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Pick the Blue Cave for a shorter day; pick Mostar for a second country and a historic bridge. Shared four-hour Blue Cave boats cost $47.95 to $79.93 per adult (2 travelers); the cheapest Mostar day trip costs $51.38 per adult but takes 11 hours.
Verified on via the Viator partner API (prices, ratings, availability).
If you have one free day in Dubrovnik, you will probably narrow it down to two options: a day trip to Mostar, the Bosnian city with the Stari Most bridge, or a boat trip to the Blue Cave. They are not the same kind of day. This guide shows which one fits you, with prices and availability taken from the Viator partner API.
We compared ten tours that sell from Dubrovnik on Viator. Each one had to hold a rating of 4.7 or higher with at least 100 reviews. The set has seven Blue Cave boat trips and three Mostar day trips, because only three Mostar tours leaving from Dubrovnik passed that floor. We say so rather than padding the list with tours that start in Mostar itself. If you want a first look at the most popular option before you read on, check availability for the Blue Cave boat with 13,258 reviews.
Mostar asks for most of the day in a vehicle and a passport, and it gives you a second country, a historic bridge and a waterfall. A bus covers the same road: FlixBus lists 131 km in 3 hours 15 minutes, and EasyBalkan estimates about 140 km and 2.5 hours each way without stops. Both are published estimates, and we quote no bus fare because the sources we read give none.
Why Mostar and the Blue Cave Get Compared
Both trips leave from Dubrovnik, both fill a day, and the shared versions cost roughly the same per person. That is where the similarity ends. Mostar is a land trip into Bosnia and Herzegovina. One operator’s planning guide puts the drive at about 140 kilometers each way, or roughly 87 miles, with about two and a half hours at the wheel and no stops. It adds 20 to 40 minutes at the border in July and August. The reward is the old town and Stari Most, the 16th-century Ottoman stone arch over the Neretva River. Stari Most was destroyed in 1993, rebuilt, and reopened in 2004.
The Blue Cave trip is a boat day. Most listings run four hours and spend the time on swimming, snorkeling and photo stops around the Elaphiti Islands. One eight-hour option adds a combined Cavtat and Elaphiti route. On a boat the day is about the water, and the travel time is short.
A caution about the name. The official Blue Cave, Modra špilja in Croatian, is not the cave that Dubrovnik tours visit. The Komiža Tourist Board places it on the island of Biševo, in the cove Balun, 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km) off Komiža on Vis. It gives the entrance as an opening 1.5 m high and 2.4 m wide. The Dubrovnik tours in this comparison call their stop the Blue Cave. For the tours in cards 4, 5, 8 and 10 the listing names Koločep, in the Elaphiti Islands; for the other tours we describe the stop as the listing does. This article follows the operators’ usage. When we write « Blue Cave » for a Dubrovnik tour, we mean the cave its listing describes. No tour listed here goes to Biševo. Ask the operator which cave your booking names, so your expectations match the cave you see.
Timing matters too. The window we checked runs from October 25 to December 23, 2026, which falls after the summer peak. Two listings change with the calendar. The Šunj Beach stop closes from November to April, and one private boat runs its 8:30 a.m. morning departure only from June 1 to September 15. Both points are covered in the cards below.
The prices in this article come from the Viator partner API, pulled on October 11, 2026. For shared tours, the per-adult figure is the total for two travelers divided by two. For the two private tours, the price is one charge per boat or per booking, and we show it that way. The API also gives a « from » price that applies to any traveler age. It is often lower than what two adults pay, so we do not use it.
The 10 Day Trips Compared
The table lists the ten tours in the same order as the cards below. Prices are for two adults. Shared tours show the per-adult price with the two-person total in brackets. Private tours show the total charge. Every tour carries a free cancellation flag in the API data, but read the cancellation window on the Viator page before you pay.
| Experience | Duration | Price per adult (base 2) | Rating (reviews) | Free cancellation | Days available |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shared Mostar and Kravica Day Tour | 11 hours | $51.38 (total $102.76) | 4.83 (1,387) | Yes | 7 of 60 |
| 2. Semi-Private Mostar and Kravica Tour | 10.5 hours | $126.75 (total $253.50) | 4.88 (3,613) | Yes | 7 of 60 |
| 3. Private Mostar, Počitelj and Kravica Tour | 10 hours | $616.61 per booking (total) | 4.92 (220) | Yes | 22 of 60 |
| 4. Small-Group Blue Cave and Šunj Beach Boat Tour | 4 hours | $63.94 (total $127.88) | 4.94 (13,258) | Yes | 7 of 60 |
| 5. Blue Cave, Lopud and Šunj Beach Speedboat Tour | 4 hours | $47.95 (total $95.90) | 4.90 (3,202) | Yes | 7 of 60 |
| 6. Seven Caves and Blue Cave Speedboat Tour | 4 hours | $61.66 (total $123.32) | 4.98 (1,949) | Yes | 8 of 60 |
| 7. Blue Cave and Elaphiti Islands Boat Tour (Regina Maris) | 4 hours | $79.93 (total $159.86) | 4.91 (1,571) | Yes | 10 of 60 |
| 8. Blue Cave, Šunj Beach and Snorkeling Boat Tour | 4 hours | $57.09 (total $114.18) | 4.87 (503) | Yes | 6 of 60 |
| 9. Cavtat Blue Cave and Elaphiti Islands Boat Tour | 8 hours | $40.42 (total $80.84) | 4.92 (544) | Yes | 7 of 60 |
| 10. Private Speedboat Tour, Blue Cave and Elaphiti Islands | 4 hours | $347.13 per boat (total) | 4.99 (141) | Yes | 22 of 60 |
Prices and availability pulled from the Viator partner API on October 11, 2026, for departures from October 25 to December 23, 2026. They can change.
The split is seven Blue Cave tours and three Mostar tours, and the Mostar side is thinner. Only three Mostar tours that leave from Dubrovnik passed the rating floor, so the Mostar choice is narrower than the boat choice. Within the boats, shared four-hour departures run from $47.95 to $79.93 per adult. The shared Mostar day trip costs $51.38 per adult, but it takes 11 hours, and the two private options are priced per booking at $347.13 per boat and $616.61 per booking. Do not divide either private price by two.
The 10 Day Trips From Dubrovnik, One by One
1. Shared Mostar and Kravica Day Tour
Pick this if Mostar is the reason you are in Dubrovnik and you accept a long day on the road to see it. Pickup covers the city itself plus three stops on the coast road, Slano, Orasac and Zaton Mali, so the morning starts closer to your hotel than most. The listing promises a 45-minute licensed guide in Mostar. That is enough to walk the old town and see Stari Most, though not much time for a slow lunch. Kravica sits on the route, and this is where the listing contradicts itself. It calls fast-track entry included, then names Kravica admission among the exclusions. Ask the operator which one applies before you pay. The border fee and tourist tax are payable in cash only. At 11 hours, this is the longest shared tour in the set and the lowest price per adult for a Mostar trip.
- Pickup in Dubrovnik, Slano, Orasac or Zaton Mali
- 45-minute licensed guide in Mostar
- Border fee and tourist tax payable in cash only
2. Semi-Private Mostar and Kravica Tour
This is the Mostar tour for travelers who want the same route with fewer people and a more comfortable seat. The group is capped at eight guests in an air-conditioned minivan, and pickup covers Dubrovnik hotels in select areas. It is also the most reviewed Mostar product in the set, with 3,613 reviews at 4.88, so many people have already seen what the day looks like. The day runs 10.5 hours. Kravica admission is excluded from the price, so budget for the entrance on site and carry cash, because the listing warns that many places do not take cards. At $126.75 per adult, it costs more than the shared coach. The extra money buys the smaller group, not a shorter drive. Choose it for the company and the comfort of a minivan, and skip it if your only goal is the cheapest seat to Mostar.
- Groups of no more than eight guests
- Air-conditioned minivan with a driver-guide
- Kravica admission excluded: pay on site
3. Private Mostar, Počitelj and Kravica Tour
Choose this when control matters more than price. The car is private, the pickup and drop-off are at your hotel, and our data does not give the maximum group size, so this card does not compare it on that point. The title names Počitelj, so it is the only Mostar product in this set that names a third stop. It suits a couple or a small group that wants Mostar, Počitelj and Kravica in one day without choosing between them. The Kravica entrance fee is included, which removes one cash payment from the day. Food, drinks and gratuities are not included, so plan for lunch and a tip. The price is $616.61 per booking, not per person, so the figure in the table covers the whole car. Our data does not give the group size, so the per-person cost of this car is unknown; divide the total only once you know how many people share it.
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Dubrovnik
- Kravica entrance fee included
- Food, drinks and gratuities not included
4. Small-Group Blue Cave and Šunj Beach Boat Tour
This is the Blue Cave tour most people will recognize. It has 13,258 reviews at 4.94, the largest review count among the ten. The boat leaves from Dubrovnik and visits three caves on Koločep, then stops at Šunj Beach on Lopud. That beach stop depends on the season. From November to April, Šunj is closed, and one of the other listings says the stop moves to Lopud or Koločep village instead. Hotel pickup in Dubrovnik is an option. The operator runs small groups so that each guest gets some personal attention. Coca-Cola, Fanta and bottled water are included. At $63.94 per adult for four hours, the price sits in the middle of the shared boats. Seven of the 60 days in the window had open dates on the day we checked. Pick it for a well-reviewed Blue Cave day, and keep a plan B for the beach if you travel in November or December.
- Three caves on Koločep, with the Blue Cave among them
- Šunj Beach stop, subject to season
- Optional hotel pickup in Dubrovnik
5. Blue Cave, Lopud and Šunj Beach Speedboat Tour
Choose this for a speedboat day that leaves Mlini or the Old Town port at 9:30 a.m., or an afternoon run at 2:00 p.m. if you prefer to start later. The listing says the Blue Cave on Koločep is reached only by swimming, so the swim is part of the stop rather than an extra. Bring a swimsuit and be comfortable in open water. Masks, snorkels and life jackets are included, and alcoholic drinks are listed too. The Lopud stop goes to Šunj Beach in the warm months. From November to April, the listing says the stop moves to Lopud village or Koločep village. The rating of 4.90 comes from 3,202 reviews, the second-largest sample of any Blue Cave tour in the set. At $47.95 per adult, it has the lowest price of any four-hour shared boat here. Both start times are listed for the same route, so pick the one that fits the rest of your day.
- Departures at 9:30 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. from Mlini or the Old Town port
- Blue Cave on Koločep, reached by swimming
- Masks, snorkels and life jackets included
6. Seven Caves and Blue Cave Speedboat Tour
This is the speedboat option for people who want a fast boat and a group of no more than eight. The title promises seven caves, and the product page describes the Blue Cave plus sea-cave stops with time to swim, snorkel and take photos. The group is capped at eight guests on a speedboat, and water, wine and beer are included. Life jackets and noodle floaters come with the boat. The meeting point is Marina Frapa on the Lapad waterfront, at the GariTransfer rental office, which is not the Old Town pier used by other tours, so check the point in your confirmation. Toilet and shower facilities are available after the tour, which helps if you head out to dinner afterward. It is the highest-rated Blue Cave product with more than 1,000 reviews, at 4.98 from 1,949 of them. At $61.66 per adult, it sits in the middle of the Blue Cave range. Book it if the speedboat matters more to you than the length of the stops.
- Small group, maximum eight guests
- Water, wine and beer included
- Meeting point on the Lapad waterfront
7. Blue Cave and Elaphiti Islands Boat Tour (Regina Maris)
Choose this Elaphiti Islands boat tour if you want a host who speaks English and Spanish, plus a deck with a shower and waterproof bags. Four hours on a small-group boat cover the Blue Cave stop and the wider island route, and noodles, floats and snorkel equipment are included. The listing carries one warning that matters. Selecting a meeting point at booking does not confirm it, so check your Viator or Tripadvisor messages for the confirmed point, which is either the Regina Maris stand in Old Town or the Lapad catamaran point. Arrive 15 minutes early. The rating is 4.91 from 1,571 reviews. At $79.93 per adult, this is the highest price of the four-hour shared boats in the set, a premium that pays for the host and the extras. It also has 10 open days in the window, more than any shared Blue Cave boat, so it is one of the easier dates to fit around a fixed plan.
- English and Spanish speaking host
- Noodles, floats and snorkel equipment included
- Confirm your meeting point in your messages
8. Blue Cave, Šunj Beach and Snorkeling Boat Tour
This is the Blue Cave tour to choose if snorkeling and caves matter more to you than the view from the deck. The listing describes the Blue Cave and three smaller caves on Koločep, with snorkel gear, beer and wine on board. The Šunj stop depends on the season: another listing says Šunj is closed from November to April (card 5). The group stays small, with a skipper and a crew member, and the boat leaves from the small pier in Old Town Harbor, where the skipper waits with the boat, so arrive five minutes early. Lunch is not included, and neither are gratuities, so bring food and plan for a tip. At $57.09 per adult for four hours, the price sits near the middle of the shared boats. Availability is the tightest of the ten, with six open days across the 60-day window. Book early if your date is fixed, and have a second date ready in case the first one is gone.
- Blue Cave and three smaller caves on Koločep
- Snorkel gear, beer and wine on board
- Lunch and gratuities not included
9. Cavtat Blue Cave and Elaphiti Islands Boat Tour
This is the longest boat option in the Blue Cave group, and the lowest price in the whole set at $40.42 per adult. It covers the Blue Cave and the Elaphiti Islands in one outing, with a cold platter of cheese, prosciutto and pickled vegetables on the water. Departures are from Mlini harbor at 9:10 a.m. or from the Old Town port pier at 9:50 a.m. The title names Cavtat, so the boat can leave from Mlini on the coast south of Dubrovnik, or from the Old Town port pier at 9:50 a.m., and you should check the meeting point in your confirmation. The listing includes snorkel equipment, floaties and life jackets, plus cola, Fanta, iced tea, bottled water and wine. Lunch is not included, although the cold platter covers the midday hunger. This tour suits a traveler who wants more than one cave and is comfortable with a full morning and afternoon on the water. With 7 open days in the window, it fits a flexible week.
- Cold platter with cheese and prosciutto
- Two islands in one outing
- Departures from Mlini or Old Town port
10. Private Speedboat Tour to the Blue Cave and Elaphiti Islands
This is the private boat in the set. The listing says the boat is not shared with other groups, and it covers the Blue Cave and the Elaphiti Islands in four hours. The price is $347.13 per boat, not per person. The listing also puts a fuel surcharge and harbor fees on top, paid in cash on board: 100 euros for one or two passengers, 120 euros for three to seven, and 150 euros for eight to ten, as the listing states them. Entry fees for Koločep and Lopud are included, along with bottled water and snorkel gear. The meeting point is the last wooden pier in a small marina; the listing does not name the marina, so ask the operator for it before the day. The listing has a warning you should read closely. The 8:30 a.m. morning tour runs only from June 1 to September 15, and the operator says it is there to avoid big groups at the caves. For an October to December trip, ask the operator which departure time applies. The rating of 4.99 is the highest in the set, though it comes from 141 reviews. With 22 open days in the window, this is one of the most available options.
- Private boat, not shared with other groups
- Koločep and Lopud entry fees included
- Fuel and harbor fees paid in cash on board
Before You Go
Set up mobile data before you leave the airport, so you can check your boat meeting point or your van pickup on the way into town.
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Get my quotePractical Tips for US Travelers
Money. Viator shows every price here in US dollars. Cash matters more than you might expect. The Mostar tours list the border crossing fee and tourist tax as payable in cash only, and several places on the Mostar route take cards only sometimes or not at all. Carry a mix of euros and Bosnian convertible marks (BAM). The sources we could open do not give a current BAM rate, so check the exchange rate before you travel. On the private speedboat, the fuel surcharge and harbor fees are paid in cash on board, in euros, and they sit outside the Viator price.
Tipping. Several listings exclude gratuities from the price, including the snorkeling boat in card 8 and the private Mostar tour in card 3. US travelers usually tip the guide and the crew, so budget for it on top of the tour price. Lunch is also left out of most Blue Cave listings that state it, so pack food for the boat.
Meeting points. Arrive early. The Old Town pier tour in card 8 asks guests to arrive five minutes early, and the Regina Maris tour asks for 15 minutes. The Cavtat tour leaves from Mlini or the Old Town port, and the listing for the Lopud and Šunj tour offers two departure times, so check which one you booked. If a listing says that selecting a meeting point does not confirm it, read your messages on Viator or Tripadvisor before you leave the hotel.
Getting to Dubrovnik. The meeting points in this set are spread across the city: the Old Town pier, the Lapad waterfront, Mlini, and hotel pickup on some Mostar tours. Check where your hotel sits before you book, and book your day trips after you know your arrival time, leaving a buffer day if your flight lands late. A day trip that depends on an early pickup needs a hotel that is easy to leave.
Seasonal limits. The Šunj stop and the 8:30 a.m. morning departure both depend on the season; see the timing note above and cards 5 and 10. Kravica opening hours and the entry price differ across the sources we read, so check on arrival and do not plan around a single time.
Passport and EU travel rules. A US citizen needs a valid passport for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the State Department lists validity and blank-page rules that you should check before you travel. Croatia is an EU member, and reports expect the EU travel authorization, ETIAS, to start in 2027 with a fee of 20 euros. Check the official EU site for the start date, because the sources we could open do not confirm it. Bosnia and Herzegovina is not in the EU, so ETIAS does not apply to the Mostar leg.
Questions Travelers Ask
Is Mostar or the Blue Cave the better day trip from Dubrovnik?
For most travelers with one day, the Blue Cave is the easier choice. A four-hour shared boat costs about $48 to $80 per adult, and the day is spent on the water with time to swim. Mostar suits travelers who want a second country and the Stari Most bridge, and who accept about 11 hours in a vehicle, including the border. Choose the boat for a relaxed day on the coast, and Mostar if the bridge is the reason for the trip. The comparison table lists the price and length of each tour.
Is the Blue Cave in Dubrovnik the same as the Blue Cave in Croatia’s guidebooks?
No. The official Blue Grotto, known in Croatian as Modra špilja, is on the island of Biševo, near Vis, and is reached from Komiža. The Komiža Tourist Board places it 8.3 km off Komiža, with an entrance 1.5 m high and 2.4 m wide. The Dubrovnik tours in this comparison call their stop the Blue Cave; the listings that name Koločep place it in the Elaphiti Islands. Check the cave named in your booking before you travel, and do not expect a visit to Biševo from Dubrovnik.
Do US citizens need a passport for a Mostar day trip?
Yes. Mostar is in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so the day trip crosses an international border. The U.S. Department of State lists rules for the country, including a passport valid for three months beyond your departure date, at least one blank page for each stamp, and no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Check travel.state.gov before you travel, because the advisory level and entry rules can change. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is Kravica Waterfalls admission included in the Mostar tours?
It depends on the tour, and the listings do not agree. The shared day trip (card 1) says fast-track entry is included, but its exclusions name Kravica admission, so ask the operator to confirm before you pay. The private tour (card 3) includes the Kravica entrance fee. The semi-private tour (card 2) excludes it, so bring cash for the entrance. Kravica is about 25 meters high, and one transfer company quotes a summer entry fee near 20 BAM per adult. Check the price on arrival.
Can I swim at Šunj Beach in November?
According to the listing for the Lopud and Šunj tour (card 5), no. From November to April, Šunj Beach is closed, and the stop moves to Lopud village or Koločep village. Other tours name Šunj without a seasonal note, so if the beach is the reason you are booking, ask the operator which stop applies to your date. The Šunj stop is the one that changes with the season: the listing says it moves to Lopud or Koločep village when the beach is closed.
Are these prices and open dates valid for 2027?
Not as a booking promise. The prices and open days in this article come from the Viator partner API, pulled on October 11, 2026, for departures from October 25 to December 23, 2026. A separate check for July 2027 found open dates for seven of the ten tours. Three tours showed no open day that month, so we do not show them as available for July 2027. Viator updates prices and availability, so check the date you want and confirm the price at checkout.
Sources
- Komiža Tourist Board, Blue Cave (island Biševo), accessed October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Blue Grotto (Biševo), accessed October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Kravica (waterfall), accessed October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Stari Most, consulted via search summary, October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Bosnia and Herzegovina: International Travel, consulted via search summary, October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Bosnia and Herzegovina Travel Advisory, consulted via search summary, October 11, 2026
- Ljubuški tourist site, Kravica Waterfall, consulted via search summary, October 11, 2026
- EasyBalkan Transfers, Dubrovnik to Mostar Day Trip: Planning Guide 2026, consulted via search summary, October 11, 2026
- FlixBus, Bus Dubrovnik to Mostar, consulted via search summary, October 11, 2026
- AARP, 5 Things to Know About ETIAS, consulted via search summary, October 11, 2026
- Navan, When does ETIAS go into effect?, consulted via search summary, October 11, 2026
- Viator product pages for the ten tours, read through the Viator partner API on October 11, 2026. Prices, ratings, review counts and open dates come from that pull.
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