Join me and my family on a 3.5-hour journey from Split to Vela Luka, a town on Korčula Island. In this video, I’ll explain everything you need to know about the ferry trip—from boarding the car ferry to what’s available on board. Next stop: Korčula!
I recorded the video above during our trip to Korčula for a 5-day mini holiday. You can read about our stay on the island here.
Below, I’ve summarized all the information from my Split-to-Vela Luka video and added some extra details that I hope you’ll find useful.
Sailing Route Split to Vela Luka
The ferry trip from Split to Vela Luka is one of the most scenic you can take in Croatia, this ferry trip, takes you through the narrow strait between Island Solta and Island Brac. From there the ferry continues to Island Hvar where it passes on the north side, in the strait between Hvar and the Pakleni Islands.
The highlight of the trip is when the ferry passes by Hvar town, at best enjoy the view from the outside when this happens. After Hvar town the ferry continues towards the north end of Korcula, sailing into the bay of Vela Luka is also a beautiful sight.
Tickets, prices and timetables
The car ferry route Split to Vela Luka is operated most of the year by the state ferry company Jadrolinija, the sailing schedule and prices can be found here, just click on line number 604 under district of Split.
We sailed with the ferry in May, which is the low-price season, so we paid 7.50 Euro per adult ticket and 52.90 Euro for our car, so in total 7.50 * 4 + 52.90 = 82.90 Euro (Oskar our 7.5 kg Westie traveled for free).
With higher prices, the same trip in the main season would have cost us, 10.20 * 4 + 69.80 = 110.60 Euro.
The sailing time varies from 3 to 3.5 hours depending on the weekday, I assume this is related to Jadrolinija using different vessels for the route.
How to get the best seats on the ferry.
As you saw in the video, few people were on the ferry the day we sailed, so getting a good seat in the salon wasn’t a problem.
However, as I mentioned in the video, cars are loaded last onto the ferry. This means that on a full ferry, the best seats in the salon or outdoor areas are often taken by foot passengers.
If you’re traveling as a group by car, you can use a trick we often rely on. We buy two tickets: one for the driver (me) and the car, and a second ticket for the rest of the family.
Once the green light for boarding is given, my family boards as foot passengers and heads straight to the salon to secure great seats, such as those by the windows. I then board later with the car.
Note: There are, of course, enough seats for everyone on all ferries. We simply use this trick to get the best seats for our trip.
What to bring for the ferry trip
On all car ferries, there is usually a kiosk where you can buy cold and hot drinks, snacks, and sandwiches.
However, since prices are relatively high on the ferry, we usually bring our sandwiches and drinks in a cooling box. When you’re traveling as a group of four adults, this can easily save you 30–40 euros.
On most trips, we also bring playing cards or other games. Of course, you’ll want to enjoy the views while sailing, but on longer trips, a nice card game can make the time fly by.
Since we usually have Oskar with us on most trips, we, of course, bring all kinds of supplies for him, including an “emergency” cleanup kit in case he needs to pee or poop.
Other ways of getting to Korcula
With a car
The ferry from Split to Vela Luka is one of two car ferry connections to Korcula, the other ferry route is the one between Orebic and Dominci, and with the Pelješac Bridge in place, this is an alternative travel way worth considering.
From Split, there are 210 Km to Orebic, which will take you about 3 hours, the ferry ticket price is considerably less. In the off-season, 4 adults and a car cost = 19.20 Euro, and in the main season 31.70 Euro, so even though you have highway toll and gas costs to get to Orebic, taking the ferry from there would still be cheaper options
As a foot passenger
Meanwhile, there are plenty of options to get to Korcula Island as a foot passenger.
On the routes we sailed from Split to Vela Luka, Jadrolinija also operates a year-round fast ferry. Depending on the time of year, the travel time with the fast ferry is between 2 hours and 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Town Korcula is connected by a whole year of operating fast ferries from Split, Dubrovnik, and Hvar, as well as a passenger boat between Orebic and Korcula town. During the summer season, there is also a connection to Mljet Island and a few other places.
All the above routes have several daily departures in summer, and several ferry companies operate the different routes, so I recommend you use a site like GetByFerry.com to get an overview of the departure times.
Final Note
Hope you enjoy my Video about the ferry trip from Split to Vela Luka, feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions, also check out some of my other videos, thanks!
