Scattered across the Adriatic just west of Dubrovnik, the Elafiti islands have always served as an out-of-town getaway for locals and tourists alike. Vegetation on the islands has a lush subtropical quality quite unlike the arid mountainscapes of the mainland, and it is this unspoiled, Eden-like quality provides the Elafiti with their enduring appeal. There are three main inhabited islands, Koločep, Lopud and Šipan, all of which are served by a circular ferry route operating out of Dubrovnik’s Gruž harbour.

Koločep

Koločep, nearest to the city and the first stop on the ferry, has a sleepy unruffled air, with inviting footpaths criss-crossing the dense vegetation of its interior.

Lopud

Lopud features a picturesque harbourside village on its western shore, overlooked by a monastery church rich in Renaissance furnishings. The Grand Hotel, on the seafront, is a famous if nowadays neglected example of 1930s modernist architecture. Nearby, the Đorđić-Mayner Park is one of the southern Adriatic’s most restful public gardens. A forty-minute walk (or ten-minute golf-cart ride) away from the village is Šunj bay, site of a gorgeous sandy beach and a pair of open-air café-bars in season.

Šipan