mljet
Mljet is one of Croatia’s most beautiful and tranquil islands, located in the southern Adriatic Sea. Known for its dense forests of Aleppo Pine and Holm Oak, two saltwater lakes, Veliko Jezero (Great Lake) and Malo Jezero (Small Lake), and a peaceful atmosphere, it is often called the greenest island in Croatia.
Mljet has a rich and layered history that dates back to antiquity. Back in ancient times the island was known to the Greeks and Romans, who called it Melita. Remains of Roman palaces and structures, like the Roman palace in Polace, still stand today. Mljet is often linked to Greek mythology, some believe it is the island where Odysseus was held by the nymph Calypso for seven years. In the Middle Ages Benedictine monks built a monastery and church on the small islet of St. Mary in Veliko Jezero. The monks also helped preserve the island’s forests and shaped much of its cultural landscape.
Later Mljet came under the rule of various powers, including the Republic of Ragusa, the Ottoman Empire, and later Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav administrations.
Today, Mljet is part of the Republic of Croatia and has become a peaceful destination focused on eco-tourism and heritage conservation. The western third of the island is protected as Mljet National Park, established in 1960, and is home to saltwater lakes, hiking trails, and historical monuments. The village of Pomena serves as a popular starting point for visitors to the park, while Sobra, Polace, and Govedari are other key settlements. The island has a small population and limited development, which helps maintain its natural charm. Visitors can enjoy cycling, kayaking, swimming, hiking, and exploring historic ruins in a quiet, unspoilt setting.
There are two ferry companies operating to Mljet.
There’s the Kapetan Luka Split to Dubrovnik ferry, stopping at Brac, Hvar and Korcula before reaching Mljet. During the summer months Kapetan Luka runs two ferries per day, one the Catamaran Krilo Star leaves at 8am, arriving at 11.05am, and the Catamaran Krilo departing at 8.45am, arriving at Pomena at around 12.20pm.
The TP Line operates between Dubrovnik and Lastovo, stopping at Sipan Island before reaching the stops at Sobra and Polace on Mljet, and continuing to Korcula and Lastovo. The TP Line operates two ferries per day to Sobra, departing at either 9.15am or 6.15pm; or one ferry per day to Polace at 9.15am.
Make sure you arrive at your departure harbour at least half an hour before the ferry departure so that you can find out which jetty your vessel will be leaving from. I would recommend purchasing your ticket a day or two before departure, especially in the high season, though many people buy their tickets months ahead so as to avoid disappointment, see links above.
We arrived in Pomena via the Kapetan Luka ferry at around 11am after departing from Hvar at 9.10am. Thankfully the Hotel Odisej Mljet is located opposite the ferry terminal, and our room was available! Formally a monastery and converted into a comfortable 3 star hotel in the early 1960’s, it offers air conditioned rooms, a wellness centre, a nice restaurant, pizzeria and beach bar.
After checking in it was time to start exploring the island. As we were only staying on Mljet for a couple of nights we decided to concentrate on the lakes in the national park including a visit to the monastery of St. Mary. It is an easy 10 minute walk to Malo Jezero along the waterfront passing a few apartments, eateries, bike, ebike, car and scooter rental places. Take the path to the right after Pension Matana and after about 500m you should reach Lake Jezero.
As it was quite hot we decided to swim across to the other side of the lake. This was not as crazy as it sounds as the lake was shallow and there were other people doing the same thing. We ended up close to the small channel that links the two lakes, and for those who decide not to swim there is a small bridge (Mali most) linking the two. At Mali most you will find restrooms, a bicycle hire place and ferry departure point for the island of St Mary.
But for us that was enough for one day, what with the ferry journey, checking in at our hotel and a nice swim, we decide to go back to the hotel and relax for a couple of hours before dinner at Pizzeria Levanat.
The next day was an epic day of first visiting the monastery of St Mary via the ferry at Mali most, then cycling to Polace via Govedari and then back to Pomena.
First stop the ferry from Mali most to St Mary islet. Departing on the hour every hour and costing around 4 euros for the 25 minute trip. We were able to take our bicycles onto the ferry, though I understand this isn’t always allowed. Check out this link for more information on not just the ferry but for useful information about Mljet in general. You are expected to purchase a ticket for entrance to the National Park for around 10 euros and then pay for the ferry to St Mary’s. When we were there the entrance fee wasn’t really enforced and we blindly entered the park and just cycled up to the ferry.
When you visit you will just have to find out the current situation, not really an issue, just a little confusing.
In any case, we had a nice couple of hours exploring the islet, including the Monastery, St Mary’s Church, St Benedict’s Chapel, the Cemetery, Roman Ruins and the Stables. There is also the restaurant Melita which is in a lovely position next to the lake.
We then returned to Pristaniste ferry port and continued our cycle to Polace and it’s interesting Roman ruins, Rimska palaca. There are plenty of restaurants and apartments in Polace and is a nice alternative to Pomena.
Generally, most visitors spend their time in the western part of the island, but to really get away from it all you must head east. Around an hour away you will find Saplunara on the southeastern horn of the island. This is where you will find unspoilt beaches with a handful of apartments, a couple of restaurants and some pretty coves such as Plaza Lumuni and Velika Saplunara. To reach Saplunara from Pomena you must first take the Pomena to Sobra bus, and then take the Sobra to Saplunara bus. Problem is bus 18, Pomena to Sobra departs at 4.45am Monday to Saturday, 5.00am on Sunday, arriving in Sobra at 5.40am. Then you have to wait until 8.55pm for the Sobra to Saplunara bus 19!
As you can imagine, we gave it a miss. If you really want to go to Saplunara take a taxi and spend a few nights enjoying the seclusion. This link will help with getting around the island as well as accommodation suggestions.
Back in Pomena you will find the Vista Mare Beach Bar which is part of the Hotel where you can enjoy fantastic cocktails while enjoying spectacular sunsets, you can also swim safely here. A five minute walk in the opposite direction and you will find a handful of superb restaurants (Konoba), all with fantastic food and views to match. Specialities include seafood (of course), black risotto, deer and goat stews, goats cheese, high quality olive oil; both red and white is produced on Mljet with Hazdovac being the main winery on the island.
As for tours around the island I would recommend local operator Taxi Mljet. They offer a variety of tours including both boat and land options. Their wine tour is really enjoyable with a boat trip from Pomena to Kozarica and a visit to Hazdovac wine tavern which is part of the same winery mentioned above. The tavern also offers value for money accommodation. They also have a popular tour to Odysseus Cave where you get to swim through the sunlit cave, magic! GetYourGuide and Viator offer tours to the Blue Caves, island hopping, wine and food tours. Also Tripadvisor offer the same as above with the additional options of restaurant, hotel, flight, cruise and car-hire.
And finally, Lonely Planet for their excellent guidebooks.