Elafiti Islands Day Trip from Dubrovnik – How to Choose the Right Tour

An Elafiti Islands Day Trip is one of the best ways to spend a day exploring around Dubrovnik. The islands are just off the north coast from Dubrovnik, and can be reached quickly by a speedboat or in 30-40 minutes on a larger boat. There are three main Elafiti islands – Koločep, Lopud, and Šipan – and some other tinier cute ones around them too.

Visiting the Elafiti Islands is a perfect way to get to know the geography of the Southern Dalmatian coastline AND get away from the crazy crowds that can descend upon Dubrovnik in the summer. You can swim in crystal clear – nearly glowing – water, snorkel through caves, and wander around little car-free island villages where the pace of life is as slow and enjoyable as can be.

But which Elafiti islands day trip is the best?! There are indeed a few different trips you can take – each with a different experience. Here are the main three, with descriptions of the experiences below.

Elafiti Islands Day Trip Options

Here are the 3 main tours you can take to the Elafiti Islands from Dubrovnik. Personally, I love the Speedboat + Caves tour, but pick what’s right for you!

Elafiti Islands Slow Boat Trip with lunch

This trip starts at €50 per person and runs daily through peak season, taking groups on an organized itinerary through the main points of interest of the Elafiti Islands. You will explore the towns of Koločep and Šipan (and maybe hike up to the fortress?) and have time to swim to the sandy beach on Lopud Island. Lunch is cooked hot onboard.

This one is the best for families or people with a slower pace and who love to sightsee! I’ve booked this tour with families and everyone loved it.

Elafiti Islands + Caves Speedboat Trip

If you are more of an adventurer, this tour is for you! You’ll skip out on wandering around some island villages in favor of swimming and snorkeling through lots of caves. Starting at €80 per person, you’ll have to decide your price for adventure. I think it’s worth it – it’s the best day trip from Dubrovnik in my opinion!

You will see the ‘blue cave’ and a few other amazing coves on the back side of Koločep island, including the ‘three caves,’ which are very cool, too. Enjoy some time exploring hidden places with refreshments onboard, and swim to the sandy beach on Lopud, Šunj beach (one of the only sandy beaches in the country).

Private Elafiti Islands Day Cruise

If you have up to 8 people and would prefer to organize your own itinerary, a private day trip might be the way to go! This tour will stop at all the main points of interest – caves, island towns, and the beach – but won’t venture to Odysseus Cave like the tour above, sadly.

This one begins at €500, so if you can get all 8 people (making it €62.50 per person) or have a fun-loving group of friends who would prefer to make their own rules, it might be the very best deal! I organized similar trips for groups of 20+, and it was ALWAYS a highlight and so much fun for everyone.

What to See in the Elafiti Islands

Here’s a little rundown of the three islands and what you can see on them!

Koločep Island

The island of Koločep has a beautiful little town, but a highlight for me is a small ‘blue’ cave on the other side of the island. It’s a bit of a natural wonder where there’s a completely covered water cave and the light shining through the clear blue water creates the illusion that the whole cave is glowing blue.

It’s not THE famous Croatia blue cave (that one is located on BiŠevo island off the coast of Vis and is a great day trip from Split) but it’s still really incredible and is especially great to visit if you won’t be making your way out to Vis during your trip to Croatia.

Also, this one is one of only a few blue caves in Croatia and the only one that you can actually swim in. You enter it by swimming through a little opening about as high as your head, and then it opens up to the cave. It’s not as spectacular as some blue caves in the world but it’s amazing to swim through the luminous blue water – this is NOT allowed in the BiŠevo blue cave!

Koločep also has what they call the ‘three caves’ which are one big cave, one small one that you can swim back a few meters and stand when the water is right, and another cave that you can swim through little chambers and get out the other side (only attempt at low tide)!

There are also a few crazy cliff jumps here too – attempt all at your own risk though of course! The rocks here are all quite smooth and sandy, which is pretty rare in Croatia and fun to explore.

Lopud Island

The island of Lopud actually has the only sandy beach for miles around. Croatia is all rock and pebbles, so getting to bask in the sand was a fantastic little surprise for me when I discovered Lopud. Most boats anchor at the end of a roped-off swimming area and allow you to jump in (lifejackets optional) and make your way to the beach.

Lopud also has a little town you can visit as well! There are a few small restaurants on the sandy beach where you can grab refreshments for basking in the sun.

Šipan Island

Šipan is the largest of the Elaphite islands, and is absolutely stunning. We used to stop here for the night on one of my sailing tours, and the views are spectacular. You can walk over to an amazing little beach bar or explore 2 different towns on either side of the island.

On most of these Elafiti Islands Day Trips, you will stop in the main town. My recommendations are first to take a hike up to the fortress on the left side of the port; the island views from up there are spectacular! If that’s not your thing, follow the sidewalk ALL the way to the right of the port and you’ll come to a little beach bar and swimming area with a view.

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Now, you just have to decide if you would prefer caves or towns! It depends on how adventurous you are, but in reality, you do see similar things on all tours. Leave me any questions in the comments below, or shoot me a message on Instagram!

If you are visiting Dubrovnik, don’t forget to check out my recommendations in my Dubrovnik article. Or if you have a while there and want to see more epic day trips, read about the Best Day Trips from Dubrovnik.