Central Dalmatia is made for island-hopping: the big-name islands line up neatly between Split and Dubrovnik, and fast catamarans link them daily through the season — no car needed.
The classic route
The tried-and-tested order is Split → Hvar → Korčula → Dubrovnik, following the main catamaran corridor south. Split to Hvar takes about an hour; Hvar to Korčula around an hour and a half; and Korčula to Dubrovnik roughly two hours. Two or three nights per island is a comfortable pace.
Worthwhile detours
- Vis — the furthest and quietest of the big islands, about 2¼ hours from Split.
- Bol (Brač) — home of the Zlatni Rat beach, under an hour from Split by seasonal catamaran.
- Mljet — green and quiet, reachable on the Dubrovnik-bound services that call at Polače or Sobra.
Booking tips
- Book each leg separately, a day or two ahead in July and August — popular sailings sell out.
- These are foot-passenger boats: luggage travels with you, but cars can't.
- Check the first and last departures of the day — some legs run only once or twice daily outside peak weeks.
- Seas are usually calm in summer, but strong winds can cancel sailings — leave slack before a flight home.