Cycling on Mljet

Cycling on the Island

The islands cycling map kept handy on the bicycle

Cycling across the Mljet island is something you can consider if you are an experienced cyclist and if you intend to bring your bicycle with you on the island. The total length of the road that crosses the whole island is about 43 km, with the highest peak of 513 m. The best time of the year to cycle across is obviously at the times when you can avoid the high summer and midday heat. If you are here in July & August, the best option is to start to cycle early in the morning to reach your destination before 9 am. There are no cycling lanes on the main road that is crossing the island, however, the roads are rarely very busy out of the July & August season.

Most of the people who come to cycle on the island actually cycle within the National Park area. Cycling here is easy as all lanes are traffic-free and dedicated just to cyclists and pedestrians.

Cycling in Mljet National Park

Bicycle and handy bench on the edge of Veliko Jezero, across Babine Kuce hamlet

Whenever I go to the National Park, I always rent a bike at least for a couple of hours. There are several bike hire places within the park, but my favorite is Radulj’s bikes situated right next to the Mali Most, in the very heart of the Park. (see more info here)

Cycling in the Park is really pleasurable. Lovely and quiet cycle lanes, lead along the edged of the lakes. If you are here in the swimming season, take your swimming and snorkeling equipment with you and stop anywhere you like for a swim or short dip to cool down. That’s exactly what I do too. The orientation is easy, there are plenty of direction signs so it is almost impossible to get lost. To be on the safe side, you can also take this map, upload it to your smartphone, and refer to it any time you wish.

The full circle around the Large Lake is about 9 kilometers. It is a mostly flat area with a minimum elevation and is fairly easy to cycle. You will cross two small bridges. In several places along the lane, there will be some refreshments available although I always take plenty of water with me. I usually stop right across the Sveta Marija islet and wave the flag to alert the skipper from the islet to come and pick me up to visit the islet and its cafe/restaurant where I usually have a short break with some refreshment or lunch. I also stop at at least one other point along the lane for a short swim and rest, completing my circle again on Mali Most where I return the bike. Allowing about 4 hours to complete the whole circle is what I usually do, however, you can make it as long or short as you wish.

Here is a very short video I took on my recent visit:

Video:

Getting by Bicycle to National Park:

Getting to National Park by bicycle is doable all year round. You can either use a car ferry that goes from Prapratno to Sobra or get your bicycle on one of the fast ferries from Split, Hvar, Makarska, Korcula, Sipan, or Dubrovnik. In the above photo, you can see two bikes in Pomena port waiting to be embarked on Kilo Star fast ferry. Check the croatiaferries.com site for detailed info on which ferry do and doesn’t take bicycles on board. Note that you will need to pay for a ticket for your bike too.