Croatia Islands Cycling: Self-Launched Pearls of the Adriatic

Fly or bus into Split (airport bus to the centre ~£5, or walk 10 min from the ferry port if arriving by catamaran). Check into a guesthouse or hostel in or just outside Diocletian's Palace. Spend the afternoon doing a free-walking-tour style loop of the Old Town yourself: Diocletian's Palace cellars, Peristyle, Riva promenade, then climb Marjan Hill for sunset (free, 30-40 min walk). Collect your rental touring bike or e-bike in the late afternoon from a Split bike shop and test-ride it; ask them to fit panniers and a spare tube kit. Brief yourself on tomorrow's ferry times at the Jadrolinija ticket office on the Riva.

🚌Airport shuttle bus ~£5; everything in the centre on foot

🛏Guesthouse or hostel dorm/private room in Split Old Town (approx £22-30 pp)

• →Diocletian's Palace and Old Town self-walk (free)
• →Marjan Hill viewpoint at sunset
• →Bike collection and fitting in Split

Take the morning car ferry from Split to Rogač on Šolta (Jadrolinija, ~50 min, roughly £4-6 one way, bikes usually carried free or for a small fee). Ride a 35-45 km loop inland through Grohote, Donje Selo and Gornje Selo, then down to the fishing village of Stomorska for a swim and a cheap konoba lunch (grilled fish and blitva ~£10-12). Return to Rogač and catch the afternoon or early-evening ferry back to Split. Quiet, olive-grove lanes the whole way — very little traffic.

🚌Split-Rogač ferry ~£5 each way; bike carriage typically free or ~£2

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Split (second night, approx £25 pp)

• →Self-navigated Šolta island loop (~40 km, undulating)
• →Swim stop at Stomorska
• →Konoba lunch in an island village

Morning ferry Split to Supetar on Brač (~50 min, ~£5). Ride west across the island via Škrip (oldest village on Brač, small heritage museum ~£3) and the hills above the coast down to the pretty harbour of Milna, roughly 35-40 km with a couple of proper climbs. Optional detour up to Vidova Gora above Bol if you want the big view, but that adds significant distance — most independent riders skip it on this day. Overnight in a private apartment or guesthouse in Milna.

🚌Split-Supetar ferry ~£5; bikes onboard

🛏Private apartment/guesthouse in Milna, Brač (approx £20-26 pp)

• →Supetar to Milna ride via Škrip (~38 km)
• →Škrip village and heritage museum
• →Milna harbour evening walk

Take the morning catamaran Milna to Hvar Town (seasonal Krilo/Jadrolinija line, ~1 hr, roughly £8-12; book ahead in summer and confirm bike policy — foot-passenger catamarans sometimes limit bikes, so have the car ferry via Split as a fallback). Ride the classic west loop: Hvar Town up to Brusje, across to the abandoned lavender village of Velo Grablje, down into the fertile Stari Grad plain (a UNESCO site), then back over the ridge to Hvar Town — about 40-45 km with steady climbing. Swim at Pokonji Dol or Mekićevica on the return. Evening in Hvar Town but eat off the main square for better value.

🚌Milna-Hvar catamaran ~£10; fallback via Split ferry if bikes are refused

🛏Guesthouse or apartment in Hvar Town or Stari Grad (approx £24-32 pp; book early in high season)

• →Hvar west island loop (~42 km)
• →Velo Grablje abandoned village
• →Stari Grad Plain UNESCO farmland
• →Swim at Pokonji Dol beach

Morning catamaran Hvar to Korčula Town (~1 hr 15, ~£10-14; again book ahead and confirm bike space). Ride the demanding southern loop: Korčula Town to Pupnat, over the ridge to the stunning Pupnatska Luka bay, along the coast via Čara and Zavalatica, and back to town — roughly 50-60 km with 800m+ of climbing. If that's too much, shorten it by cutting out Zavalatica. Treat yourself to a swim and a cold drink at Pupnatska Luka. Korčula Town itself is a mini-Dubrovnik — walk the walls and the Marco Polo house area in the evening for free.

🚌Hvar-Korčula catamaran ~£12

🛏Guesthouse, sobe or hostel in Korčula Town (approx £22-30 pp)

• →Korčula south loop (~55 km, hilly)
• →Pupnatska Luka beach swim
• →Korčula Old Town evening walk

Morning catamaran Korčula to Pomena on Mljet (~45 min-1 hr, ~£8-10). Buy the Mljet National Park ticket at the entrance (~£20 in season, includes the lake-area paths) and ride the quiet backroads from Pomena past the Small and Great Lakes to Soline, then across the island's green interior to Sobra. Total around 30-35 km, hilly in the middle but mostly shaded. Overnight in an apartment or sobe in Sobra, a working ferry village with cheap seafood. Optional: hire a kayak at the lakes (~£12/hr) instead of riding part of the loop.

🚌Korčula-Pomena catamaran ~£9; Mljet National Park entry ~£20

🛏Apartment or sobe room in Sobra, Mljet (approx £20-26 pp)

• →Mljet National Park lakes and Soline
• →Pomena to Sobra backroad ride (~32 km)
• →Optional kayak on Veliko Jezero

Short morning ferry Sobra to Prapratno on the Pelješac peninsula (~30 min, ~£5). Ride along the coast to Ston — the longest fortified wall system in Europe, walk a section for ~£8-10 — and eat oysters or mussels farmed in the bay (~£10). From Ston either ride the scenic but hilly ~55-60 km to Dubrovnik via the Pelješac and coastal roads, or take the local bus from Ston to Dubrovnik (~£8-10, 1.5 hrs, bikes sometimes accepted in the hold — check with the driver or at the Ston bus stop). Arrive in Dubrovnik, return or hand over the bike, and walk the Old Town walls at golden hour (walls ticket ~£30 — skip if budget-tight and just wander the Stradun).

🚌Sobra-Prapratno ferry ~£5; Ston-Dubrovnik local bus ~£9 if you don't ride it

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Dubrovnik, ideally outside the walls for value (approx £28-38 pp)

• →Ston city walls walk
• →Oyster tasting in Mali Ston bay
• →Ride or bus Ston to Dubrovnik
• →Dubrovnik Old Town and city walls

Morning in Dubrovnik: either the cable car to Mount Srđ for the classic view (~£22 return, or hike up free in about an hour), a swim at Banje beach just outside the walls, or the Buža cliff bar for a cheap coffee. Then airport bus from Pile or the main bus station (~£8, 30-40 min) or a bus onward to Split/ Bosnia. Return any remaining rental gear before you leave.

🚌Dubrovnik airport bus ~£8; Mount Srđ cable car ~£22 optional

🛏None (departure day) — add a night in Dubrovnik if your flight is late

• →Mount Srđ viewpoint or hike
• →Swim at Banje beach
• →Bike and gear return