Sailing holiday in Croatia - Sailing areas and islands

Attractive sailing destinations Croatia

Boaters love the independence that the sea offers, the crystal-clear waters of the Adriatic Sea, countless bays and beaches. Hence, a sailing vacation in Croatia is a must for everyone, whether you know how to sail or not. If you know how to sail and have a licence, you can do a bareboat charter, otherwise, we recommend a skippered charter.

When sailing in Croatia, you can enjoy an 1800km long coast with over 1200 islands and islets, of which only 47 are inhabited. Another advantage is the distance between the islands, which is not very far, so you can easily find a berth in numerous bays, marinas and harbors on each island.

A yacht charter is a popular type of vacation in Croatia since can explore the coast and the islands. Guests who would like to explore the entire Croatian Adriatic coast should be aware that it requires more than one sailing trip to see all the beauties of this part of the Adriatic Sea. Some guests prefer to make a one-way trip, starting in one charter base and leaving the boat in another. We offer this kind of sailing vacation, starting in Split or Trogir and finishing in Dubrovnik, or vice versa.

When planning a yacht charter in Croatia, we divide the sailing area into Istria and Kvarner bay (Pula), North Adriatic (Zadar), Central Adriatic (Split) and South Adriatic (Dubrovnik). All these sailing areas offer an excellent nautical infrastructure: ports, marinas, buoy fields and anchorages. These are also unique in tradition, culture, historic old towns, local gastronomy and much more.

Istria and Kvarner area

At the northernmost point of Croatia's coastline lies Istria. This peninsula is home to some of Croatia's most popular and historic towns, like Pula, Poreč and Rovinj. The Kvarner Area, with its beautiful islands and beaches is stretching southeast of the Istrian peninsula.

For sailing in Istria and Kvarner area, most people start from the city of Pula, where you can choose between three marinas, ACI Marina Pula, ACI Marina Pomer and Marina Veruda, which offer the largest charter fleet on the Istrian peninsula. From here, you can head up north to the cities of Rovinj, Porec, Novigrad, Umag or even Venice, in Italy. To the south are the islands of Cres, Krk, Unije, Susak, Mali and Veli Losinj, Rab, Premuda, Silba and some smaller ones.

North Adriatic area

The Northern Adriatic is centered around the beautiful city of Zadar. Some of Croatia’s most celebrated national attractions are in this area. Kornati is the most visited national park in Croatia by nautical guests. And this is not surprising, Zadar is in an ideal position to be reached by car or plane (Zadar airport), beautiful bays and nature are just around the “corner”.

To explore the North Dalmatian islands, it is best to start from Marina Zadar, Sukosan or Biograd na Moru (Marina Kornati). All three cities have a large number of charter boats and are well organized. No matter which marina you start from, there are islands like Pasman, Ugljan, Iz, Vrgada, Zut, Dugi Otok, Kornat and some smaller ones to explore by sailboat or catamaran.

Central Adriatic area

If you want to start your sailing vacation in Middle Adriatic, you have the opportunity to explore some of the most famous islands of the Croatian Adriatic, such as Hvar and Vis. The largest charter boat fleet is located in the cities of Trogir, Kastela and Split. Split is the hub of Central Dalmatia.

The marinas of Trogir and Split offer the opportunity to explore the historic old towns while waiting for your charter boat. In Central Dalmatia, most of the charter guests are thrilled to visit the islands of Solta, Brac, Hvar, Vis and Korcula, while there are also some smaller ones like Scedro or Drvenik.

South Adriatic area

Deep in the south lies the pearl of the Adriatic, the famous city of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most visually breathtaking destinations in the Mediterranean.
If you decide to charter from the Dubrovnik area, you can sail from the ACI Marina Dubrovnik, which is not far from the Old Town, or the fairly new ACI Marina Slano, located just north (35 km) of Dubrovnik. Most charter guests from Europe arrive by plane in Dubrovnik.

The islands you can most easily visit from the two marinas are Lastovo, Mljet, Peljesac peninsula and the Elafiti archipelago. Many of our guests also go on a sailing trip to Montenegro, which is close to Dubrovnik. You can also do a so-called one-way sailing trip. We offer our guests the opportunity to take over the sailing boat or catamaran in our charter base in Split or Trogir and check out in Dubrovnik or vice versa.

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