What is the best day trip from Split by boat?

It depends on what you want. For an iconic full day, the 5 islands and Blue Cave route south to Vis. For lively town plus swimming, Hvar and the Pakleni islands. For pure turquoise water, the Blue Lagoon. For calm and quiet with little travel, Šolta. Most first-time visitors love Hvar or the Blue Lagoon, while return visitors often choose the quieter options.

Is one day enough to see an island near Split?

For a single island and a few swims, yes. A full day comfortably covers Hvar and the Pakleni islands, or the Blue Lagoon with a couple of extra stops. Trying to see the far southern islands like Vis and Biševo in a day is possible but means a lot of time travelling, so pick one direction and do it well.

Do you need a tour, or can you explore Split's coast independently?

You can do plenty from land: swim at Bačvice, walk Marjan, take a public ferry to Brač or Hvar. But the hidden bays, the quiet coves and the famous beaches like Zlatni Rat are far easier by boat, and a private trip lets you reach several in a day on your own schedule.

What is the best thing to do in Split for first-time visitors?

Split rewards a mix: a morning in Diocletian's Palace and the old town, an afternoon swim at Bačvice or on Marjan, and at least one full day on the water among the islands. The boat day is the one people most often say they wish they had given more time to.

What are the best free things to do on the water in Split?

Swim at Bačvice and play picigin, the local shallow-water ball game. Walk and swim around the Marjan peninsula. Watch the sunset from the Riva or the west side of Marjan. The sea is the city's best free attraction, and all of it is within walking distance of the old town.

Guide

Things to do in Split

Things to do in Split on the water: a local's guide

The best things to do in and around Split that involve the sea: swimming spots in town, the island day trips worth taking, sunset on the water, and how to choose between them.

22 June 2026 3 min read

Split is a city built around its water. The old town sits right on the harbour, the beaches start a short walk from Diocletian's Palace, and within an hour of leaving the dock you can be swimming off an island. Plenty of the best things to do here cost nothing and need no plan. The rest are day trips onto the water that turn a city break into the part of the holiday people talk about afterwards.

This is the local's version, ordered by how far you have to go.

In the city, on foot

You do not need a boat to enjoy Split's water.

Bačvice is the city beach, a rare shallow sandy bay where locals play picigin, a game of keeping a small ball out of the water. It is free, lively and very Split.
The Marjan peninsula is the green hill on the edge of town, ringed with swim spots, pine shade and quiet coves you can reach on foot or by bike.
The Riva and the west side of Marjan are where the city watches the sun go down.

Start here, then go further.

A day on the islands

The real reason to be in Split is what lies just offshore. A full day on the water is the single experience most visitors wish they had given more time. Where you point the boat depends on the day you want:

Hvar and the Pakleni islands for lively town and clear swimming. See the day trip to Hvar from Split.
The Blue Lagoon for the famous turquoise water, best reached early. See the Blue Lagoon from Split guide.
The 5 islands and Blue Cave for an iconic, far-reaching day south to Vis. See what the 5 islands tour is actually like.
The Pakleni islands and Šolta for a calm half day close to home. See the Pakleni and Šolta escape.
The beaches you can only reach by boat, like Zlatni Rat and Stiniva, gathered in our best beaches near Split guide.

Not sure which to choose? First-timers tend to love Hvar or the Blue Lagoon. Return visitors lean to the quieter options.

Sunset, the part most people miss

When the day boats head home, the water turns gold and empties out. A sunset cruise from Split is the quietest, most romantic version of a day on the Adriatic, and the easiest to fit around a day in town.

Doing it well

The two decisions that make or break a water day are timing and how you travel. Mornings are calm; the popular bays fill by midday. And almost everything good is easier by boat than by ferry. Whether you go on a shared tour, rent your own boat, or take a private charter is really a question of group size and the kind of day you want, which we cover in the guide to renting a boat in Split and the boat tour price guide.

When you are ready to put a day on the water into your trip, tell us your dates and group size and we will build it around what you most want to see.

Common questions

What is the best day trip from Split by boat?: It depends on what you want. For an iconic full day, the 5 islands and Blue Cave route south to Vis. For lively town plus swimming, Hvar and the Pakleni islands. For pure turquoise water, the Blue Lagoon. For calm and quiet with little travel, Šolta. Most first-time visitors love Hvar or the Blue Lagoon, while return visitors often choose the quieter options.
Is one day enough to see an island near Split?: For a single island and a few swims, yes. A full day comfortably covers Hvar and the Pakleni islands, or the Blue Lagoon with a couple of extra stops. Trying to see the far southern islands like Vis and Biševo in a day is possible but means a lot of time travelling, so pick one direction and do it well.
Do you need a tour, or can you explore Split's coast independently?: You can do plenty from land: swim at Bačvice, walk Marjan, take a public ferry to Brač or Hvar. But the hidden bays, the quiet coves and the famous beaches like Zlatni Rat are far easier by boat, and a private trip lets you reach several in a day on your own schedule.
What is the best thing to do in Split for first-time visitors?: Split rewards a mix: a morning in Diocletian's Palace and the old town, an afternoon swim at Bačvice or on Marjan, and at least one full day on the water among the islands. The boat day is the one people most often say they wish they had given more time to.
What are the best free things to do on the water in Split?: Swim at Bačvice and play picigin, the local shallow-water ball game. Walk and swim around the Marjan peninsula. Watch the sunset from the Riva or the west side of Marjan. The sea is the city's best free attraction, and all of it is within walking distance of the old town.