Lokrum and the Elaphiti Islands are the two most popular boat trips from Dubrovnik, and they answer two different questions. Lokrum is the quick, close island escape — 10 minutes from the Old Town walls, rich in history and easy to do in an afternoon. The Elaphiti Islands are the full day on the water — sandy beaches, sea caves and long swim stops across three car-free islands. If you have only a few hours, choose Lokrum; if you have a whole day and want to swim, choose the Elaphiti circuit.
That is the short version. The longer version depends on what you actually want from your day — a walk through a thousand years of monastery history, or a sandy beach you reach by boat. This guide compares both side by side: distance, swimming, scenery, and who each one suits best.
The short answer
Choose Lokrum if you are short on time, travelling with people who tire easily, or want a history-and-nature stop you can fold into a half-day. It is the closest island to Dubrovnik and the easiest to reach.
Choose the Elaphiti Islands if you have a full day, want to swim in open turquoise water, and like the idea of hopping between several distinct islands rather than walking one. It is the better beach day and the stronger first-time experience.
Most guests on a first visit with a clear day to spare pick the Elaphiti circuit. Most guests with a single busy day, or a free afternoon off a cruise, pick Lokrum.
Lokrum: the island a stone’s throw from the walls
Lokrum sits just 600 metres off the Dubrovnik shore — close enough that on a still morning you can hear the Old Town bells across the water. The whole island is a 72-hectare nature reserve, protected since 1948 and part of Dubrovnik’s UNESCO World Heritage site, and nine-tenths of it is dense Mediterranean forest.
What you actually do on Lokrum is wander. A thousand-year-old Benedictine monastery anchors the centre of the island, wrapped in Maximilian’s botanical garden of palms and citrus, with free-roaming peacocks patrolling the ruins. There is a real Iron Throne replica — donated to Croatia by HBO after Game of Thrones, which used the island as the city of Qarth — sitting in the old cloister, free to photograph. And there is Mrtvo More, the salt-water “Dead Sea” lake: calm, shallow, and warmer than the open Adriatic, which makes it a favourite swim for anyone who prefers easy water.
Best for: Short visits, cruise passengers with a free afternoon, history and Game of Thrones fans, families who want variety without a long boat ride.
Distance: ~600 m offshore · about 10 minutes by speedboat. Typical time ashore: 1–2 hours.
On a private boat, Lokrum pairs naturally with the turquoise Betina Cave a little further down the coast — which is exactly the route of our Lokrum & Betina Cave half-day, from €550 for the boat. It opens with a panoramic sail beneath the city walls, which is the single best photographic angle of Dubrovnik from the water.
The Elaphiti Islands: a full day of island hopping
The Elaphiti archipelago is a string of 13 islands and islets between Dubrovnik and the Pelješac peninsula, three of them inhabited and car-free: Koločep, Lopud and Šipan. The whole point of an Elaphiti Islands boat tour is movement — you swim in several places, walk a quiet village or two, and cover real distance across the day rather than settling on one island.
A typical circuit starts at Koločep for the Blue Cave and a snorkel, continues to Lopud for Šunj — one of the only genuinely sandy beaches on the Croatian coast, where the water stays knee-deep for over a hundred metres — and adds a swim stop at the protected turquoise water of Sjekirica or a lunch stop on Šipan. The half-day runs the highlights before midday; the full day adds an unhurried island lunch and a second swim on the way back.
Best for: First-time visitors, beach and swimming days, families who want a sandy beach, anyone with a full day to spend on the water.
Distance: Koločep ~20 min · Lopud ~35 min by speedboat. Typical duration: Half day 4h (from €550) or full day 8h (from €800).
Lokrum vs Elaphiti: the key differences
Distance and time
This is the deciding factor for most people. Lokrum is 10 minutes out and rewards a short stop — you can be back ashore in two or three hours. The Elaphiti Islands are 20 to 35 minutes out, and the travel time only makes sense if you give the day room to breathe. A rushed half-day to the Elaphiti is possible; a rushed full day is not the point.
Swimming
Both are good, but different. Lokrum’s swimming is the calm, contained Dead Sea lake and a few rocky edges — easy and warm. The Elaphiti deliver open-water swimming and a true sandy beach at Šunj, plus snorkelling in the Koločep caves. If swimming is the main event, the Elaphiti win.
Scenery and sightseeing
Lokrum is the sightseeing island: monastery, botanical garden, Fort Royal, peacocks, the Iron Throne. The Elaphiti are about landscape and water more than monuments — quiet harbours, pine forest, and the long turquoise coastline rather than a single historic core.
The view of Dubrovnik
Both trips sail past the Old Town, but Lokrum’s proximity gives you the cleaner, closer angle of the city walls from the sea. If a postcard shot of the walls is high on your list, Lokrum’s route delivers it more reliably.
How to choose
The honest rule of thumb we give guests:
- Half a day or an afternoon, want history and an easy swim → Lokrum.
- A full day, want beaches, caves and open-water swimming → Elaphiti Islands.
- Travelling with young children and want a sandy beach → Elaphiti (Šunj on Lopud).
- Off a cruise ship with a few free hours → Lokrum, every time.
- First visit, one clear day, want the strongest overview → Elaphiti full-day.
When in doubt, the islands deserve the time. We almost never have a guest tell us they wished the Elaphiti day had been shorter.
Can you do both?
Not comfortably in one tour — Lokrum and the Elaphiti lie in opposite directions from the Old Port, and squeezing both into a single day means rushing the part that matters. There are two better ways to combine them.
If you have a single day, our City & Elaphites half-day (from €1000) is the natural compromise: it runs the Koločep caves and Lopud’s Šunj beach in the afternoon, then sails back beneath the Old Town walls as the light turns gold, ending with a guided walk through the historic core — close to Lokrum without splitting the day in two.
If you have two days, do the Elaphiti full-day on one and a shorter Lokrum stop on the other. The two together are one of the strongest island combinations available from Dubrovnik.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lokrum or the Elaphiti Islands better for a day trip from Dubrovnik?
It depends on how much time you have. Lokrum is the better choice for a short half-day or an afternoon — it sits 600 metres offshore, about 10 minutes by boat, and rewards you with a monastery, botanical gardens, the Iron Throne replica and the calm Dead Sea salt lake. The Elaphiti Islands are the better choice for a full day of swimming and island hopping — Koločep, Lopud and Šipan are 20 to 35 minutes out and built around sandy beaches, sea caves and long swim stops. For a first visit with a full day to spare, most guests prefer the Elaphiti circuit.
How far are the Elaphiti Islands from Dubrovnik?
The nearest Elaphiti island, Koločep, is about 20 minutes north of the Old Port by speedboat. Lopud, with its sandy Šunj beach, is roughly 35 minutes, and Šipan a little beyond that. Lokrum, by contrast, is only 600 metres off the Old Town walls — about 10 minutes by boat.
Can you swim at Lokrum?
Yes. Lokrum's best-known swim spot is Mrtvo More, the small salt-water lake known as the Dead Sea — calm, shallow and noticeably warmer than the open Adriatic, which makes it easy for less confident swimmers and children. There are also rocky beach access points around the island's edge with some of the clearest water this close to Dubrovnik.
Can I visit both Lokrum and the Elaphiti Islands in one day?
Not comfortably in a single tour — they lie in opposite directions from the Old Port and each deserves its own pace. A better way to combine them on a private boat is our City & Elaphites half-day, which pairs the Koločep caves and Lopud's Šunj beach with a panoramic sail beneath the Old Town walls, close to Lokrum. If you have two days, do the Elaphiti full-day on one and a shorter Lokrum stop on the other.
Which is better for families, Lokrum or the Elaphiti Islands?
Both work well, for different reasons. Lokrum is easy and close, with the shallow, calm Dead Sea lake, free-roaming peacocks and the Iron Throne — a lot of variety for young children in a short window. The Elaphiti full-day is the stronger pick if you want a proper beach day: Šunj on Lopud is one of the only true sandy beaches near Dubrovnik and stays knee-deep for over a hundred metres, ideal for kids.
Do you need a boat tour to visit Lokrum?
There is a public ferry to Lokrum from the Old Port, but a private boat gives you the panoramic sail beneath the city walls on the way out, a swim stop at the turquoise Betina Cave nearby, and the freedom to set your own timing. Lokrum is a paid nature reserve, so a reserve ticket is bought at the harbour kiosk on arrival either way.
Still deciding between Lokrum and the Elaphiti Islands? Tell us how much time you have and who is coming, and we will point you to the right route — or browse the full tour catalogue to compare itineraries side by side. Message us at info@bluemile-dubrovnik.com and we will help you plan the day.