The short answer
- Split or Trogir for Šolta, Brač, Hvar and Vis. From Split Airport it is 6 km by road to Trogir and 26 km to Split. (Measured by us, )
- Šibenik or Zadar for the Kornati and many small islands close together, so a new crew can keep the days short. (Measured by us, )
- Dubrovnik for the Elafiti islands, Mljet and a quieter start, with its own airport. (From the operator, )
The five bases side by side
Each base with its airport, the road to a main charter marina, and a first night a short sail away. We measured the roads and the sea routes ourselves.
Not for navigation
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| Base | Airport to the marina | A first night nearby | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Zadar | 14 kmZadar Airport to Sukošan, about 20 min (Measured by us, ) | 3 NMto Kukljica, Ugljan (Measured by us, ) | Kornati, Telašćica, short hops |
| 2Šibenik | 54 kmabout 1 h, from Split Airport (Measured by us, ) | 4 NMto Zlarin (Measured by us, ) | Krka, Kornati, small islands |
| 3Trogir | 6 kmSplit Airport to ACI Trogir (Measured by us, ) | 8.5 NMto Maslinica, Šolta (Measured by us, ) | Šolta, Brač, Hvar, Vis |
| 4Split | 26 kmSplit Airport to ACI Split, about 30 min (Measured by us, ) | 14 NMto Maslinica, Šolta (Measured by us, ) | Šolta, Brač, Hvar, Vis |
| 5Dubrovnik | 23 kmDubrovnik Airport to Komolac, about 40 min (Measured by us, ) | 9 NMto Lopud (Measured by us, ) | Elafiti, Mljet, Korčula |
Roads: without traffic, from the airport to the marina. Sea: our route tool keeps the line clear of land, so it is a little longer than a straight line. Not for navigation.
Each base in turn
Split
A base in the city, with the ferry port next door. The islands you came for are all within a day, and Split itself is worth an evening. Split for sailors
- Airport
- Split Airport to ACI Marina Split: 26 km by road, about 30 minutes. (Measured by us, )
- Marinas
- ACI Marina Split has 318 berths. (From the operator, ) ACI Marina Split: prices and bookingMarina Kaštela has 420 sea berths, in Kaštela bay between Split and Trogir. (From the operator, ) Split Airport to Marina Kaštela: 11 km by road, about 15 minutes. The marina gives 11.2 km. (Measured by us, )
- First night
- Split to Maslinica on Šolta: 14 NM, day 1 of our week from Split. (Measured by us, ) Seven days from Split, two weeks through Korčula, Lastovo and Mljet, or continue one way on Split to Dubrovnik in a week.
- Watch for
- Ferries and fast boats in and out of the port all day. Ferries and fast boats
Trogir
The closest base to Split Airport, with marinas on both sides of the old town and along the coast to the west. The first sail is short and sheltered. Trogir for sailors
- Airport
- Split Airport to ACI Marina Trogir: 6 km by road, about 10 minutes. (Measured by us, )
- Marinas
- ACI Marina Trogir has 161 berths. (From the operator, ) ACI Marina Trogir: prices and approach
- First night
- ACI Marina Trogir to Maslinica on Šolta: 8.5 NM, out of the Trogir channel to the west. (Measured by us, ) Maslinica marina: prices and berths · An easy first week from Trogir
- Boarding
- Sunsail gives 6 pm as its usual boarding time at Marina Agana, its base near Trogir, and sells a 3 pm start as an extra. (From the operator, )Dream Yacht Charter, at Marina Baotić in Seget Donji near Trogir: boarding from 5 pm to 7 pm. Boats must be back in the marina by 5 pm the day before check-out, and spend the last night there. Charters run Saturday to Saturday. (From the operator, )
Šibenik
A base between the Krka river and the Kornati, with small islands close together. It has no airport of its own: fly to Split or Zadar.
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- Airport
- Split Airport to D-Marin Mandalina in Šibenik: 54 km by road, about an hour. From Zadar Airport it is 76 km, also about an hour. (Measured by us, )
- Marinas
- D-Marin Mandalina in Šibenik has 452 berths, for yachts up to 70 m. (From the operator, )
- First night
- D-Marin Mandalina to Zlarin: 4 NM, out through the St Anthony channel. (Measured by us, ) What a sailor told us about Krka
- Boats
- The County of Šibenik-Knin came next in 2025: 44,954 boats in transit on sea berths in its nautical ports, 23.1% of the total. (Official source, )
Zadar
Sheltered channels between long islands, the Kornati and Telašćica to the south, and islands a few miles apart. The big marinas sit south of the city.
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- Airport
- Zadar Airport is 8 km from the city. (From the operator, )Zadar Airport to D-Marin Dalmacija in Sukošan: 14 km by road, about 20 minutes. (Measured by us, )
- Marinas
- D-Marin Dalmacija in Sukošan, near Zadar, has more than 1,000 berths. (From the operator, ) Its page gives 1,036 in one place and 1,076 in another.
- First night
- D-Marin Dalmacija to Kukljica on Ugljan: 3 NM across the Zadar channel. (Measured by us, )
Dubrovnik
The southern base, up the Rijeka Dubrovačka inlet. The Elafiti islands are a short sail away, and Mljet and Korčula are within a week.
- Airport
- Dubrovnik Airport is 22.5 km from Dubrovnik. (From the operator, )Dubrovnik Airport to ACI Marina Dubrovnik in Komolac: 23 km by road, about 40 minutes. (Measured by us, )
- Marinas
- ACI Marina Dubrovnik has 371 berths, in Komolac, 6 km from the old town. (From the operator, ) It is the finish of Split to Dubrovnik in a week.
- First night
- ACI Marina Dubrovnik to Lopud: 9 NM, and to Šipanska Luka on Šipan: 15 NM, down the Rijeka Dubrovačka. (Measured by us, )
Flights: Passengers through the airports in 2025: Split 3,847,716, Dubrovnik 3,075,302 and Zadar 1,620,417. (Official source, )
Saturday changeover
Most charter weeks run Saturday to Saturday, so every base is at its busiest on a Saturday afternoon: taxis, supermarkets, fuel docks and the first harbours all fill at once.
- Boarding
- Sunsail gives 6 pm as its usual boarding time at Marina Agana, its base near Trogir, and sells a 3 pm start as an extra. (From the operator, )Dream Yacht Charter, at Marina Baotić in Seget Donji near Trogir: boarding from 5 pm to 7 pm. Boats must be back in the marina by 5 pm the day before check-out, and spend the last night there. Charters run Saturday to Saturday. (From the operator, )
- The last day
- Back in the base marina the evening before you leave: by 5 pm at Sunsail and Dream Yacht Charter, by 6 pm at The Moorings and Ultra Sailing, for fuel and the check-out. You sleep aboard and leave the boat by 8.30 to 9 am on Saturday. (From the operator, )
- How busy
- The County of Split-Dalmatia recorded the most boats in transit of any county in 2025: 54,183 on sea berths in its nautical ports, 27.9% of the total. A boat on a week's trip likely counts once at each port. (Official source, )The County of Šibenik-Knin came next in 2025: 44,954 boats in transit on sea berths in its nautical ports, 23.1% of the total. (Official source, )
Our advice: make the first night a short hop to a quiet harbour, not the most famous one. You board late, the crew is new to the boat, and the popular harbours fill by mid-afternoon. What sailors told us
Ferries and fast boats
Ferries and fast boats run in and out of Split all day, through the same channels as the charter fleet: 6 million passengers through Split port, 2025. (Official source, )
- Split port
- Split port handled 6,050,295 passengers in 2025, and 487,377 cruise passengers besides. (Official source, )
- Lines from Split
- In 2026 the state runs five ferry lines and five fast-boat lines from Split. The ferries go to Brač, Šolta, Hvar, Vis, Korčula and Lastovo. (Official source, )
- Your speed
- Within 300 m of the shore, in narrow channels and near harbours and anchorages, go no faster than 8 knots (Article 50). (Official source, )
- The Split Gate
- More than 20,000 passages a year go through the Split Gate, over 10,000 each way, two to three times more in summer, and about 30% of them fast craft. On 14 Jun 2026 a passenger ship and a sailing yacht collided there. Keep a lookout astern (Official source, ) What sailors told us · Fast ferries and the Split Gate
Trogir, Šibenik, Zadar and Dubrovnik have ferries too, but fewer. Keep a lookout astern near any port, and cross a ferry's path at a right angle.
Pick by what matters most
- Shortest transfer
- Trogir. Split Airport to ACI Marina Trogir: 6 km by road, about 10 minutes. (Measured by us, )
- Vis and Hvar in a week
- Split or Trogir. Our week from Split · What a sailor told us
- A short first week
- Trogir, with no open crossing. An easy first week from Trogir
- National parks
- Šibenik for Krka and the Kornati; Zadar for the Kornati and Telašćica.
- A new crew
- Zadar or Šibenik: islands a few miles apart, so each day can stay short. (Measured by us, )
- Mljet and Lastovo
- Dubrovnik. From Split they need more than a week.
Common questions
- Is Split or Trogir the better base?
- For the same islands, Trogir has the shorter transfer and a shorter first sail; Split has the city, and more ferries. (Measured by us, ) (Measured by us, )
- Which airport for a Šibenik base?
- Split or Zadar. Split Airport to D-Marin Mandalina in Šibenik: 54 km by road, about an hour. From Zadar Airport it is 76 km, also about an hour. (Measured by us, )
- Can we reach Vis from Split in a day?
- Yes, but it is a long open crossing. Our week goes to Šolta first, then Vis on day 2. Day 2 of our week
- What time can we board on Saturday?
- Usually late afternoon. Sunsail gives 6 pm as its usual boarding time at Marina Agana, its base near Trogir, and sells a 3 pm start as an extra. (From the operator, ) Ask your company for its time.
What sailors told us
What sailors say about bases and the first days of a week, in their own words. We haven't checked these reports, and they don't count in our checks above.
We sailed up to Skradin, spent the night on the town quay, saw the national park in the morning and sailed out in the afternoon.
The fast ferries run through the Split Gate at about 32 knots and make no room for anyone in their way, under sail or not. They could slow to 10 knots there, and lives would have been spared.
We kept the longer crossings to and from Vis for days with the right wind.
About 20 NM, three to four hours, is a reasonable day. Crews who hop from marina to marina end up motoring, to arrive between 11:00 and 14:00.
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Other ways to helpSources
29 facts from 23 sources, last checked .
(From the operator, )
(From the operator, )
(From the operator, )
(From the operator, )
(From the operator, )
Dream Yacht Charter: Base Guide Bareboat Trogir (undated PDF), "Embarkation time", "Stop overs", "Disembarkation time" (Marina Baotić: boarding at Dream Yacht Charter. The last day of the week)
(From the operator, )Show all 23 sourcesShow fewer sources
Dream Yacht Charter: bareboat FAQs, "What day do charters depart?" (Marina Baotić: boarding at Dream Yacht Charter)
(From the operator, ) (From the operator, )
(From the operator, )
(From the operator, )
(From the operator, )
The Moorings' page for its Agana base (useful information), each company's return times (The last day of the week)
(From the operator, ) (From the operator, )
(From the operator, )
Croatian Bureau of Statistics: Traffic of passengers in airports, December 2025 (Airport passengers in 2025)
(Official source, ) (Official source, )
Agency for Coastal Line Traffic: State coastal lines in 2026: timetables and fares (Ferry lines from Split)
(Official source, )The maritime safety ordinance (Pravilnik o sigurnosti pomorske plovidbe), Narodne novine 52/2025, Article 50 (Speed near the shore)
(Official source, )Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure: Traffic and navigation study, Split, Ploče and Dubrovnik (Prometno-plovidbena studija), v3.1, Dec 2014, by the Faculty of Maritime Studies Rijeka for the Ministry, sections 3.1.4 and 4.2.1 (Ferry traffic in the Split Gate)
(Official source, )Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure: Press release on the serious accident at the Split Gate, 14 Jun 2026 (Ferry traffic in the Split Gate)
(Official source, )Croatian Bureau of Statistics: Nautical tourism: capacity and turnover of ports, 2025 (Boats in transit in Split-Dalmatia, boats in transit in Šibenik-Knin)
(Official source, )Our measurement on OpenStreetMap roads with the OSRM route planner, from the airport to the marina, without traffic (Split Airport to ACI Marina Trogir, Split Airport to ACI Marina Split, Zadar Airport to D-Marin Dalmacija, the airports to Šibenik, Dubrovnik Airport to ACI Marina Dubrovnik, Split Airport to Marina Kaštela)
(Measured by us, )Our route tool: a sea route kept clear of land on OpenStreetMap's coastline, from the marina to the harbour (Trogir to Šolta by sea, Sukošan to Ugljan by sea, Šibenik to Zlarin by sea, Split to Šolta by sea, Dubrovnik to the Elafiti by sea)
(Measured by us, )Photos on this page
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(From the operator) (Official source) (Seen by us) (Seen by a sailor) (Measured by us) (Sources disagree) (Third-party source) How we check