A day trip from Split to Brac Island, Croatia

A day trip from Split to Brac Island is probably the easiest Split day trip to one of the islands, thanks to its close proximity and regular ferries running between Brač and the mainland.

Visiting Brač was actually the first day trip from Split that I did by ferry, about 2 months after I moved to Croatia on the Digital Nomad Visa. It’s a day trip that I highly recommend because you don't need a tour or organised group trip to get there, you can do it yourself for a reasonable price (although you can go by tour if you want to!)

Brac Island is my favourite island to visit from Split and I think it’s hugely underrated. Most people only think of visiting neighbouring Hvar, which while beautiful, is expensive and can be more of a party destination.

Brac is like a more untouched, less touristy Hvar with just as much, if not more, beautiful scenery, towns and beaches - a great addition to your Croatia itinerary!

In this guide, I’ll be sharing everything you need to know about a Brac day trip, how to get to Brac Island and things to do on Brac Island for the day.

A white sand horn shaped beach stretching ing into clear turquoise water. Many green trees are in the distance — Zlatni Rat Beach aka Golden Horn Beach

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Where is Brac Island in Croatia?

Brač Island is located in the Adriatic sea, around 16km off the coast of Croatia. It’s the largest island in Dalmatia and the third largest island in Croatia.

Split is the closest mainland city to reach Brac from, with regular ferries taking just 50 minutes to cross the Brac channel.

How big is Brac Island?

Brac island itself is around 396km2 in size with a population of 14,000 and the capital city is Supetar.

Best way to get to Brac Island from Split

The best and easiest way to get to Brac from Split is by ferry.

Jadrolinija is the Croatian ferry line which operates the Split to Brac ferry several ferries every day. In the winter, this runs around 9 times per day, in the summer there are 12 crossings.

There are two types of ferry in Croatia:

A white ferry boat docked at port with blue writing on the side that reads "jadrolinija" — Jadrolinija ferry, Split to Brac

Catamaran - the fast ferry which carries foot passengers only
Ferry - a standard ferry which also carries cars and other vehicles

The regular ferry from Split to Brac is a car ferry into the port of Supetar, Brac’s capital city.

There is a Jadrolinija catamaran that runs once a day from Split to Bol, which is the town on the other side of Brac Island, this is only a 1 hour journey but there is only one sailing per day, so the timing is not as favourable.

Alternatively, you can book a catamaran transfer which has two sailings each day from Split to Bol. It's a bit more expensive at €24 each way but would take you directly to Bol and Golden Horn Beach if that’s where you want to go. Check prices and availability.

A small village on a hillside, surrounded by lush green trees, the tops of buildings with orange rooftops can be seen an a church tower protruding above — Brac island road trip views

How long is the ferry from Split to Brac?

The ferry from Split to Brac takes 50 minutes.

How much are tickets for the ferry from Split to Brac Island?

One way tickets for a foot passenger are €5.50 (at the time of writing), so it will cost you €11 return for a day trip to Supetar, Brac.

If you’re taking a vehicle, the vehicle ticket varies depending on the size but a standard length car is €22.56 per person one way.

Tickets are cheaper if you’re travelling with a motorcycle, or of course more if you’re travelling with a car and caravan etc. The prices also fluctuate depending on the time of the year.

Taking the Split to Brac car ferry

Foot passengers can take the car ferry as well as vehicle drivers, the only difference is that if you take the Split to Brac car ferry with your vehicle, you must pay the vehicle fee as well as your passenger ticket.

You will also need to arrive 90 minutes before departure to allow time to load your vehicle onto the boat.

Foot passengers can arrive up to 30 minutes before departure.

Large sailing ships docked in a harbour with blue water, blue sky and colourful yellow and pink houses with orange rooftops lining the harbour — Supetar, Brac Island

Timetable for the ferry to Brac from Split

The ferry runs all year so residents on the island can get back and forth to the mainland.

But there are more sailings in the summer months.

You can check the timetable and sailings here - Search for “Split” to “Supetar” to find the correct port.

Tour vs self-guided day trips from Split to Brac Island

A small white boat with a canopy anchored in shallow turquoise water with clear blue sky — Boat docked at Bol

As you can see from the prices above, €11 for a foot passenger return trip is a great price and definitely cheaper than a tour.

However if you’d prefer to have the day organised for you, with no need to have a vehicle on Brac or to have your Brac itinerary organised and ready to go, here are a few of my favourite Brac day tours from Split.

There aren’t really any options for a day trip to Bol from Split specifically to see Zlatni Rat. The Golden Horn beach is usually one of several stops on an island hopping tour. Alternatively you can book a private boat trip Split to Brac to see Golden Horn Beach and plan a day trip to Brac that fits your requirements.

A sailing tour of Solta Island and Brac Island - check prices and availability here.
Explore Brac Island in a 4WD Jeep for the day - Check prices and availability here.
A private speedboat tour from Split to Brac, price is for group of 6 - check price and availability here.
A full day island hopping to Brac, Hvar and Pakleni Islands - check prices and availability here.

How to get to Zlatni Rat aka Golden Horn Beach?

A drone shot above a large sand bar with turquoise blue water surrounding it and shades of blue as the water gets deeper, beach is busy with beach goers and kitesurfers are in the water — Zlatni Rat Beach / Golden Horn Beach, Brac, Croatia

Although the Split to Brac ferry is super cheap and straightforward, it does drop you in Supetar, which although it’s a beautiful town, I’m sure you’re wanting to visit Brac to see the famous Zlatni Rat Beach aka Golden Horn Beach.

The best option would be to book the alternative direct Bol transfer service which is a lot more expensive, €48 return, from Split to Bol - Book here.

For this Split to Bol ferry option, it’s a catamaran only, so you will not be able to explore the island beyond Bol and Zlatni Rat, unless you hire a vehicle in Brac.

If you think you would like a vehicle during your day trip from Split to Bol, you have three options for exploring Brac Island. Your transport options are:

Get a rental vehicle in Split and take this on the car ferry with you (this could be a car or a scooter)
Rent a scooter in Supetar when you arrive so you can easily get around the island all day
Get a taxi from Supetar to Bol / Golden Horn Beach

It’s actually a 40 minute drive across the island from Supetar to Bol, so the taxi will be an expensive option in the summer months, although it could be worth it if you’re a larger group and can split the cost.

Is a day trip from Split to Brac Island enough time?

Of course one day on Brac island is never going to be enough to see everything that the island has to offer.

However, a day trip to Brac island from Split is plenty of time to see the main sights, explore Bol and maybe another town or two, then spend some time relaxing on Zlatni Rat, aka Golden Horn beach.

In my opinion, a day trip to Brac from Split is one of the best and cheapest ways to experience a Croatian island without too much additional expenditure and planning.

A town around an estury with blue water and sea in the distance on Brac Island, Croatia — Exploring the island on a Brac Island day trip itinerary

Best things to do on a day trip to Brac island from Split

I recommend taking one of the earlier ferries from Split to Brac so maximise your time on the island.

Looking across blue sea to a town on the hillside with houses made of stone and orange rooftops. A catamaran is docked in front of the town. A mountain towers behind the town — Bol, Brac

Zlatni Rat aka Golden Horn beach is the most famous attraction on Brac Island and it’s definitely beautiful and worth the visit, but depending on how long you want to spend on the beach will determine how much time you have to do these other activities.

If you’re excited for a full day on the beach, there are bars, cafes and watersport activities there so you can easily spend the day there.

But we’re not huge beach goers, so we did also manage these activities during a day trip to Brac from Split - so totally up to you how much you choose to do or not to do!

Wander through Bol, Brac

Bol is the second largest town on Brac Island after Supetar and is famous for the Golden Horn Beach as well as popular for boat day trips and cruises thanks to a number of beautiful beaches, coves and generally beautiful coastline to enjoy.

Outdoor seating of a restaurant with a wooden table and white table cloths. The seating area is on a deck that looks out onto turquoise water — Restaurant Santo, Bol Brac Island

Bol faces south, towards Hvar so you also have a view of Hvar island.

Bol is still a relatively small town, you’ll find shops, cafes and restaurants along the waterfront.

If you’re looking for places to eat in Bol, I recommend Restaurant Santo.

Wine tasting at Stina Winery

two wine glasses with a small amount of red wine in each and a dark green wine bottle standing next to ech on a bar with stone walls in the background and more wine bottles on the wall — Stina Winery, Bol Brac Island

Probably one of the most picturesque wineries I’ve ever been to and definitely the only winery on a beachfront that I’ve been to!

Stina Winery is the main wine producer on the Island of Brac and their wine is now available internationally which is great news for the island!

They open for tastings during the summer months and they also have a small museum, wine bar and shop, so even if you don’t want to book a full tasting experience, you can buy a glass, learn about the winery and enjoy your wine sitting outside with a view of the water.

Visit the famous Golden Horn Beach - Zlatni Rat

A drone shot of a large hook-shaped sand bar with shallow, turquoise water each side and people on the beach — Golden Horn Beach, Croatia

Of course, no trip to Brac is complete without visiting the famous Golden Horn Beach.

In Croatian, Golden Horn is called Zlatni Rat, but you will hear the two terms used interchangeably.

Named as one of the best beaches in Europe by Travel and Leisure, Golden Horn Beach is a stunning beach with a sand bar that tapers out into turquoise blue waters.

Although take the phrase “sand bar” with a pinch of salt (or pinch of sand?) because this beach is actually a pebble beach. All beaches in Croatia are naturally pebble beaches.

Thankfully, the pebbles on this beach are quite small so not as painful to walk on as other Croatian beaches but I still highly advise getting water shoes to enjoy your time paddling in the water!

The water is shallow, clear and mostly calm so it’s a great beach for families. Although this is also a famous windsurfing spot and sometimes the wind can really pick up - so look out for windy days and also windsurfers in the water!

There is a range of bars and cafes serving drinks, hot and cold food throughout the summer season. There’s also a lovely relaxed area with cool seating, beanbags, parasols and music playing.

There are full facilities including showers and toilets.

See the views from the highest point on Brac - Vidova Gora

Vidova Gora, or Mount St. Vid, is the highest peak on Brac island at 780m above sea level.

You can access the mountain peak by foot and vehicle, so if you’re short on time, don’t worry - you can just drive to the top!

A view looking down on Bol town on the sea edge with other islands in the distance, view from the top of a mountain — View on the route up to Vidova Gora

The views are spectacular across the island, across to the mainland and to neighbouring Hvar. Seeing Zlatni Rat from above is also beautiful.

There are walking trails starting from various points in the island; these are well-signposted. The trail starting in Bol is definitely a steeper option but the train can be found at the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The other trail head starts from Knezevravan highland, close to Nerežišće.

For more information on the walking trails in this area, check here.

Explore Supetar

A view of a small town on the edge of a harbour, boats are in the water, buildings are painted yellow and pink with orange rooftops and a bell tower rises above the rooftops. A green hill in the background — Supetar, Brac

We only spent a short 30-45 minutes in Supetar while we waited for our ferry back to Split but I love the colourful town and the Riva which is like a mini version of the Split Riva!

A stroll along the waterfront is a beautiful way to end the day before heading back to Split.

Summary: A day trip to Brac from Split

I really love Brac Island and I hope this guide gives you enough information and inspiration to plan your own day trip from Split to Brac Island.

I do think that Brac is a real hidden gem compared to neighbouring Hvar, despite the fact that it’s quicker and cheaper to get to!

A day trip to Brac from Split is also budget friendly and can be done in one day, meaning you’re not having to arrange additional accommodation in both Split and Brac for your trip to Croatia.

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