full day and night on the Dubrovnik ACI Marina berth (the marina is in Komolac, north of the old town, and the road transfer to the old town is 20 minutes by car). We would not take the ACI berth as a default. The marina is convenient for the airport but inconvenient for the old town, and the old town is the reason the principal is here.
Our Day 9 plan: hold at Lokrum through lunch. Lunch aboard. Afternoon: tender into the Old Port at the foot of the city walls, walk the walls (book the early-evening slot for cooler walking in peak season), sundowner at one of the wall-top bars, dinner ashore in the old town. Late evening: tender back to the yacht at Lokrum.
For charter clients who specifically want the marina overnight (typically because of the disembarkation logistics), reposition to ACI Marina Komolac after dinner on Day 9 and overnight on the marina berth, then disembark from the marina the following morning.
Total nautical miles: 0 to 4.
Day 10: disembark Dubrovnik
Disembark from Lokrum (tender to the Old Port for a road transfer to the airport) or from ACI Marina Komolac. The captain will plan the final reposition to align with the principal's onward travel.
Total nautical miles: 0 to 4.
What we would change about the standard 7-day Croatia route
The standard 7-day Split-to-Split loop runs Split, Brač, Hvar town overnight, Vis, Korčula, Mljet, back to Split. It works, but it forces a doubling back from Mljet to Split that consumes a full day, and it routes the principal through Hvar town for an overnight that is not the right Hvar overnight in peak season.
The 10-day Split-to-Dubrovnik route avoids both. The Mljet-to-Dubrovnik leg replaces the Mljet-to-Split backtrack, and the Pakleni anchorage replaces the Hvar town berth.
The 10-day route also makes Korčula and the Pelješac wine country into a full day rather than a half-day stopover, which is the right weight for the destination.
What we passed on
We would pass on the Hvar town berth in peak season. We would pass on Vis town as a primary stop (Komiža is better). We would pass on the ACI Marina Dubrovnik berth as the default Day 9 plan (Lokrum at anchor is better). We would pass on the standard 7-day Split-to-Split loop for charter clients who can take 10 days (the 10-day delivers the route the geography wants).
We would pass on adding the Kornati National Park to the front end of a 10-day Split-to-Dubrovnik route. The Kornati are north of Split and adding them forces a doubled-back day. The Kornati are a separate route that should be run from Zadar or Šibenik, not appended to a southern Dalmatian week. See our Kornati National Park charter guide for that route.
We would pass on the Montenegro extension on the back end of a 10-day Split-to-Dubrovnik route. The cruising-permit and customs work to clear out of Croatia and into Montenegro consumes most of a day in each direction and the Montenegro week wants its own dedicated route. See our Montenegro charter guide.
The cost reality
A peak-season 10-day Croatia week on a recent-build 45m motor yacht, all-in:
| Line | Range |
|---|---|
| Base charter rate (peak July/August, 10 days) | $440K to $670K |
| Croatian VAT on base (13 percent) | $57K to $87K |
| APA (30 to 35 percent of base) | $130K to $235K |
| Tourist tax (per guest per day, 12 guests) | $1.5K to $2.5K |
| Dockage (mix of anchorage and one or two berths) | $10K to $25K |
| Crew gratuity (10 to 15 percent of base) | $44K to $100K |
| Total all-in | $680K to $1.12M |
Shoulder season compresses the base rate to $370K to $540K and the all-in to roughly $560K to $880K. See our Croatia charter tax explainer for the line-by-line VAT and tourist-tax math.
Where to verify before booking
Before signing the MYBA contract for a 10-day Croatia route, verify with the central agent: the cruising permit (Croatia requires a cruising permit for foreign-flag yachts and the lead time is non-trivial in peak season), the embarkation berth at Split (ACI Marina Split fills early in peak), the disembarkation berth or anchorage at Dubrovnik, the Mljet National Park entry fees and process, the captain's familiarity with the southern Dalmatian island chain, the chef's sourcing for the Pelješac and Korčula wine and produce chain (which is dense and excellent), and the at-anchor stabiliser package on the specific yacht.
For destination context on Dubrovnik shore stays and the wider Croatia pillar, see our Croatia charter pillar and the Dubrovnik hotel guide on hotelsforkings.com.
FAQ
How many nautical miles is the route? 200 to 240 across the 10 days. Day 4 is the longest single run at approximately 30 to 42 nautical miles.
Can the route be reversed Dubrovnik to Split? Yes. The Dubrovnik-to-Split direction works just as well. The arrival into Split as the final destination puts the principal closer to the Croatia mainland and is the better choice for charter clients with onward travel via Zagreb or Munich.
Does the route work for a sailing yacht? Yes. A 40m to 50m sailing yacht runs the same shape with one or two adjustments to the Day 4 crossing if the wind is unfavourable for the Vis-to-Korčula leg. The Pakleni anchorage and the Mljet stop both work cleanly on a sailing platform.
What is the right time of year for a 10-day Croatia run? Late June, the first three weeks of September. July and August work but the Hvar and Dubrovnik crowds are heavier and the rate is at peak. May and early June are excellent for water clarity but the water temperature is in the high teens, which is below the comfort range for some charter clients.
Can the route extend by adding Montenegro on the back end? Possible but not recommended on a 10-day window. The Montenegro extension wants 14 days minimum to be done well. See our Montenegro charter guide.