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Blue Cave Croatia: Visitor Guide

Blue caves vis
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If you’re a fan of exploring natural wonders on your traveling trips, the Blue Cave in Croatia should be somewhere on the top of your bucket list. This bright and beryl attraction is located on Bisevo island, and it’s easily reachable from Split, Hvar, or Trogir.

The Blue Cave is a unique natural phenomenon that only recently opened for visitors. However, it didn’t take long before it became one of the Croatian tourist hotspots due to its mesmerizing blue hue.

In this article, we’ll share everything we know about the Blue Cave with you, explain how to get there, describe what it’s like from the inside.

Blue Cave Croatia: History

The Blue Cave is a centuries-old cave at the Balun Cove on the eastern side of the Vis island. Although It was known to local fishermen since ancient times, the broader public and visitors knew nothing about it. The only available entrance was underneath the rock wall, so it was accessible only to divers.

In the late 19th century, the Blue Cave became famous after Don Juraj Mateo Brajcin showed it to Baron Eugen von Ransonet, who then wrote about it in an Austrian newspaper. He compared it to the Italian Grotta Azzura in Capri, so the public caught interest in it immediately. The Baron suggested making an artificial entrance in the cave so that small boats could go inside. The locals loved this idea and successfully blasted it open with dynamite.

As visitors usually enter the cave on a boat, it can seem a bit tight in there: the 24m long cave is only 1.5m high and 2.5 meters wide.

More than 10,000 visitors per year decide to go on the magical Blue Cave tour, and its beauty makes the 3-hour boat ride worthy!

Why Is the Blue Cave Blue?

The answer to this question lies in the magnificent play of nature (and physics). When the Sun enters the cave through the water, they reflect off its limestone floor. So, the Sun, water, and rocks interact in a strange way and create a brilliant blue color inside the cave.

On sunny days, between 11am and 12pm, the cave is showered in the perfect marine blue while the objects inside appear like silver. This is considered the most beautiful view of the Blue Cave and it lasts until 2pm. However, even if it’s not sunny outside, the cave will still look stunning.

Although the water is glowing blue, it’s also crystal clear, so if you try to inspect it closer, you’ll realize that rocks sitting at 10-12m depth are still visible!

Related post: Best castles in Croatia

How Do I Get to the Blue Cave?

Thanks to Baron Eugen von Ransonet and dynamite works, visiting the Blue Cave is very simple. If you want to organize the trip by yourself, here’s how you need to go:

  • Take a ferry boat from the city of Split to the island of Bisevo. This journey lasts between 1h 30min and 2h 30 min, depending on the ferry’s route. The price can vary but on average, it’s pretty cheap.
  • Once you reach the Vis port, you need to find a bus, car, or motorcycle and ride for 15 minutes to the other side of the island. If you’re not rushing, use this time to explore this island. However, your final destination should be the small fishing town of Komiza.
  • In Komiza, you need to hop a ferry again and go to the island of Bisevo. This ferry makes one journey per day: it leaves Komiza at 8am and goes back either at 1pm, 4pm, or 5pm. Double-check the latest timetable before departing. This ferry takes 1h 15min to the cave.
  • If you don’t want to rely on the ferry and you’re not so tight with budget, you can also take a speed boat which is much quicker and makes more rounds in one day.
  • Ferry or speedboat will take you to Porat, where you can buy a ticket for the Blue Cave tour. Once you get the ticket, all you need to do is sip a cold cocktail and wait for someone to call your name and take you inside the cave. 

If you don’t feel like an adventure and risking staying on Bisevo island with no ferry to take you back, you can always take an organized tour from Split – especially if you want to make it to the cave between 11am and 2pm and witness its peak of beauty.

Good thing about organized excursions is that they encompass much more than just the 10 minutes in the Blue Cave: you’ll probably get to visit Hvar, Vis, Paklinski, Budikovac, and another similar cave on Bisevo island – the Green Cave. You also get a tour guide.

Can You Swim Inside the Blue Cave Croatia?

Although the initial entrance to the cave was accessible only by diving, today swimming in the Blue Cave is not allowed. Some tour guides might try to convince you that it’s allowed only to entice you to come with them to the Blue Grotto, but keep in mind that this is not true. 

The entrance to the cave is being monitored by a set of cameras. Since there’s a solid number of boats in the cave at any given moment, swimming would be a dangerous idea anyway.

Final Word: Is All the Fuss About the Blue Cave in Croatia Worth It?

If you’ve ever visited Croatia, you probably know that it’s home to one of the most beautiful coasts and unique nature. If you decide to spend your summer holiday in Croatia, Blue Hole should be on your priority list.

Whether you decide to risk and self-organize a trip, or take an organized Blue Cave tour from Split, once you’re inside, bathing in blue light, you’ll see why. As your wooden boat enters inside the Blue Cave, make sure to bend down your head, so you don’t hit the ceiling. However, don’t forget to keep your eyes wide open!

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About the author

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Teodora Savic

Teodora Savic is an experienced food and travel writer with degrees in psychology and social sciences.

Driven by curiosity and a love for exploration, she leads you to amazing destinations, challenges you to new food experiences, and tells great stories of her adventures.

Teodora currently splits her time between two Balkan capital cities: Belgrade and Skopje, enjoying picturesque natural landscapes, urban underground, and the area's rich cultural heritage.

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