Boat Tours from Split: Every Option Compared (2026)

Split is the busiest departure point in Dalmatia, which is both its strength and its problem: there is a boat to almost everywhere, and most of them are full. This guide compares the realistic options — the Blue Lagoon, Hvar and the Pakleni Islands, Brač, and the Blue Cave on Biševo — with honest travel times and prices, and explains when it is worth driving 25 minutes up the coast to Trogir instead.

The four tours worth considering

• Blue Lagoon half-day — the shortest and cheapest, roughly 5 hours, turquoise swimming water
• Hvar & the Pakleni Islands — a full day, the most scenic, and the one people photograph most
• Brač and Zlatni Rat — the famous shifting beach cape, good for a relaxed day
• Blue Cave & 5 Islands — the longest and most spectacular, 9–10 hours, weather-dependent

Why departing from Trogir is often faster

Split's harbour is congested and the exit through the channel costs time at both ends of the day. Trogir sits 27 km west, closer to the Blue Lagoon, Drvenik and Šolta, and it is minutes from Split Airport. If you are flying in or staying anywhere between Kaštela and Seget, leaving from Trogir usually means more time swimming and less time transiting. We are based on the Trogir Riva and arrange pickups along the Trogir–Čiovo–Seget waterfront.

What tours actually cost

• Shared half-day to the Blue Lagoon: from €60 per person
• Private half-day charter, same route: €680 per boat, up to 12 guests
• Private full day to Drvenik & Šolta: €900 per boat
• Private full day to Hvar & the Pakleni Islands: €1,200 per boat
• Private full day to the Blue Cave & 5 Islands: €1,300 per boat

Per-boat pricing sounds expensive next to a €60 seat until you divide it. A €1,200 Hvar day across ten people is €120 each for a private speedboat with a skipper and host — competitive with a crowded big-boat excursion, and you set the schedule.

Shared boat or private charter?

Take a shared tour if you are one or two people, want the lowest price, and do not mind a fixed route and clock. Take a private charter if you are a family or a group of six or more, want to choose your departure time, or want to linger at a swim stop instead of being called back aboard. Our boats carry a maximum of 12 guests either way — we do not run large party boats.

How long each day really takes

Advertised durations often exclude transfers. A half-day tour is genuinely about five hours door to door. Hvar and Brač are eight-hour days. The Blue Cave is nine to ten hours with an early start, because entry to the cave is timed and the crossing to Biševo is long and exposed — it is the one trip that gets cancelled for weather, and the one worth building a spare day around.

Booking from Split

Our half-day Blue Lagoon tour and private half-day charter both depart from the Trogir Riva. For the longer days, see the private Hvar & Pakleni tour and the Blue Cave & 5 Islands expedition. Private charters can collect you from a location that suits you around Trogir, Čiovo, Seget or Split.