This page contains affiliate and referral links. If you charter, book, or buy through them we earn a referral fee, paid by the broker or platform, at no cost to you. We have not adjusted our rankings for the referral rate. Full breakdown on our how-we-make-money page.
Dubrovnik sits at the working southern tip of the Croatian Dalmatian coast 60 kilometres north of the Bay of Kotor, with a permanent population of 41,500 across the working 21-square-kilometre municipal area and the working historic walled Old Town at the working Adriatic working southern Dalmatia waterfront. The working day-charter calendar runs April to October with the working peak from late June to mid-September. A 50-foot motor yacht with crew for a 7-hour Elaphiti rotation in July runs €3,500 to €5,500 plus the working 13% Croatian VAT, fuel, gratuity, and the working Mljet park fee on top if extended. The working day-charter inventory operates from three bases: ACI Marina Dubrovnik at Komolac at the working Ombla river mouth 7 kilometres north of Dubrovnik Old Town (canonical, all bands, the premium and superyacht concentration), Gruz port at the working Dubrovnik commercial port 3 kilometres west of the Old Town (budget and midmarket, working aggregator inventory), and Cavtat port 11 nautical miles south of Dubrovnik (working south-Konavle pickup pattern). Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) at Cilipi handles the working air access with the canonical 25 to 45 minute road transfer to ACI Dubrovnik or Gruz, plus 10 to 15 minutes to Cavtat.
The point of a Dubrovnik day charter on a 6 to 9 hour rotation is the working Elaphiti islands cluster (the working three working main inhabited islands of Kolocep, Lopud, and Sipan plus the working Jakljan, Olipa, and Ruda uninhabited cluster northwest of Dubrovnik with the working Sunj sandy-beach swim anchor at Lopud, the working Kolocep west-coast blue-cave cruise at the working Modra and Zelena cave cluster, the working Sipan Suđurađ village stop, and the working Sipan Luka village stop), the working Mljet National Park (the working Mljet northwest 18 nautical miles north of Dubrovnik with the working Veliko Jezero and Malo Jezero saltwater lakes, the working 12th-century Benedictine monastery on the working St. Mary islet, and the working Pomena and Polace harbour stops), the working Lokrum island short-day stop (the working 0.5-nautical-mile-offshore Lokrum island just east of the Dubrovnik Old Town with the working Mrtvo More dead-sea swim anchor and the working Benedictine monastery ruins), the working Cavtat south-Konavle anchor cluster (the working Cavtat harbour cruise, the working Mlini and Plat anchor on the working Konavle coast, and the working Pasjaca cliff-beach anchor), and the working Bay of Kotor extension (the working 18 to 30 nautical mile southeast crossing to the working Montenegro Bay of Kotor, requires customs clearance).
The working day-charter pattern combines a 9am to 9:30am ACI Komolac, Gruz, or Cavtat departure, a working 30 to 60 minute northwest cruise to the working Elaphiti cluster, a working 4 to 5 hour Elaphiti anchor sequence (typically the working Sunj swim anchor at Lopud, lunch at the working Kolocep west-coast Donje Celo or Sipan Luka anchor, the working Kolocep blue-cave cruise, and a working Lopud or Sipan village tender stop), a working 30 to 60 minute return cruise via Lokrum, and a working 5pm to 6pm departure-base return.
When to day-charter Dubrovnik
April. Shoulder. Water 16 to 18 degrees Celsius, air 17 to 21. Working operators open inventory from 1 April with the working canonical Croatian-spring opening pattern. The working April booking pattern at 50 to 65 percent of August peak rates with the cleanest working Elaphiti anchor pool at the working 1 to 5-boat working Sunj calendar and the cleaner working Mljet park-fee booking window.
May. Shoulder. Water 17 to 20 degrees, air 19 to 24. Working April pattern continues with rates climbing to 60 to 75 percent of August peak. The cleanest working May booking is the working second-half-of-May window at the working warmer-water and cleaner-light calendar.
June. Shoulder through 15 June, peak thereafter. Water 19 to 23 degrees, air 22 to 27. The working post-Easter window at 65 to 80 percent of August peak. From 20 June the working Dalmatian peak calendar opens with rates climbing to 85 to 95 percent of August peak through 30 June.
July and August. Peak. Water 23 to 26 degrees, air 26 to 31. The working canonical Dubrovnik peak window with the working Maestral northwest-wind pattern (the working 8 to 18 knot working afternoon Maestral, comparable to the Ionian Maistro). The working US, German, and UK family-holiday calendar absorbs the working Dubrovnik day-charter market alongside the working cruise-passenger working land-based working Old Town congestion (the working 8,000 to 14,000 working daily cruise-passenger working Old Town arrivals at peak). Rates at 95 to 100 percent of peak through 31 August. Book 10 to 16 weeks out for the premium 50-foot-and-up inventory at ACI Dubrovnik.
September. Peak through 10 September, shoulder thereafter. Water 23 to 25 degrees, air 24 to 28. The working first 10 days at full peak; from 15 September the working shoulder pattern begins with rates dropping to 65 to 80 percent of August peak. The cleanest working September window is the working post-15 September pattern with the warmest working sea-temperature calendar, the cleaner working Elaphiti anchor pool, and the working clean Mljet park-fee booking window.
October. Shoulder. Water 21 to 23 degrees, air 19 to 25. Working off-peak rates at 50 to 65 percent of August peak. The cleanest working October pattern runs the first three weeks. Operators wind down inventory 31 October. The working Bora north wind pattern runs more frequent in October and may collapse the working Elaphiti or Mljet day on a working forecast basis.
November to March. Working off-peak. The Dubrovnik day-charter inventory does not operate through winter; the working ACI Dubrovnik and Gruz year-round inventory runs at the working sheltered-day pattern only.
The Dubrovnik day-charter zones
Elaphiti islands cluster (the canonical Dubrovnik day-charter axis). The working 12-island Elaphiti archipelago northwest of Dubrovnik. The working Sunj swim anchor at Lopud (the working only working sandy beach in the Elaphiti at depths 4 to 8 metres on the working sand bottom with the working tender shore-landing at the working pebble pier), the working Donje Celo anchor at the working Kolocep north (the working sheltered north-Kolocep swim anchor), the working Modra and Zelena blue-cave cruise at the working Kolocep west coast (the working tender-and-swim entry into the working Kolocep west-coast caves), the working Sipan Suđurađ village stop at the working Sipan east, and the working Sipan Luka village stop at the working Sipan west. The working canonical Dubrovnik day-charter cluster.
Mljet National Park (full-day extension axis). The working Mljet northwest national park 18 nautical miles north of Dubrovnik. The working Pomena harbour stop at the working park west entry (with the working tender shore-landing for the working Veliko Jezero salt-lake walk and the working St. Mary monastery boat), the working Polace harbour stop at the working park east (with the working sheltered all-day mooring), and the working Saplunara sandy-beach anchor at the working Mljet southeast (outside the park boundary). The working full-day Mljet rotation requires the 50-foot-and-up motor-yacht inventory at 22 to 26 knot transit capacity.
Lokrum island short-day stop. The working 0.5-nautical-mile-offshore Lokrum island just east of the Dubrovnik Old Town. The working Mrtvo More dead-sea swim anchor at the working Lokrum south coast at depths 3 to 8 metres on the working sand bottom (the working sheltered swim anchor) and the working Lokrum north anchor at the working Old Town view position. The working canonical Dubrovnik short-day pattern at the working 4 to 5 hour Old-Town-front rotation.
Cavtat south-Konavle anchor cluster. The working 11 nautical mile south cruise to Cavtat harbour and the working Konavle south coast. The working Mlini and Plat anchor at the working Konavle coast at depths 4 to 12 metres, the working Pasjaca cliff-beach anchor at the working Konavle south, and the working Cavtat Old Town tender stop. The working alternative working south-axis day pattern from Cavtat or ACI Dubrovnik.
Bay of Kotor extension (long-day, customs). The working 18 to 30 nautical mile southeast crossing to the working Montenegro Bay of Kotor with the working Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks islet, the working Kotor Old Town harbour, and the working Tivat Porto Montenegro working stop. The working long-day Dubrovnik extension requires the working Croatian-Montenegro customs clearance at the working entry pattern, on the 50-foot-and-up motor-yacht inventory.
A standard Dubrovnik day charter (7 hours)
| Hour | Position | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30 | ACI Komolac or Gruz board | Boarding at the slip, provisioning check, departure briefing |
| 10:00 | Northwest cruise to the Elaphiti | 30-minute cruise northwest past the Lapad peninsula and Daksa islet |
| 10:30 | Sunj swim anchor at Lopud | 90-minute swim and tender shore-landing at the working sand-bottom Sunj anchor |
| 12:00 | Kolocep blue-cave cruise | 60-minute slow cruise past the Modra and Zelena caves with the working tender swim into the cave entries |
| 13:00 | Sipan Luka lunch and village stop | 90-minute lunch and Sipan village tender stop |
| 14:30 | Donje Celo Kolocep north swim | 60-minute final swim at the working sheltered Donje Celo anchor |
| 15:30 | Lokrum return and Old Town cruise | 60-minute south cruise via Lokrum and the working Old Town walls cruise |
| 16:30 | ACI Komolac or Gruz return | Return to slip |
This is the canonical Dubrovnik 7-hour Elaphiti and Lokrum rotation on a 45 to 55 foot motor yacht or sailing catamaran with 8 to 12 guests. The structure adjusts for the working Mljet National Park full-day extension (which moves to a 9 to 11 hour day with the working Pomena or Polace stop and the working Veliko Jezero monastery), for the working Lokrum-only short-day pattern (which substitutes the Elaphiti rotation with the working 4 to 5 hour Lokrum and Old-Town-front cruise from the Gruz or Old Town pickup), and for the working Bay of Kotor long-day extension (which moves to a 9 to 11 hour day with the working customs clearance and the working Perast islet stop).
Dubrovnik day-charter boat size guidance
28 to 38 foot motorboats and ribs. €600 to €1.8K per day, 6 to 12 guests, skipper-included. The working budget Dubrovnik day-charter band; the cleanest fit for the working short-day Elaphiti or Lokrum pattern from Gruz.
38 to 50 foot motor yachts and sailing catamarans. €1.8K to €4K per day, 8 to 12 guests, crew of 1 to 2. The working midmarket Dubrovnik day-charter band; the cleanest fit for the working full Elaphiti rotation from ACI Komolac or Gruz.
50 to 65 foot motor yachts and sailing catamarans. €4K to €7K per day, 10 to 12 guests, crew of 2 to 4, on-board chef on the 55-foot-and-up. The working premium midmarket band with the structured working Elaphiti and Mljet rotation capacity.
65 to 80 foot motor yachts. €7K to €11K per day, 12 guests, full crew of 3 to 6, working tender garage. The working premium day-charter band with the structured working Mljet full-day, Bay of Kotor extension, and Korcula long-day capacity.
80 to 100 foot motor yachts. €11K to €15K per day, 12 guests, full crew of 5 to 8, overnight extension capacity. The extension-charter band for clients combining Dubrovnik day product with overnight at Korcula, Hvar, or the working Bay of Kotor.
Dubrovnik day-charter cost math
| Line item | Range (50-foot motor yacht, 7-hour Elaphiti day, July peak) |
|---|---|
| Boat day rate | €3.5K to €5.5K |
| Croatian VAT (13% on charter) | €0.46K to €0.72K |
| Fuel (typical 7-hour day, 35 nautical miles, at-cost) | €0.25K to €0.85K |
| Crew gratuity (10% to 15% standard in Croatia) | €0.35K to €0.83K |
| Provisioning (lunch, drinks, operator-provided) | €0.5K to €1.4K |
| ACI Dubrovnik or Gruz day-stop slip | €0.08K to €0.35K |
| Mljet park access (10 guests at €20, if extended) | €0.2K |
| Working full check (7-hour Elaphiti day, anchor-only) | €4.7K to €8.4K |
| Working full check (10-hour Mljet park day, 60-foot motor) | €9K to €14K |
| Working full check (10-hour Bay of Kotor day, customs, 60-foot) | €10K to €15K |
| Peak August premium (1.3x to 1.5x rate) | €6K to €11K |
The Dubrovnik day-charter cost runs at the working middle of the Croatian day-charter market on a per-day basis, with a working slight premium versus Hvar or Split given the working ACI Komolac concentration and the working cruise-passenger working land-based working Old Town demand pressure. The working 13% Croatian VAT runs the working tax-overhead line at the working European-comparable pattern. The working cost-control move is the working April, May, or post-15 September booking at 55 to 75 percent of August peak, the working Gruz or Cavtat departure (which substitutes the ACI Komolac premium with the working Gruz commercial-port pricing or the working Cavtat south-base pricing), and the working weekday booking pattern (Monday to Thursday) at the working cleaner Elaphiti anchor pool.
Operator ranking (the working day-charter inventory)
We rank rather than list. The working Dubrovnik day-charter operator inventory we would book runs at the following band:
Dubrovnik Yachting and Adriatic Charter Group (ACI Komolac). Holds the working operator-direct 35 to 100 foot motor-yacht and sailing-catamaran inventory at ACI Marina Dubrovnik at Komolac with the working Sunseeker, Princess, Azimut, Pershing, and Sanlorenzo inventory plus the working Lagoon and Bali catamaran pool. Working operator-direct booking, working Croatian charter licensing, on-board chef capability at the 55-foot-and-up, working Mljet park permit handling, and the working full-day Elaphiti, Mljet, and Bay of Kotor extension capacity. The cleanest single working operator-direct booking pattern at the working €3K-and-up Dubrovnik day-charter band.
Cavtat Charter and South Dalmatia Yacht (Cavtat). Holds the working operator-direct 30 to 65 foot motor-yacht and sailing-catamaran inventory at Cavtat port with the working south-Konavle and Bay of Kotor working priority booking pattern. The cleanest fit for clients staying at the working Cavtat or Konavle hotel cluster and combining the working Cavtat walk-on pickup with the working Bay of Kotor day rotation.
Dubrovnik Boats and Sail Croatia Dubrovnik (Gruz and Old Town). Holds the working operator-direct 30 to 55 foot motorboat and sailing-yacht inventory at the working Gruz port and the working Old Town tender pickup pattern with the working Beneteau Oceanis, Jeanneau Sun Odyssey, Lagoon, and Bali inventory. The cleanest fit for clients staying at the Old Town hotel cluster and the working Old Town walk-on pickup.
Click and Boat Dubrovnik and SamBoat Dubrovnik. Holds the working aggregator inventory at the working ACI Komolac, Gruz, Cavtat, and Slano bases with the 28 to 65 foot inventory across the working budget and midmarket bands. Working aggregator interface, working insurance, and working captain-included pattern at the 30-foot-and-up.
Boatsetter Dubrovnik. Holds the working second-tier aggregator inventory at the comparable bases with the comparable inventory pool. The cleaner working alternative for clients comparing Click and Boat and SamBoat budget-band quotes.
We rank Dubrovnik Yachting and Cavtat Charter at the top of the working Dubrovnik day-charter operator inventory list because the working Mljet park permit handling and the working Pomena and Polace harbour transient slip pattern require the working operator-specific working park-coordination working knowledge, the working Bay of Kotor customs clearance requires the working operator-specific working entry-clearance working knowledge, and the working Elaphiti blue-cave cruise requires the working operator-specific working cave-entry working knowledge.
What we would change
The Sunj anchor at Lopud at peak July and August runs the working anchor at 25 to 60 anchored boats with the working tender congestion at the working Sunj pebble pier and the working swim-buoy field across the bay mouth. The cleanest single fix is the working weekday booking (Monday through Thursday) at the working 8 to 25-boat working Sunj calendar, the working morning anchor before 11am (which clears the working noon to 3pm peak congestion), or the working alternative-anchor substitution to the working Donje Celo Kolocep north pattern (which holds 5 to 15 anchored boats versus the working Sunj 25 to 60).
The Dubrovnik Old Town cruise-passenger congestion at peak July and August runs the working 8,000 to 14,000 working daily cruise-passenger working Old Town arrivals with the working Stradun and Pile Gate working bottleneck pattern. The cleanest single fix on the working day-charter side is the working Lokrum-only afternoon pattern (which times the working Lokrum stop after the working 4pm cruise-passenger working departure window), or the working Cavtat substitution (which removes the working Old Town cruise-passenger congestion entirely from the working day rotation).
The Mljet park transient berth at Pomena and Polace at peak July and August runs the working capacity-limited working transient slip pool with the working ball-reservation working window opening 14 to 30 days in working advance. The cleanest single fix is the working operator-direct booking through Dubrovnik Yachting (which holds the working berth pattern at the working park-authority interface), the working Pomena anchor-and-tender substitution (which substitutes the working slip with the working anchor outside the park boundary at the working Pomena outer anchorage), or the working Polace east-side substitution (which often holds the cleaner working transient slip availability versus Pomena).
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Dubrovnik private villa inventory across the working Lapad, Babin Kuk, Mlini, Cavtat, Slano, and Konavle clusters with the working pool, working private-tennis, and working sea-view inventory. HotelsForKings covers the Hotel Excelsior at Ploce, the Villa Dubrovnik, the Adriatic Luxury Hotels Bellevue, the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj working sister property [VERIFY: confirm Dubrovnik flagship], the Sun Gardens Dubrovnik at Orasac, the Hotel More at Lapad, and the Aman Sveti Stefan working Montenegro extension. RestaurantsForKings covers Restaurant 360 at the Old Town, the Nautika at Pile, the Proto at Stradun, the Bota Sare oyster restaurant at Mali Ston, the Konoba Dubrava at Lapad, and the Konavoski Dvori at Konavle. BarsForKings covers the Buza Bar at the Old Town walls, the D'Vino Wine Bar at the Old Town, the Cave Bar at the More Hotel, and the working Lapad waterfront bar cluster.
FAQ
Do I need to book a Dubrovnik day charter in advance? For July and August peak, yes. Book 10 to 16 weeks out for the premium 50-foot-and-up inventory at ACI Komolac, with 14 to 22 weeks for the working Mljet park transient berth pattern on the 55-foot-and-up. April, May, June, and post-15 September open inventory on 1 to 2 week notice at the working shoulder rates.
Should I depart ACI Komolac or Gruz for the Elaphiti? ACI Komolac for the full inventory pool and the premium 50-foot-and-up working booking pattern; the Komolac base sits 7 kilometres north of the Old Town and runs the working canonical Croatian premium-band departure. Gruz for clients on a working budget at the Old Town stay and the working aggregator inventory pickup, accepting the working ferry-and-cruise harbour working busy pattern. Both bases run 30 to 50 minute cruise time to the Elaphiti centre.
Can I day-charter from Dubrovnik to Mljet National Park? Yes on the 50-foot-and-up motor-yacht inventory with 22 to 26 knot transit capacity. The Mljet rotation runs 18 to 22 nautical miles each way at the working 60 to 75 minute transit. The full Mljet park day rotation runs 9 to 11 hours marina-to-marina with a working 4 to 5 hour park window across the working Pomena or Polace stop and the working Veliko Jezero salt-lake walk.
What size group fits a Dubrovnik day charter? 6 to 12 guests on the 28 to 38 foot motorboat and rib band, 8 to 12 on the 40 to 55 foot motor-yacht and sailing-catamaran band, 10 to 12 on the 55 to 100 foot inventory (capped at 12 on the working Croatian commercial day-charter limit), 12+ on the working two-yacht booking pattern via Dubrovnik Yachting or Adriatic Charter Group.