.jpg){kind=link}
The short version
- Book the nights that matter, not the whole week. Friday, Saturday and your last night near the base. How far ahead
- Book an ACI marina online, even on the day. Online, you can book on the day you arrive. Cancel within an hour of booking and you get everything back, as long as you haven't started using the berth. (From the operator, )
- Some quays and buoy fields take bookings too, such as Hvar town and the Vinogradišće buoys. Which ones
- Everywhere else, arrive early. In July and August the popular places go first. When to arrive
- Have a Plan B within an hour or so by sea, in case it's full. If it's full
How far ahead should you book?
None of the marinas, town quays or buoy fields on our routes publishes an earliest date for booking, so a berth isn't something you need to book months ahead. What they do publish is how late you can book, when you pay and what cancelling costs. Book the few nights you can't do without as soon as your plan is fixed, and keep the rest open to the weather.
- Friday and Saturday
- Charter weeks end and start at the weekend, and some marinas charge more for it. In Split: a Friday, Saturday or Sunday in July or August costs €184.80 a day for a 12 m monohull and €369.60 for a 12 m catamaran: the listed daily rate plus 10%, doubled for a catamaran. (Measured by us, )In Dubrovnik: €153.40 a day on a Friday or a Saturday in July 2026 for a monohull up to 12 m: the €118 day rate plus 30%. (From the operator, )
- ACI marinas
- Online, you pay the whole price by card when you book, and the booking stands once ACI confirms it with a booking number. (From the operator, )Cancel in writing before 2 pm the day before and you get 80% back. After that, or if you don't turn up, nothing comes back, and bad weather doesn't change that. (From the operator, )Each night of a longer booking is cancelled on its own, by 2 pm the day before that night. (From the operator, )
- Other marinas
- They take requests on their own websites. (From the operator, ) (From the operator, ) At Maslinica: the marina may ask for a deposit, and charges the price of a night for a no-show or a cancellation on the day. (From the operator, )
- Hvar town quay
- Cancel a confirmed booking less than 48 hours before your arrival and you pay the full berth price. (From the operator, )
- Restaurant buoys
- Book the table and the buoy together. In July and August popular restaurants are often full, and some need booking up to a week ahead. What to ask
- Everywhere else
- You pay on arrival, so arrive early. When to arrive
Which places take bookings
It depends on who runs the place. Marinas sell berths and take bookings. Town quays belong to the county port authority, which sets the fees, and a local company or attendant runs the berths. Buoy fields are run by whoever holds the concession. Anchorages take no bookings at all.
| Kind of place | Can you book? | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| ACI marinas | Yes | ACI's marinas take bookings on ACI's own booking site. (From the operator, ) |
| Other marinasKaštela, Seget Donji near Trogir, Maslinica on Šolta | Yes | Each takes requests on its own website. (From the operator, ) (From the operator, ) (From the operator, ) |
| Hvar town quay | Yes | Through Nautički centar Hvar, which runs the yacht berths. (From the operator, ) |
| Vinogradišće buoysPakleni Islands | Yes | Reserving a buoy costs €30 in summer and €15 in spring and autumn, on top of the night. (From the operator, ) |
| Buoy fields on VisBudikovac, Rukavac and Ravnik | On arrival | The concession holder's staff tell you which buoy to take, and you follow their instructions. You get an invoice for the fee, and you may ask to see the price list. (From the operator, ) |
| Other town quaysVis town, Komiža, Stari Grad and more | Ask ahead | You pay the port authority's attendant in the port, in cash or by card, and get an invoice. (Official source, ) |
| Anchorages | No | First come, first served. Only a company with a concession for that anchorage, or the port authority inside a public port, may charge you for anchoring. Anywhere else, nobody may. (Official source, ) |
"Ask ahead" means the rules and price lists we read say how you pay on arrival, but nothing about booking. Call the harbour office the day before if you want to try.
Booking an ACI marina
ACI runs most of the marinas on the coast, and books its berths the same way everywhere. You book a night, not a named berth: in an ACI marina the marina staff choose your berth, and you must follow their instructions (Article 3). (From the operator, )
- How and when
- Book a transit berth on ACI's website, in the ACI Booking app or at any ACI marina's reception. The website and app show free berths in real time. (From the operator, )ACI's berth terms say: ACI takes bookings for a daily berth online, by email, by phone or on the VHF, no later than 24 hours before you arrive, unless ACI agrees otherwise. The booking stands once ACI confirms it in writing (Article 2.7). (From the operator, )Its newer online terms go further: online, you can book on the day you arrive. Cancel within an hour of booking and you get everything back, as long as you haven't started using the berth. (From the operator, )
- On the day
- A booked berth is held until 8 pm on the day you arrive, and a night lasts until 2 pm the next day. (From the operator, )For a daily berth, ACI asks you to tell the marina you are coming at least 30 minutes before you enter (Article 2.7). (From the operator, )
- Cancelling and changing
- Cancel in writing before 2 pm the day before and you get 80% back. After that, or if you don't turn up, nothing comes back, and bad weather doesn't change that. (From the operator, )You can't move a booking to another date. ACI may let you use it on another day only if you ask in writing by 2 pm the day before. (From the operator, )If you don't arrive, arrive late without warning, or cancel for a reason that isn't ACI's, you don't get your money back (Article 2.7). (From the operator, )
- If ACI can't give it
- If bad weather, safety or another cause beyond its control stops ACI giving you the booked berth or another one, you get back only what you paid for the night you did not have (Article 2.7). (From the operator, )
ACI's prices for each marina are on that marina's page: ACI Marina Split, ACI Marina Trogir, ACI Marina Palmižana, ACI Marina Milna and ACI Marina Vrboska.
Other marinas near Split and Trogir
The privately run marinas take bookings through their own websites, by email or by phone. Ask for the booking in writing, and read what a no-show costs.
- Marina Kaštela
- Marina Kaštela takes requests for a transit berth through a form on its website. (From the operator, )
- Marina Baotić
- Marina Baotić takes requests for a daily berth, with your arrival and departure dates, through a form on its website. (From the operator, )
- Marina Martinis Marchi, Maslinica
- Send a reservation request through the marina's website, or call or email reception. (From the operator, )The marina may ask for a deposit, and charges the price of a night for a no-show or a cancellation on the day. (From the operator, ) Maslinica marina
Town quays and buoy fields
Most town quays and buoy fields don't sell berths ahead. You come in, an attendant shows you where to go, and you pay on the spot. A few do take bookings, and they are the ones worth calling.
- Hvar town
- Book a berth or announce your arrival with the office for the yacht berths: +385 99 537 5441, najave@nchvar.com. (From the operator, )Cancel a confirmed booking less than 48 hours before your arrival and you pay the full berth price. (From the operator, ) Hvar town harbour
- Vinogradišće, Pakleni Islands
- Reserving a buoy costs €30 in summer and €15 in spring and autumn, on top of the night. (From the operator, ) Vinogradišće buoys
- Vis town
- About 60 yachts on the main quay and 40 in Kut, on lazy lines, with water and power posts. (From the operator, )When the quays are full, or if you prefer, you can moor in the harbour's anchorage just off the quays. (From the operator, ) Vis town harbour
- Buoys on Vis
- The concession holder's staff tell you which buoy to take, and you follow their instructions. You get an invoice for the fee, and you may ask to see the price list. (From the operator, ) How to pick up a buoy
- Paying on a quay
- You pay the port authority's attendant in the port, in cash or by card, and get an invoice. (Official source, )
When to arrive
Where you can't book, the early boats get the berths. Sailors' reports, which we haven't checked, all point the same way: in July and August the busiest harbours go by about midday, and quieter places by mid-afternoon. A report from Hvar · A report from Komiža
- In July and August, plan to reach a town quay or buoy field you haven't booked by early afternoon, and earlier at Hvar town and on Vis.
- Stop for lunch and a swim near where you will sleep, not two hours away.
- In June and September you can usually arrive later. Best time to sail, month by month
- Choose tonight's place for the night's wind first, and its popularity second. Choosing tonight's harbour
Our advice, checked by a skipper reviewer.
If it's full: Plan B
Know your Plan B before you set off, so a full harbour costs you an hour, not the evening. Each busy place below has a nearby alternative, with the distance from our route tool.
| If this is full | Try | By sea |
|---|---|---|
| Hvar town quay | ACI Marina Palmižana, bookable | 2 NM (Measured by us, ) |
| ACI Marina Palmižana | Vinogradišće buoys, round Sveti Klement | 6 NM (Measured by us, ) |
| Vis town quays | The harbour's own anchorage, or Stončica bay | 4 NM (Measured by us, ) |
| Stončica buoys | Rukavac buoys | 5.5 NM (Measured by us, ) |
| Maslinica marina, Šolta | Šešula bay buoys | 1 NM (Measured by us, ) |
- Anchoring in the harbour
- When the quays are full, or if you prefer, you can moor in the harbour's anchorage just off the quays. (From the operator, )In a public port's anchorage you pay the berth fee less 30% on a buoy, or less 50% at anchor. (Official source, )
- Anchoring in a bay
- Only a company with a concession for that anchorage, or the port authority inside a public port, may charge you for anchoring. Anywhere else, nobody may. (Official source, )No anchoring within 150 m of a natural beach, under the 2025 ordinance. (Official source, ) Anchoring rules and fees
- Don't raft alongside another boat unless its crew and the attendant say yes.
- Never anchor in a harbour's fairway or across other boats' lines. Ask the attendant where you may lie.
- Move on while there is daylight, and check the night's wind for the Plan B too. When a storm is coming
Common questions
- Do you need to book marinas in Croatia in advance?
- In July and August, book the nights you can't do without, above all the last night near your base. ACI takes bookings for a daily berth online, by email, by phone or on the VHF, no later than 24 hours before you arrive, unless ACI agrees otherwise. The booking stands once ACI confirms it in writing (Article 2.7). (From the operator, )
- Can you book a berth in Hvar town?
- Yes, with Nautički centar Hvar, which runs the yacht berths. Cancel a confirmed booking less than 48 hours before your arrival and you pay the full berth price. (From the operator, )
- Can you book a mooring buoy?
- At some fields. Reserving a buoy costs €30 in summer and €15 in spring and autumn, on top of the night. (From the operator, ) On Vis's south coast the staff give you a buoy when you arrive. (From the operator, )
- What if I arrive late at an ACI marina?
- A booked berth is held until 8 pm on the day you arrive, and a night lasts until 2 pm the next day. (From the operator, ) Call ahead if you will be late.
- What happens when Vis town is full?
- When the quays are full, or if you prefer, you can moor in the harbour's anchorage just off the quays. (From the operator, )
What sailors told us
When sailors found places full, in their own words. We haven't checked these reports, they don't count in our checks above, and they are never the rule.
Komiža has the small harbour which gets full quiet early during the day and is also located in the bay that is open to a lot of winds and swells ...
There are literally "races" towards the marinas and anchor spots and you often have to be there around noon to find a place.
We planned to arrive each day between 2 & 3, and that worked out well; we had a capable group and so could drop anchor and Mediterranean moor, which helped us with options in the afternoon.
I got to places around noon and found that I usually took the last few docks. I got really lucky at Hvar and got a mooring ball.
Still right? Were you there this season? Tap the small mark after any fact on this page, then "Yes, I saw it".
Help keep this page right
Found something different on the water this season? Tell us what you found. We check it with the source before anything changes.
Other ways to helpSources
34 facts from 20 sources, last checked .
Show all 20 sourcesShow fewer sources
Photos on this page
.jpg){kind=link}
_julesvernex2.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Changes to this page
Changes to this page's facts and text, with the reason. A sailor's "still right" is not a change.
Booking on the day at ACI marinas added: online, you can book on the day you arrive. Cancel within an hour of booking and you get everything back, as long as you haven't started using the berth.
From the operator. Why: the operator's own page
Paying for an online booking at ACI marinas added: online, you pay the whole price by card when you book, and the booking stands once ACI confirms it with a booking number.
From the operator. Why: the operator's own page
Cancelling one night of several at ACI marinas added: each night of a longer booking is cancelled on its own, by 2 pm the day before that night.
From the operator. Why: the operator's own page
Where to book an ACI berth at ACI marinas added: book a transit berth on ACI's website, in the ACI Booking app or at any ACI marina's reception. The website and app show free berths in real time.
From the operator. Why: the operator's own page
Changing the date at ACI marinas added: you can't move a booking to another date. ACI may let you use it on another day only if you ask in writing by 2 pm the day before.
From the operator. Why: the operator's own page
First published .