Blue Lagoon and Islands Tour from Zadar: Swimming Stops Guide

Where the “blue lagoon” name comes from

Zadar has no single place officially called the Blue Lagoon. Ask five boat operators where theirs is and you will likely get five slightly different answers, because the name has become shorthand for a type of water: shallow, clear, turquoise-tinted coves tucked into the lee of small islands, calm enough to anchor a boat and jump straight in.

Around Zadar, that description fits several real spots — the channel between Ugljan and the islet of Ošljak, the waters off the tiny islet of Galevac near Preko, and further out, the wide sandy bay of Sakarun on the northwest side of Dugi Otok. None of them carries an official “Blue Lagoon” sign. What you are booking, in practice, is a boat tour built around two or three swimming stops in this general area, sometimes combined with sightseeing, snorkelling, or a call at a nearby town.

This guide is meant to help you tell those tours apart before you book, since the marketing language often overlaps even when the actual route does not.

The islands and islets involved

Ugljan is the closest inhabited island to Zadar, a short ferry ride away, known for olive groves, quiet villages and the small town of Preko. It is large enough to have its own things to do beyond boat swimming stops, but for the purposes of this guide it matters mainly as the launch point for the smaller islets nearby.

Ošljak is one of the smallest permanently inhabited islands in the Adriatic, sitting just off Preko. It has no cars and very few residents, and its main draw for a boat tour is the calm, clear water around its shore rather than any sight on land.

Galevac (also called Školjić locally) is an islet just off Preko with a small Franciscan monastery and gardens. Boats often idle nearby or make a brief stop as part of a wider swimming-focused route, since the surrounding water is sheltered and clear.

Dugi Otok, “Long Island,” is a different scale entirely — a narrow island roughly 45 km long running along the outer edge of the Zadar Archipelago. Its northwest coast holds Sakarun, a shallow bay lined with white pebbles and pale sand that is unusual for this part of the Adriatic, where most beaches are rockier. Dugi Otok is also home to Telašćica Nature Park, with its salt lake and sea cliffs, at the island’s southeastern tip — a separate destination from Sakarun, on the opposite end of the island.

A tour that promises stops “around Ugljan and Ošljak” is a short, near-shore trip. A tour that promises “Sakarun beach” is reaching Dugi Otok, a longer run that usually fills most of a day. Reading the stop list before booking saves the disappointment of expecting a wide sandy bay and getting a quiet rocky cove near Preko, or the reverse.

How these boat tours are usually built

Almost none of the swimming-focused boat trips out of Zadar go to just one place. The standard format is two or three stops strung along a route, mixing open-sea swimming, a snorkelling break, and sometimes a short walk or a drink stop on land. A typical half-day version might loop around Ugljan, Ošljak and Galevac; a longer version might push out toward Dugi Otok and back, or combine a swimming stop with a run past Kornati National Park.

Because the exact combination changes by operator and by season, the only reliable way to know what a given trip includes is to read its stop list on the booking page — not the tour name, which tends to use “blue lagoon,” “hidden coves” or “3 islands” fairly loosely across very different routes.

a speedboat run to three islands built around swimming and snorkelling stops is a straightforward example of the near-shore format: fast transfers between coves, more time in the water, less time sightseeing. At the other end, a slower sailing-style trip such as an Adriatic islands sailing tour that includes water and snacks on board covers less distance but gives the day a more relaxed pace, which suits travellers who want fewer, longer stops rather than a fast circuit.

Swimming stops around Ugljan, Ošljak and Galevac

This cluster sits close enough to Zadar that trips here can run as a half day rather than eating an entire afternoon. The water is sheltered by the islands on most sides, which keeps it calmer than open sea — useful for families or anyone uneasy about choppier conditions further out. a boat trip around Ugljan, Galevac and Ošljak that includes a beer and anchovies stop is built specifically around this near-shore route, pairing the swimming stops with a casual food-and-drink break rather than treating the water as the only draw.

If the goal is simply to get in the water as many times as possible in a short window, this is the cluster to look at first — it is closer, so more of the trip is spent swimming rather than travelling between stops. For a slower, more exploratory version of the same area on your own schedule, some travellers combine a short ferry to Preko with self-guided paddleboarding around the islands rather than a group boat.

Sakarun beach and the run to Dugi Otok

Sakarun sits apart from the near-shore cluster both in distance and in character. It is a genuinely sandy, shallow bay — a rarity along this coast — and it draws boats specifically for that reason rather than for snorkelling depth or scenery en route. A trip built around Sakarun is, by necessity, a longer day: Dugi Otok is well offshore, and reaching its northwest coast and returning takes real time on the water.

For a route that covers ground rather than depth of time in one bay, a half-day island escape combining a boat transfer with bike and paddleboard time on land gives a different rhythm — some of the day spent on the water, some spent moving around on land, rather than swimming stop after swimming stop. It is worth deciding, before booking, whether you want a day mostly in the water or a day split between water and land activity, since tours in this category rarely make that trade-off explicit in their titles.

Combining swimming with a wider island route

Several tours pair the swimming-and-snorkelling format with a broader look at the archipelago — a pass near Kornati National Park, a stop in Pašman, or a call at Biograd na Moru on the mainland side. These are worth considering if a single afternoon of swimming feels thin against the length of your trip, but they also mean less time in the water at any one stop, since the boat is covering more distance.

a boat tour to Pašman, nicknamed the Island of Love, and Turanj, with a wine stop included is one version of this wider format — it treats swimming as one part of a day that also includes a landing and a tasting, rather than the sole focus. If a full day on open water sounds like too much, a speedboat thrill ride with snorkelling stops at three islands compresses a similar mix of movement and swimming into a shorter, faster outing.

Group size, boat type and what that changes

Boat type	Typical group	Pace	Best for
Speedboat	Small groups, often under 12	Fast transfers, more stops per hour	Travellers who want maximum time in the water across several coves
Sailing or motor cruiser	Mid-size groups	Slower, steadier	A relaxed day with fewer, longer stops
Private charter	Your own party only	Fully flexible	Custom routes, specific islands, groups wanting the boat to themselves

Speedboats reach more coves in a shorter window because they cover distance quickly, but the ride itself is bumpier in open sea, which matters for anyone prone to seasickness or travelling with small children. Larger, slower boats trade speed for comfort and usually include more shaded deck space. Neither type is objectively better — it depends on whether the priority is variety of swimming spots or a calmer day overall.

What these trips do not include, and what to check before booking

None of these tours can honestly promise an exact water temperature for a given date — expect roughly 23 to 26°C in July and August, cooler on either side of that, and treat any more precise number as marketing rather than fact. None of them should be booked on the assumption of a specific departure time either, since schedules shift by season and by operator; the current times are always on the individual tour’s booking page, not fixed here.

It is also worth confirming, before booking, exactly which islands or coves a given tour visits — as covered above, “blue lagoon” and “hidden coves” are used loosely enough that two similarly named tours can cover very different ground. If Sakarun on Dugi Otok is the priority, look specifically for that name in the stop list rather than assuming any Ugljan-area trip reaches it, since the near-shore and Dugi Otok routes are genuinely separate distances.

For anchoring your plans around the rest of the archipelago, the Ugljan and Pašman island-hopping guide and the Dugi Otok Sakarun beach day trip guide go into more depth on each island separately, while this page focuses on the swimming-stop boat tours that link them together.

Practical notes for the day

Bring a swimsuit already on under your clothes — changing space on board is usually limited. A reef-safe sunscreen matters more here than it might elsewhere, since many of these coves are shallow and enclosed, and repeated stops mean repeated sun exposure without much shade if the boat has an open deck. Water shoes are worth packing if you are sensitive to pebbles, since several of the coves around Ugljan and Ošljak are stone rather than sand.

Cash in euros covers anything not included in the tour price — a drink at a stop, a tip for the skipper — since not every small operator on the islands takes cards. Most tours in this category supply snorkelling masks, but confirm on the specific listing rather than assuming, particularly for the smaller or more budget-oriented boats.

If mobility is a concern, ask before booking how swimmers get in and out of the water — some boats have a rear ladder and platform, others expect a jump from the side, which is a meaningful difference for less confident swimmers or older travellers.

Frequently asked questions about Zadar’s blue lagoon boat tours

Is there an actual place called the Blue Lagoon near Zadar?

Not as an official site. It is a nickname visitors and tour operators use for clear-water coves around Ugljan, Ošljak and Galevac, and sometimes for the Sakarun bay on Dugi Otok. Each boat tour defines its own stops, so the name on a listing does not guarantee a specific bay.

How warm is the sea on these swimming stops?

In peak summer, July and August, this stretch of the Adriatic runs roughly 23 to 26°C. In the shoulder months it is noticeably cooler. No operator can promise an exact figure for a given day, so treat any specific number beyond that range as a guess.

Which islands do these tours actually visit?

Most itineraries mix stops around Ugljan and the tiny islets of Ošljak and Galevac just offshore from Preko, or head further out to Dugi Otok for the Sakarun beach. Some combine a swimming stop with Pašman or a short call at Kornati. Check the specific tour’s stop list before booking, since routes vary.

Do I need to book a private boat, or is a shared tour enough?

A shared speedboat or group boat tour is enough for most travellers and is considerably cheaper. A private charter makes sense for a custom route, a specific island request, or a group that wants the boat to itself.

What should I bring on a swimming and snorkelling boat trip?

A swimsuit worn under your clothes, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes if you are sensitive to pebbles, and cash in euros for anything not included. Most operators supply snorkelling gear, but it is worth confirming when you book.

Is Sakarun beach on Dugi Otok included in Zadar boat tours?

Some full-day tours to Dugi Otok include Sakarun as a stop, since it is a shallow bay of white sand and pebbles well suited to swimming. Shorter half-day tours around Ugljan and the nearby islets usually do not reach that far; check the itinerary before you book if Sakarun is the priority.

Can I combine a swimming boat tour with Kornati or Telašćica?

Yes. Several full-day itineraries pair swimming stops around Ugljan or Dugi Otok with a run through Kornati National Park or Telašćica Nature Park on Dugi Otok. These are longer days, generally eight hours or more, so check the duration against your schedule.

What time do the boats leave and return?

Departure and return times vary by operator and by season, and none are published here. Check the specific listing on GetYourGuide or Viator for the current schedule before you plan the rest of your day around it.