Croatia Island Express — Self-Launched (Dubrovnik to Split)
6 days · Croatia
On The Go Tours charges £1,150
No-markup version: ~£690 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of On The Go Tours' 6-day Dubrovnik–Split sailing week, rebuilt for independent travellers using public ferries, catamarans and island buses instead of a chartered premium cruiser. You'll still hit all the headline stops — Dubrovnik Old Town, Sipan/Trstenik on the Peljesac coast, Korcula, the Pakleni Islands, Hvar and Zlatni Rat on Brac — but you'll sleep in hostels and guesthouses, eat in konobas, and book walking tours and boat trips yourself. Croatia in high season is not cheap, so this sits at the upper end of the Balkan budget band; shoulder season (May–June, September) cuts costs by roughly a third. All figures are approximate per-person estimates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Dubrovnik Old Town on foot
Dubrovnik
Arrive in Dubrovnik (flights or bus from Split; the airport shuttle to Pile Gate is about £6). Check into a hostel or soba (private room in a family home) in the Old Town or Gruz. In the afternoon, join a pay-what-you-want walking tour of the Old Town — guides on the Stradun usually work for tips, budget £8-10 — then walk the city walls at the end of the day when the crowds thin and the light is best (€35 / ~£30 entry, buy online). If you want the classic view, the Srd cable car is €27 return (~£23, buy at the lower station) or you can hike up for free in about 45 minutes.
🚌Airport shuttle ~£6; everything else on foot
🛏Old Town or Gruz hostel dorm / private soba (~£28-35)
- →Pay-what-you-want Old Town walking tour (~£9)
- →City walls walk (~£30)
- →Optional Srd cable car (~£23) or free uphill hike
Ferry to Sipan, swim and a long seafood lunch
Sipan Island
Take the morning Jadrolinija car ferry from Dubrovnik's Gruz port to Sipan (Sudjuradj), roughly 1h15 and around £6-8 one way — check the timetable a few days ahead and buy at the port kiosk. Sipan is the quiet, green antidote to Dubrovnik: hire a bike or just walk between the fishing villages of Sudjuradj and Luka Sipanska, swim off the rocks, and have a lazy konoba lunch of grilled fish and local wine (~£20-25). This replaces the operator's Captain's Dinner with a genuinely local evening — if you'd rather not rush, stay the night on Sipan; otherwise catch the late-afternoon ferry back and sleep in Dubrovnik again.
🚌Jadrolinija ferry Dubrovnik–Sipan ~£7 each way
🛏Guesthouse on Sipan or second night in Dubrovnik (~£30)
- →Island walk between Sudjuradj and Luka Sipanska
- →Swimming off the rocks
- →Konoba seafood lunch
- →Optional winery visit
Down the Peljesac peninsula to Korcula
Korcula
Bus from Dubrovnik to Orebic on the Peljesac peninsula (~2h15, £10-12, book on Arriva or GetByBus) — the route passes the oyster beds of Ston, worth a stop for a plate of oysters if you have time. From Orebic the car ferry hops to Domince on Korcula in 15 minutes (~£3, no reservation needed). Base yourself in or just outside Korcula Old Town. In the late afternoon take a small-group or self-guided wander of the old town — the Marco Polo house, the cathedral and the tightly packed lanes — and climb the Revelin tower for the harbour view. A guided old-town tour booked locally is around £15; a self-guided loop is free.
🚌Bus Dubrovnik–Orebic ~£11 + ferry to Korcula ~£3
🛏Korcula Old Town hostel or guesthouse (~£32)
- →Ston oyster stop
- →Korcula Old Town walk
- →Revelin tower viewpoint
- →Optional local wine tasting (~£12)
Korcula to Hvar via the Pakleni Islands
Hvar
Take the morning catamaran from Korcula to Hvar (Krilo or TP Line, about 1h10, £16-20 — book online in advance in July/August as it sells out). Drop your bag at the hostel and head straight for the Pakleni Islands: a water taxi from Hvar's harbour to Palmižana or Jerolim is about £6-8 each way, or join a half-day small-boat island-hopping trip from Hvar town (~£30-35 including snorkel gear and a stop at the Red Rocks). Swim, eat lunch at a beach shack, then come back for a slow evening in Hvar town — the Spanish fortress at sunset costs about £8 to enter.
🚌Catamaran Korcula–Hvar ~£18; water taxi to Pakleni ~£14 return
🛏Hvar town hostel dorm or guesthouse room (~£35)
- →Pakleni Islands water taxi and swimming
- →Optional half-day boat trip ~£32
- →Spanish fortress sunset entry ~£8
Hvar to Brac, Zlatni Rat, then Split
Brac / Split
Catch the morning catamaran from Hvar to Bol on Brac (Krilo, roughly 40 minutes, £10-12). Walk or take the little tourist train 15 minutes to Zlatni Rat beach, the pebble spit that shifts shape with the current — free to visit, sunbed hire about £15 if you want one. Have lunch in Bol, then take the afternoon catamaran from Bol to Split (about 1 hour, £12-15) or the car ferry from Supetar to Split if Bol's sailings don't suit. In Split, join the evening free walking tour of Diocletian's Palace (tip-based, ~£8) and eat in the lanes around the palace.
🚌Catamaran Hvar–Bol ~£11 + catamaran Bol–Split ~£14
🛏Split hostel dorm or guesthouse near the old town (~£30)
- →Zlatni Rat beach
- →Bol old town lunch
- →Pay-what-you-want Diocletian's Palace walking tour ~£8
Split — Marjan Hill and departure
Split
Spend the morning on your own terms: climb Marjan Hill through the pine woods for the free panorama over the harbour (about 30 minutes up), wander the Green Market and the Riva promenade, and grab a last burek and coffee. If your flight is later, the airport bus from the main bus station is about £5 and takes 30 minutes. Optional extras if you have hours to kill: a half-day Blue Cave and Vis boat trip booked via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£55-70) or kayaking around Marjan (~£30).
🚌Airport bus ~£5
🛏None included — onward travel day
- →Marjan Hill hike
- →Green Market and Riva
- →Optional Blue Cave boat trip ~£60
- →Optional sea kayaking ~£30
Self-launched vs. On The Go Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | On The Go Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£690 | £1,150 |
| Duration | 6 days | 6 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £460 per person (40%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more On The Go Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£690
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Croatia Island Express — Self-Launched (Dubrovnik to Split) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £690 per person for 6 days in Croatia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with On The Go Tours?+
Yes — On The Go Tours charges around £1,150 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £690 — a saving of roughly £460 (40%) per person.
How long is the Croatia trip?+
This itinerary runs 6 days, covering 6 day-by-day stops through Croatia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a beaches, culture, backpacker trip through Croatia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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