Field note · Croatia · Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Southern Dalmatia

Mljet

Mljet has three ferry ports strung out along a 37 km island and they are not interchangeable. Pomena at the far west is the catamaran stop for the national park – the lakes are a fifteen-minute walk away. Polače, 7 km east, is the other park entrance and gets a catamaran only in summer. Sobra, 37 km from Pomena, is the port that never closes: it takes the year-round Dubrovnik catamaran and the Prapratno car ferry from the Pelješac peninsula, and it is the only way to get a car onto the island. Nothing arriving by car ferry lands anywhere near the national park. The park charges €30 in summer and €20 the rest of the year, and that ticket carries a return trip on the solar boat to the Benedictine monastery on St Mary's islet in the Great Lake plus rides on the electric train that works the lake shore. Most people see the lakes on a hired bicycle: the circuit of the Great Lake is about 9 km and flat. Two buses a day cross the island, timed to meet the ferry at Sobra rather than to suit visitors, so without a bicycle, a hire car or a taxi you are walking. From late September everything thins: the catamaran drops to one sailing a day to Sobra only, Pomena and Polače lose their boats entirely, and the park takes visitors by appointment.

Researched: 22 September 2026
Reviewed: not yet
Ways of moving: 9, 28 sources
Not confirmed: 11
Fares seen: 2022–2026

How transport works here

9 ways of moving, each with its rule

We confirmed seven ways of moving to, from or around Mljet: four by water, one by road, one under your own steam and one hired or on demand, from 28 sources. Two entries are not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. Two of them run only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be. Four need a phone call or a message before you turn up.

The fares were seen in 2022 to 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. Two fares carry no year, because they could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate 5 of the 9 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 22 September 2026, and ends with eleven things we could not confirm.

4 ways

By water

ferry

Dubrovnik catamaran to Sobra and Polače, line 9807

Dubrovnik to Šipanska Luka (Šipan), Sobra and, in season, Polače, Korčula and Ubli on Lastovo

This is the state-subsidised fast passenger line and the one that runs all year. It is no longer the Nona Ana and no longer Jadrolinija: since the current contract it is operated by TP Line with the MB Anastazija, and tickets are sold on webshop.tp-line.hr. In Dubrovnik it leaves from the Gruž ferry port, not the old town. It is a commuter boat before it is a tourist boat – the useful direction is early morning off the island and mid-afternoon back – so a day trip from Dubrovnik on this line only works in summer, when a second rotation is added. Sobra is a small quay with a bar, a car park and a bus stop, and it is 37 km from Pomena at the other end of the island. Polače is served only from late May to late September and puts you within walking distance of the national park's Pristanište entrance, about 40 minutes on foot. Arrive at the quay 15 minutes before departure. Line 9808, also TP Line, adds a second Dubrovnik–Sobra leg on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in high summer, southbound only, continuing to Korčula and Lastovo.

When: 1 January to 28 May and 28 September to 31 December: one round trip a day, Sobra only. Sobra 06:00 Monday, 06:15 Tuesday to Saturday, 14:00 Sundays and holidays; back from Dubrovnik 14:30 Monday to Saturday, 15:30 Sundays. 29 May to 2 July and 31 August to 27 September: two rotations a day and Polače added. 3 July to 30 August: Korčula and Ubli added on some days
Takes: Sobra to Dubrovnik about 1 hour 20 minutes; Polače to Dubrovnik about 1 hour 45 minutes; Sobra to Šipanska Luka 30 minutes
Fare 2026: 2026, one way, same price both directions: Dubrovnik–Sobra €5.40 off-season and €8.70 in season (29 May–27 September); Dubrovnik–Polače €10.75; Sobra–Polače €5.95; Dubrovnik–Šipanska Luka €4.00 / €5.95; Sobra–Korčula €9.40; Korčula–Polače €8.00; Sobra or Polače to Ubli €10.75. Island residents about half; children 3–12 reduced; under 1 free. Port fees and VAT included

SeasonYear-round to Sobra. Polače from 29 May to 27 September only. Bookingwebshop.tp-line.hr, or at the quay. Live vessel positions and line status at tp-line.hr. Run byTP Line d.o.o., vessel MB Anastazija.

ferry

Krilo catamarans to Pomena

Dubrovnik–Pomena–Korčula (line 844), and Split–Milna (Brač)–Hvar–Korčula–Pomena–Dubrovnik

Two Kapetan Luka (Krilo) fast ships call at Pomena, the only port on the island within walking distance of the lakes – about fifteen minutes on the promenade to the Small Lake. Both are summer-only and both are passenger ships: no cars. Line 844, the Naranča, is the day-trip boat, out of Dubrovnik at 10:30 and back from Pomena at 16:30, which gives about four and a half hours on the island. The long line runs the whole Dalmatian coast in a day and is the one to take if you are coming from Split, Brač or Hvar, or if you want to leave Mljet for Korčula or Dubrovnik the same day. In Dubrovnik both use Gruž port; on Mljet the agent is Hotel Odisej at Pomena 16 (+385 20 362 111). Buy online at krilo.hr or ksc.hr; in July and August the morning departures sell out. Bicycles are carried for a fee.

When: Line 844 daily 1 May to 15 October: Dubrovnik 10:30, Pomena 11:45 arrive and 11:50 on to Korčula 12:30; back Korčula 15:40, Pomena 16:25 and 16:30, Dubrovnik 17:45. The Split–Dubrovnik line daily 1 April to 31 October: Split 08:00, Pomena 11:05 and 11:10, Dubrovnik 12:40; back Dubrovnik 15:30, Pomena 16:50 and 16:55, Split 20:00
Takes: Dubrovnik to Pomena about 75 minutes; Pomena to Korčula about 40 minutes; Split to Pomena about 3 hours 5 minutes
Fare 2026: Line 844, 2026: Dubrovnik–Pomena €25, Pomena–Korčula €25, Dubrovnik–Korčula €30; children 3–12 half, under 3 free. Split–Dubrovnik line, 2026: Pomena–Dubrovnik €20, Pomena–Korčula €20, Pomena–Hvar €25, Pomena–Milna €25, Pomena–Split €30

SeasonLine 844 from 1 May to 15 October; the Split–Dubrovnik line from 1 April to 31 October. Bookingkrilo.hr or ksc.hr online, or through Hotel Odisej in Pomena. Book ahead for July and August. Run byKapetan Luka / Krilo Shipping Company; line 844 vessel Naranča, 250 passengers.

ferry

Prapratno to Sobra car ferry, line 832

Prapratno on the Pelješac peninsula to Sobra on Mljet

The only way to get a vehicle onto Mljet, and the reason Sobra rather than Pomena is the island's real front door. Prapratno is a small bay signposted about fifteen minutes east of the Pelješac bridge, on the road towards Ston; there is a car park and a ramp and very little else. The crossing takes 40 minutes on the Jadrolinija ferry Valun, which carries cars, motorcycles, bicycles and pets. Note what this does and does not get you: Sobra is at the eastern end of the island, so from the ramp it is a further 37 km of single main road – paved, in fair condition, with a 40 km/h limit and long climbs – to Pomena and the national park, roughly 45 minutes of driving. In bad weather departures from Sobra run about an hour late, which the operator states on the timetable rather than announcing case by case. Tickets at the ramp; Jadrolinija's own site was unreachable from this network all session, so check locally or at the port office before relying on a specific sailing.

When: 1 January to 28 May and 28 September to 31 December: four a day, Sobra 06:00, 10:00, 15:00, 19:00 and Prapratno 07:00, 12:00, 17:00, 20:30. 29 May to 2 July and 31 August to 27 September: five a day, Sobra 06:00, 09:00, 12:00, 16:00, 19:30. 3 July to 30 August: six a day, adding Sobra 14:00 and Prapratno 14:50. No 06:00 from Sobra on 1, 25 and 26 December
Takes: 40 minutes
Fare 2026: Foot passenger €3.58 low season, €5.58 high season. Car up to 5 m €17.78 / €23.20; car over 5 m €30.66 / €35.04. Motorcycle or moped €8.49 / €11.35. Camper up to 5 m €30.66 / €37.54. These figures come from a ferry-booking aggregator, not from Jadrolinija directly, but the sailing times on the same page match Jadrolinija's own 2026 timetable exactly

SeasonYear-round, with four seasonal timetables. BookingBuy at the ramp. In July and August arrive well before departure – the queue at Prapratno can be longer than the crossing. Run byJadrolinija, ferry Valun.

boat

Solar boat to St Mary's islet and the electric train round the Great Lake

Pristanište to St Mary's islet to Mali Most, inside the Great Lake; electric train Vrbovica–Pristanište–Vratosolina and Pristanište–Babine Kuće–Mali Most–Njivice

The lakes are salt water connected to the sea, and the twelfth-century Benedictine monastery sits on an islet in the middle of the larger one. A small solar-powered boat works a triangle between the Pristanište jetty, the islet and Mali Most, roughly hourly, and one return trip is already covered by your park ticket – you do not buy a separate ticket unless you want a second crossing, which is €5. On the 14 September 2026 schedule it leaves Pristanište every hour from 08:00 to 19:00, St Mary's from 08:30 to 19:30 and Mali Most from 08:45 to 18:45; the timetable is reissued several times a season, so read the board at the jetty. If you are cycling the lake circuit you can flag the boat from the shore opposite the islet. The electric train, running since 4 May 2026, is the other included ride: four rounds a day out of Pristanište, one arm east through Vrbovačka, Veliki Most and Soline to Vratosolina, the other west through Babine Kuće and Mali Most to Njivice, with a Vrbovica car-park connection. Out of season email the park to see whether the train is running at all.

When: Boat roughly hourly, 08:00 to 19:00 from Pristanište. Electric train four rounds a day, roughly 10:15, 11:45, 15:00 and 16:30 from Vrbovica on the October 2025 pattern
Takes: Pristanište to St Mary's 30 minutes; St Mary's to Mali Most 15 minutes. Electric train Vrbovica to Vratosolina about 20 minutes
Fare 2026: Included in the national park entrance ticket. An additional return boat ticket to St Mary's is €5 (2026)

SeasonBoat year-round with a seasonal timetable; electric train from early May, off-season by arrangement. BookingNone – show your park ticket. Groups of nine or more must be announced in advance so the boat can be arranged. Run byJavna ustanova Nacionalni park Mljet.

2 ways

Rules, permits and closures

permit

Mljet National Park entrance ticket

Three entrances: Pomena, Polače and Vrbovica (the car park by the Great Lake)

You cannot walk to the lakes without one, and the ticket is more than a gate fee – it is the local transport pass. It includes one return trip on the solar boat to St Mary's islet, unlimited rides on the electric train that works the Great Lake shore, all the marked walking trails, parking at Vrbovica and visitor insurance. Buy at the booth at whichever of the three entrances you arrive at, or on the park webshop; guests staying in private or hotel accommodation inside the park buy a named ticket valid up to seven days, and have to show ID and give the address. Groups of nine or more must be announced by email beforehand or the boat to St Mary's cannot be guaranteed. In the season the park is open 08:00 to 20:00 daily; from the beginning of November to the end of April it takes visitors only by prior appointment, so out of season ring +385 20 744 041 before you travel. Excursions sold on Korčula or Dubrovnik often exclude the park fee – check before booking. A visit after 16:00 gets 25 per cent off the adult, child and student rates.

When: Open every day from 1 April 2026; 08:00 to 20:00 in the season
Takes: A one-day ticket; accommodation tickets valid up to 7 days
Fare 2026: 2026: adult €30 from 1 June to 30 September, €20 from 1 January to 31 May and 1 October to 31 December. Children 8–18 €8 / €5, students €20 / €8, under 7 free. Hiking association members €20 / €15. Weekly DU PASS holders 30 per cent off. Extra return boat trip to St Mary's €5. Disabled visitors 50 per cent off

SeasonYear-round; winter visits by appointment only. BookingAt any of the three entrances, or the park webshop. Groups and guided tours by email in advance; cancellation at least 24 hours ahead. +385 20 744 041. Run byJavna ustanova Nacionalni park Mljet.

service status

The winter shutdown, from late September

All three ports and the national park

Mljet's timetable collapses on two fixed dates and it is worth knowing them before booking anything. On 27 September the seasonal catamaran timetable ends: line 9807 drops from two rotations a day to one, and stops calling at Polače altogether, so from 28 September until the end of May the only fast boat to Mljet is a single daily sailing to Sobra – off the island first thing in the morning, back from Dubrovnik in the early afternoon. Krilo's Pomena services stop even earlier: line 844 finishes on 15 October and the Split–Dubrovnik line on 31 October, after which Pomena has no scheduled boat at all. That leaves the Prapratno car ferry, which keeps running four times a day all winter and becomes the reliable way in. The national park stays technically open but from the beginning of November to the end of April it accepts visitors only by prior appointment, so turning up unannounced in February may find the ticket booths shut. Bicycle and kayak hire, the electric train and most restaurants are seasonal too. In bad weather the Sobra car ferry departs about an hour late as a matter of routine, which the operator prints on the timetable rather than announcing sailing by sailing.

When: Seasonal. Off-season runs 28 September to 28 May; the deepest part is November to April
Takes: Roughly eight months of reduced service
Fare 2026: Off-season fares are lower – Dubrovnik–Sobra falls from €8.70 to €5.40, and the national park adult ticket from €30 to €20 (2026)

Season28 September to 28 May. BookingCheck the current line 9807 sheet at tp-line.hr and ring the national park on +385 20 744 041 before travelling out of season. Run byTP Line, Jadrolinija, Kapetan Luka, Javna ustanova Nacionalni park Mljet.

One way

By road

bus

The island bus that meets the ferry at Sobra

Pomena–Govedari–Pristanište–Polače–Ropa–Blato–Babino Polje–Sobra (39 km), and Saplunara–Korita–Maranovići–Prožura–Sobra (26 km)

Mljet's public transport is a municipal minibus service, and it exists to connect the villages with the Sobra ferry, not to move visitors around the island. Two routes, each running twice a day, both starting and ending at the Sobra ferry ramp, and the departure times are set by the boat. On the 31 August to 27 September 2026 timetable the west bus leaves Pomena at 04:45 on Mondays, 05:00 Tuesday to Saturday and 15:15 on Sundays and holidays, reaching the Sobra ferry at 05:44, 05:59 or 16:24. It comes back off the 15:00 ferry on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and off the 19:35 ferry on the other days, reaching Pomena at 15:51 or 20:44. The east bus from Saplunara leaves at 05:15 on Fridays, 05:20 Mondays, 05:35 Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday, and 15:30 on Sundays. Some runs add Okuklje and Prožurska luka. The practical effect is that you cannot use the bus to reach the national park from an afternoon catamaran and get back the same day. Check the current sheet at the tourist board in Babino Polje or on mljet.hr, which posts a new photographed timetable roughly monthly.

When: Two departures a day on each route, one before dawn and one in the evening, plus a mid-afternoon pair on Sundays and holidays. Timetables are reissued about monthly and change with the ferry
Takes: Pomena to the Sobra ferry 59 minutes for 39 km; Saplunara to Sobra 40 to 45 minutes for 26 km
Fare: No published fare could be found

SeasonYear-round, timetable reissued through the year. BookingNone, pay the driver. Run byOpćina Mljet municipal minibus service (mikroprijevoz).

One way

On foot, by bike, or otherwise

bicycle hire

Bicycles and kayaks for the lakes

Pomena entrance and Mali Most, inside the national park

A bicycle is how most people actually see the lakes. The lakeside lanes are closed to traffic, flat, well signposted and impossible to get lost on, and the full circuit of the Great Lake is about 9 km – allow half a day if you stop to swim. There are two obvious places to hire. One is beside the ticket booth at the Pomena entrance, which you walk straight past on the way in from the catamaran. The other is Radulj Tours at Mali Most, in the middle of the park, which also has tandems, child and baby seats, kayaks and two-person canoes – handy because you can paddle out to St Mary's yourself instead of waiting for the solar boat. They are open 09:00 to 19:00 and will open earlier if you ask the day before (+385 98 17 67 048 or +385 98 42 80 74). Cycling the length of the island is a different proposition: the road across Mljet is about 43 km with a high point over 500 m, no cycle lanes, and is only sensible early in the morning in July and August. You can bring your own bicycle on the Prapratno car ferry or on the catamarans, paying a bicycle ticket.

When: On demand, 09:00 to 19:00 in the season
Takes: The Great Lake circuit is about 9 km and takes roughly 4 hours with stops
Fare 2022: Radulj Tours' posted price list is still in kuna and therefore predates Croatia's switch to the euro on 1 January 2023: bicycle 40 Kn an hour, 180 Kn for the 09:00–19:00 day, 240 Kn for 24 hours; tandem 80 Kn an hour; single kayak 50 Kn an hour; two-person kayak or canoe 100 Kn an hour. Roughly €5 an hour and €24 a day at the fixed conversion rate, but treat as indicative only – no post-euro price list was foundSeen in 2022: a floor, not a price.

SeasonMain season; out of season check locally. BookingTurn up. Ring ahead only if you want equipment before 09:00. Run byRadulj Tours (Stijepo Radulj, Babino Polje) at Mali Most; a second hire point at the Pomena entrance.

One way

Hired, booked and on demand

private hire

Taxis, car hire and scooters

Sobra ferry terminal, Babino Polje and the western villages

With two buses a day, a taxi or a hire car is what fills the gap – particularly if you land at Sobra and need to get 37 km west to Pomena and the park. The tourist board lists four taxi firms for the island, Taxi Moj Mljet, Taxi Mljet / Transporti Hazdovac, Taxi Sjauš and Taxi Maksimalac on +385 98 983 2709 or +385 99 757 4005; there is no rank and no meter culture, so ring ahead, especially for an early ferry. For cars, the long-standing option is MiniBrum, which has an office at the Sobra ferry terminal and rents small cars; agencies in Babino Polje and around the park also rent scooters, which suit the shorter hops but not the whole island. Driving is straightforward but slow: one main road the length of the island, paved but only fair, speed limit usually 40 km/h, long climbs and descents, and almost no traffic outside July and August. There is limited parking around the lakes – the park's own car park is at Vrbovica, and that parking is covered by your entrance ticket.

When: On demand
Takes: Sobra to Pomena about 45 minutes by road; Sobra to Saplunara about 30 minutes
Fare: No current published taxi tariff or hire rate could be found. Wikivoyage's figure of about €120 for two days for a small diesel car from MiniBrum is undated and should be treated as indicative only

SeasonYear-round for the taxi; most hire agencies are seasonal. BookingPhone the taxi directly or ask your accommodation. Book a hire car ahead in July and August. Run byTaxi Moj Mljet; MiniBrum and other local agencies.

Not confirmed

What we could not find out

11 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.

01
jadrolinija.hr refused all connections from this network throughout the session, exactly as it did in wave 1. Direct requests time out over both HTTP/2 and HTTP/1.1, the Wayback Machine was itself offline while this was researched, and a text proxy returned a Cloudflare challenge rather than the page. The Prapratno–Sobra sailing times here come from Jadrolinija's own 2026 PDF re-hosted by the Mljet tourist board, which is authoritative; the vehicle and passenger fares come from croatiaferries.com, an aggregator whose sailing times on the same page match the Jadrolinija PDF exactly. Re-check those fares against Jadrolinija before publishing.
02
Correction to the brief and to Wikivoyage: the Dubrovnik catamaran to Mljet is not Jadrolinija and is no longer the Nona Ana. Line 9807 (Dubrovnik–Šipan–Sobra–Polače–Korčula–Ubli) and line 9808 are both operated by TP Line, with the MB Anastazija and the HSC Jadera. Wikivoyage's €7.50 Dubrovnik–Sobra fare is also out of date: it is €5.40 off-season and €8.70 in season for 2026.
03
Correction: the national park entrance fee is not €20 flat. For 2026 it is €30 for an adult from 1 June to 30 September and €20 the rest of the year. The €12 figure still in the Wikivoyage listing dates from a 2016 edit.
04
Correction: the Prapratno–Sobra car ferry is line 832, not 831, and Wikivoyage's '€17 for a car, €3 foot passenger' is understated – the current aggregate tariff is €17.78 for a car under 5 m in low season and €23.20 in high season, with foot passengers at €3.58 and €5.58.
05
No fare could be found for the island bus. The municipality posts a photographed timetable and nothing else; the tourist board's own pages do not list a price. Ask at the Sobra ferry ramp or the tourist board in Babino Polje, +385 20 780 7992.
06
No post-euro price list for bicycle or kayak hire was found anywhere. The only published tariff is Radulj Tours' board at Mali Most, still priced in kuna and therefore from 2022 or earlier. The euro figures given here are straight conversions and should be re-checked on the ground.
07
The Wikivoyage claim of a Saturday car ferry from Split to Sobra could not be confirmed or refuted. No such sailing appears on any TP Line or Krilo 2026 timetable, and Jadrolinija's coastal-line schedule was unreachable. Likewise the claim that a Jadrolinija car ferry runs Korčula 14:00 to Sobra 16:15 on Mondays and Fridays: line 9807 does connect Korčula and Sobra but only as a fast passenger service and only in high summer.
08
Krilo's schedule data is served as a Next.js RSC payload on krilo.hr/en/schedule and can be ingested directly. Extract the self.__next_f.push chunks, concatenate and JSON-parse: each route object carries stops, defaultVessel, a prices map keyed 'A-B', specialPriceLists, and periods with dateFrom/dateTo and outbound/return arrays of stopTimes, plus daysOfWeek, excludeDates, includeDates and cancelledDates fields. The Mljet route id in the September 2026 payload is cmmuk7mr6000s35pcl63v979q. Note that the payload's fares for the Split–Dubrovnik line (Pomena–Dubrovnik €20) differ from the standalone line 844 PDF (€25) – they are different lines, not an error.
09
TP Line publishes every state line as a stable PDF at tp-line.hr/files/cjenici/BB-<line>-<ports>-26-ENG.pdf, each containing both the seasonal timetables and the full per-pair tariff including island-resident and child rates. The filenames are listed on tp-line.hr/en/red-plovidbe and are worth scraping as a set.
10
The electric train timetable currently on the national park site is dated 20 October 2025 and the boat schedule is dated 14 September 2026, so the train times given here may be a season out of date. The park republishes both as photographed JPEGs several times a year with no stable URL. Email np-mljet@np-mljet.hr for the current sheet.
11
Mljet has no airport. The nearest is Dubrovnik, from which you still need the catamaran from Gruž or the drive to Prapratno; no direct transfer product from the airport to a Mljet sailing was found.

In the planner

What the planner can route today

The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Mljet is this.

Y: Scheduled flightsDubrovnik (DBV), 64 km
Y: Trains and coachesTransitous carries 21 timetable feeds for this country, 7 with real-time
Y: FerriesSobra, 9 km; sailings estimated
Y: Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
N: Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
N: Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known.