Blue Lagoon and Three Islands Half-Day Speedboat Tour from Trogir

Trogir and Kamerlengo Fortress – the starting point

Trogir is a small island town joined to the mainland and to Čiovo by bridges, with an old town listed by UNESCO for its Romanesque and Renaissance architecture. The tour begins on its seafront promenade in front of Kamerlengo Fortress, the Venetian stronghold built in the 15th century to guard the harbour and the channel. Seen from the deck of the speedboat as you pull away, the fortress, the bell tower of the cathedral and the stone houses line up into the classic Trogir postcard view.

Starting a Blue Lagoon tour from Trogir rather than Split has a practical advantage: the Krknjaši islets lie only about 20 minutes away by speedboat, so more of the five hours is spent in the water and on the islands rather than in transit. Trogir is about 30 minutes from Split by road and a few minutes from the airport, so the tour also works well on an arrival or departure day.

The Blue Lagoon on the Krknjaši islets

The Blue Lagoon lies between the island of Drvenik Veli and the two small Krknjaši islets, where a sandy, shallow seabed turns the water an intense turquoise that can be seen from a distance. The sea here is rarely deeper than a few metres, so the colours are at their best in sunshine and the water warms quickly in summer. It is the most famous swimming spot in the Trogir and Split area and the main reason most people book a speedboat trip from Trogir.

You have about 1.5 hours at the Blue Lagoon. The skipper anchors in the shallows and hands out the snorkelling masks; shoals of small fish gather around the boat, and the white sand bottom makes it easy for beginners and children. Is the Blue Lagoon worth visiting? On a calm morning it is as beautiful as the photos, and the 10:00 departure gets you there before the larger excursion boats from Split arrive.

Maslinica on the island of Šolta

Šolta is a quiet, olive-covered island facing Split, and Maslinica is its only village and harbour on the western side. A row of stone houses, a small marina and a restored castle tower that still dominates the waterfront give it the feel of an older, slower Dalmatia. Seven tiny islets protect the bay in front of the village, and the name comes from maslina, the Croatian word for olive, which has been grown here since Roman times.

The stop in Maslinica lasts about an hour. The skipper shows you the harbour and the village lanes, and then you have free time for lunch at one of the family-run restaurants, where grilled fish, octopus salad and dishes cooked under a peka lid are typical, or simply for a coffee by the water. Lunch is not included, so bring cash or a card. Maslinica is also the best place on the tour for a short walk on solid ground before the next swim.

Duga Bay on the island of Čiovo

Čiovo is the island directly opposite Trogir, connected to the town by a bridge, and its southern coast is a string of pine-fringed coves facing the open sea. Duga Bay, the long bay that gives it its name, is the final stop of the tour: a sheltered inlet with clear water, a pebble shore and rocky shallows where schools of silver fish feed around the stones. It is calmer and less visited than the Blue Lagoon and a favourite of the local skippers.

The second swim and snorkel stop lasts about 1.5 hours, so there is time to swim ashore, sunbathe on the rocks or simply float. Because Duga Bay is only about 15 minutes by speedboat from the Trogir promenade, the return is short and the tour ends around 15:00, leaving the rest of the afternoon for the old town or for the beaches of Čiovo itself.

The speedboat and the sea route

The tour runs on a modern open speedboat for small groups, with a licensed skipper who speaks English and Croatian. The total time on the water is about an hour spread over four short legs: roughly 20 minutes from Trogir to the Blue Lagoon, 10 minutes across to Maslinica, 15 minutes to Duga Bay and 15 minutes back. Windproof jackets are provided for the faster stretches, and the boat carries full safety equipment, insurance and bottled water for everyone.

The route keeps mainly within the sheltered channels between Čiovo, Drvenik and Šolta, which is why it can run on most summer days. If the wind picks up, the skipper may swap the order of the stops or choose a more sheltered cove, always keeping the three-island structure of the tour. A private speedboat option with the same route and a choice of departure times is available for those who prefer their own boat.