September the 12th, 2026 – There’s a beautiful Dalmatian island that attracts around 150,000 visitors each summer, but only 40 or so of them opt to actually spend the night there.
Gorgeous Biševo itself had only 44 registered tourists in 2025, while more than 150,000 people visited the famous Blue Cave. Putni kofer writes that at first glance, Biševo in the middle of summer is anything but a deserted island. Boats full of day-trippers arrive all day long, people wait to board the small boats that transport thousands towards the world-famous Blue Cave. According to currently available data, during the summer, over 150,000 tourists visit the cave, and one of the most famous natural attractions on the Adriatic brings a huge number of people to this small open-sea island every year.
However, most of them board the boat again after visiting the Blue Cave and leave, heading off elsewhere. Few stay to explore the rest of the island. During the whole of 2025, according to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, only 44 people decided to actually spend the night on Biševo.
a contrast unlike any other on the adriatic coast
Day-trippers arrive on Biševo from nearby Komiža, but also from Split, Hvar and the surrounding islands, as well as numerous coastal tourist destinations. The visit to the Blue Cave itself lasts less than half an hour, but on the island it is also possible to visit the Visitor Centre inland, the old military tunnels, and to swim on beautiful beaches such as the one in the place of Porat. It is a real shame to reduce a trip to Biševo only to a visit to the cave. But most people visit it that way, which is confirmed by both statistics and our experience: when we continued exploring the island after viewing the most famous attraction, we met perhaps twenty people during the whole day.
This contrast between the number of visitors and those who stay on the island at least a little longer is unique in Croatia. It is not only a matter of overnight stays: after all, only about thirty beds are registered on Biševo. The island is ideal for a full-day excursion, swimming, getting to know the heritage, which many skip because they concentrate only on the famous cave. This is also confirmed by a study by the Institute for Tourism. Their research showed that only 8.3 percent of guests stay eight hours or longer on the island, and almost half said they came exclusively because of the Blue Cave.
The Blue Cave in Balun bay owes its name to the reflection of the sun’s rays which around noon, in calm seas, penetrate through an underwater opening into the cave, reflecting off the white bottom and creating the blue colour. It is 24 metres long and about 12 metres wide, and its modest depth of 3 to 20 metres and typical karst shape make it an ideal habitat for a diverse ecosystem, while divers discover its mysterious world through hidden underwater cracks. It is said that it is best to visit it between 11:00 and 14:00 on a sunny day.
no shop, no cash machine, and no maritime connections…
The island of Biševo is the most remote inhabited Croatian island. It stands proudly in the middle of the open sea, isolated and a little wild, and a holiday on it is definitely not for everyone. Neither ferries nor catamarans sail to it, and it is connected to neighbouring Vis by the only boat line, Sv. Salvestar, the so-called “pruga”, which departs from Komiža. It spans only 5.8 square kilometres, in the middle of the last century about 300 inhabitants lived on it, and today only about ten remain. Biševo was once known as the home of the Mediterranean monk seal, but that animal disappeared from the island long ago. Besides the most famous Blue Cave, on the southern side of the island, in Trešjavac bay, there is also the beautiful Medvidina Cave. The island also has its own distinctive wine: Biševo plavac.
the home of caves, military tunnels and stunning beaches
In the very centre of the island a few years ago the Visitor Centre was opened, which you can reach from Mezoporat harbour by electric cart. The Centre is really worth visiting; it presents the wonderful world of underwater, terrestrial and geological phenomena, and also showcases the rich past of the island. The surroundings are also interesting: an old village with a beautiful church that was probably once full of life. The military tunnels are located at the other end of the island, on Cape Gatula, and if you are not up for walking, you can specially arrange transport by electric vehicles to them.
A walk that is definitely worth it is the one from the Visitor Centre to the place of Porat, where the regular boat line docks and can take you directly back to Komiža from there. Porat beach is, according to many, one of the most beautiful on the Adriatic. Soft sand, enough shade, a café for refreshment… Although there are day-trippers, the crowds are practically never too big. This island is isolated and certainly not for everyone, but it is a real glimpse of genuine Dalmatian island life that is rapidly being sent to the history books on other islands.
