My boyfriend and I recently took a 20-day trip traveling around Croatia. It was INCREDIBLE!! We started in Dubrovnik and from there we traveled to Mljet, Hvar, Split, Zadar, Rijeka, Motovan, Zagreb and we hit a few other little islands along the way too. Mjlet was by far one of our favorite stops during our entire tour through Croatia! It is a small island off the southern coast of Croatia and is home Mljet National Park which is full of beautiful turquoise lakes, ancient ruins, and small town vibes with very litter visitors.
In order to get to Mljet from Dubrovnik, we took a ferry. The ferry was about a 15 minute bus ride from Old Town Dubrovnik to the ferry port. The ferry cost about 165 kuna (HRK) or $23 USD. The ferry ride is approximately 1.5 hours long. The ferry will drop you off at a port on Mljet, which is called Sobra. From there, we got on a small bus that waiting at the port and took a 30 minute bus ride to Polace and Mljet National Park. The shuttle bus only accepted cash; I don’t remember how much it cost, but it was not expensive. The bus driver was friends with the host of our Airbnb, Nicola, and dropped us off directly at our place.
What we loved about Polace was its small town feel and all the locals knew each other. It was not touristy at all! When we arrived, our host met us to let us into the small house. After we dropped our bags off, the sun was just starting to set. We took a few pictures and then walked along the port area. We stopped at one of the few restaurants and had some local seafood for dinner. Since not many places were open (because we went right before busy season), it was packed with locals and a few visitors like us.
When we returned to our Airbnb, our host stopped by with some homemade rose liquor that he and his wife made. He, my boyfriend, and I all sat on the front porch for hours and drank and talked. Nicola, was such a wonderful host and a delight to get to know.
The next morning, we walked 5 minutes down the street and rented two e-bikes for the day (from non-other than Nicola’s nephew). It was literally right next to the road that leads you to Mljet National Park. I think it was about $20 USD /day bike to rent for the day. We spent the rest of the day riding through Mljet National Park. It. Was. Stunning. We stopped for swim breaks in their beautiful turquoise lakes, took small hikes off our paved pathway, and snacked on ice cream and beer while exploring around some more ancient ruins.
After a day of biking, hiking, and swimming we just enjoyed a relaxing evening on the porch and made a small dinner from a local grocery store. Our favorite things about Mljet was how little people and tourist were around and it was absolutely beautiful!! It is the perfect place to decompress, especially after the bustle of exploring around Old Town Dubrovnik. From here we took a taxi to the Pomena Port and took a ferry to Hvar. While waiting for the ferry, we sat at the Hotel Odisej Beach Bar and enjoyed some cocktails and swam off the coast. Pomena is a more touristy area with more restaurants, hotels, and shops. Everything about our experience on Mljet was simply amazing. Of all the places we went around Croatia and the things we did, Polace and Mjlet National Park are a must!! Let me know what your favorite thing about Mjlet is!
