The Elaphiti Island of Lopud
A total of 16 islands make up the archipelago of the Elaphiti Islands. However, only three islands can be visited by local ferry from Dubrovnik: Kolocep, Lopud, and Sipan.
The ferry hits all three main islands in a long meandering loop, but Lopud (the second stop) was recommended to us because it has the most infrastructure. The ferries here are extremely punctual, and usually only port for a few minutes and leave on the dot, so don’t be late.
First thing to know. Ferries to the Elaphti Islands do not depart from the Old Town City Harbor. They depart from the Dubrovnik Port in Gruz. We were staying in this quiet area, which made catching the ferry super easy.
Just me being curious about what’s going on in the bow of the boat before we set sail.
The Church Holy Mary of Spilice welcomes sea-faring travelers to the island of Lopud.
Welcome to Lopud! The second floor of the ferry has the best seats for views and was the perfect place to get a nice distant view of the port area before it zoomed off to the next island.
There was a little sandy beach complete with sun chairs right next to the visitor’s center, but the nearby map showed us it was possible to walk from the port area to the other side of the island where there was a larger sandy beach called Šunj. Plans started to form.
But before we attempted that trek, we spent some time walking along the main street because it was just so pretty and quiet (we took one of the first ferries of the day which meant very few others on the island at this point).
Looking down the side streets. Sometimes things peeked back. It was usually a church. Everything here is pedestrian friendly as there are no large vehicles driving around on the island.
All of the restaurants host a beautiful waterside view. Very tempting to just stay put and enjoy. On a side note, public bathrooms only seem to be available in restaurants, so plan accordingly.
While on the hunt for bathrooms, we discovered a pebble beach attached to a hotel. The hotel was closed for the season, and there was no one around except for a few maintenance workers. We had the beach to ourselves.
One of the things I love about Croatia is the abundance of sand, pebble, and/or concrete beaches and the clarity of the clean calm waters. It is not unusual to see a fish or two casually swimming by.
A quiet and free little botanical garden to wander around and get some cover from the sun.
Sunj beach is on the opposite side of the island. Yes, there is a clearly marked path and yes, it is “walkable”. But there is some elevation. Luckily, strategically placed at a point along the path where you start to question whether or not to continue the walk, there are some golf cart “taxis” that will take you to and from the beach. For a fee, of course.
We opted to forgo the golf cart ride and walk which was great because we got to stop and enjoy this view overlooking Sunj Beach before proceeding to make our way down. But it was at this point that we decided that taking a golf cart on the way back made plenty of sense. Going down this hill was one thing, but going up…
We finally arrived at Sunj beach to the sound of music and the delicious smell of food. And of course, a wide crescent moon of sandy beach and calm blue waters.
After a quick golf cart ride with some rather boisterous ladies from England, we arrived back to the port area in very good time and had a few minutes to stop by the church.
Okay, we’ve seen sandy beaches, pebble beaches, and here’s a concrete beach at the base of the church to round out the trifecta before heading home.
And finally….
As mentioned before, the ferry does dock at the other two islands. This is Kolocep - the first island that is hit when departing from Gruz.
And this is Sipan - the third island in the ferry loop. The ferry hits all of the islands, so even though we didn’t disembark, we still got a glimpse of what they’re like.