Half-Day Boat Tour from Split

Why take a half-day boat tour from Split

Most boat tours from Split are ten-hour days. They are worth it if you have the time — but a lot of people simply do not. You land at Split airport at noon, you sail out on a cruise the next afternoon, you have one free morning before the family wants lunch in the old town, or you are travelling with a four-year-old who is not going to last ten hours on the water. That is what this tour is for.

Four and a half hours is enough to get properly out of the city, swim in water that looks nothing like the harbour, walk a UNESCO old town, and be back with most of your day intact. You still get the boat, the skipper, the snorkel gear and the open Adriatic — just not the 07:30 alarm and the 100-nautical-mile round trip that the Blue Cave route demands.

Where the half-day tour goes

Three stops, all in sheltered water between Split and Trogir. Nothing on this route crosses open sea, which is why it runs comfortably on days when the outer-island tours are uncomfortable — and why it suits people who are nervous about boats.

• Drvenik Blue Lagoon — 90 minutes anchored in knee-deep, white-sand turquoise water. The main swim and snorkel stop.
• Beach Bar Borko — 45 minutes on the Drvenik coast for a cocktail, a cold beer or a coffee with your feet in the water.
• Trogir Old Town — 45 minutes in a UNESCO town founded in the 3rd century BC: marble cathedral square, the bell tower of St Lawrence, gelato along the riva.

Morning or afternoon — which one to pick

The tour runs twice a day and the two departures are genuinely different experiences, not just different times.

The morning tour leaves at 09:30 and is back at 14:00. The sea is at its calmest before the maestral builds, the Blue Lagoon is quieter, and the light over the white sand is at its best for photographs. Pick this one if you get seasick, if you are travelling with small children, or if you want the afternoon free for Diocletian's Palace.

The afternoon tour leaves at 14:30 and is back at 19:00. The water is at its warmest, Trogir is in golden-hour light, and you step off the boat straight into dinner time on the Riva. Pick this one if you are not a morning person, or if you landed that morning and want to sleep in first.

Sharing the boat or taking it privately

The same route runs two ways. The group tour is €70 per person on a boat capped at 12 guests — the best-value half day from Split, and the one most people book. The private charter is €700 for the whole boat, also up to 12 guests, and the maths tips in its favour from about ten people.

The difference is not only the price. On a private half day the timings flex: stay in the lagoon until the kids are done swimming, cut Trogir short if it is 34 degrees, or ask the skipper for a quieter cove if the lagoon is busy that hour. Nothing waits on eleven strangers.

• Group half-day: €70 per person, max 12 guests, fixed 09:30 or 14:30 departure
• Private half-day: €700 per boat, up to 12 guests, same route with flexible timings
• Both include skipper, sailor, fuel, snorkel gear, wind jackets and bottled water

Who the half-day tour suits

This is the tour we recommend when someone tells us they have limited time, small children, or a nervous stomach. It is also the one cruise passengers book, because the timings fit either side of a port call without any risk of missing the ship.

• Best for: arrival or departure days, cruise passengers, families with young children, anyone prone to seasickness
• Also good for: a second boat day after the Blue Cave, when you want water but not another ten hours
• Skip if: the Blue Cave is the thing you came to Croatia for — that route needs a full day and cannot be shortened

What's included, and what isn't

The price covers the boat and fuel, a licensed skipper and an on-board sailor, snorkelling masks and fins, wind jackets, bottled water and full travel insurance for the trip. There is no cave ticket on this route, so unlike the Blue Cave day there is no mandatory extra to budget for.

Lunch is not included — the morning tour gets you back in time to eat in Split, and the afternoon tour finishes at dinner time. Drinks at Beach Bar Borko and anything you buy in Trogir are on you. The balance of the tour price is paid in cash on the boat before departure.

Booking, weather and cancellation

Booking takes a 15% deposit online; the rest is cash on the day. Cancel more than 7 days ahead and the deposit is refunded in full. Inside 7 days we move you to another date that works.

If the weather makes the day unpleasant we call it the evening before, never on the morning — and a weather cancellation from our side is always a full refund or a free reschedule, your choice. Because the whole route stays in the sheltered channel, this tour runs on plenty of days when the open-Adriatic trips do not, so cancellations here are rare.