Introduction & History
The majority of the other islands featured in this section have pretty straightforward histories. How's about this for something different? According to legend, Mljet is the beautiful island of Ogygia where the nymph Calypso kept Odysseus captive for seven years.

The ancient name for the island is Melitta, which comes from the Greek melitte nesos, meaning honey isle. Lovely!

The island became part of the Republic of Dubrovnik in 1345, under whose control it remained until 1808 before becoming French, then Austrian. It became part of Yugoslavia in 1918.

The Island
Mljet is 23 miles from Dubrovnik and is the southernmost of the larger islands. Its area is 62 square miles (100 square km). Over two-thirds of the island is covered by forest with the western half of the island declared a National Park. Visitors must pay an entrance fee for the park, and adhere to certain rules.

The Lonely Planet guidebook calls it "the most seductive island in the Adriatic". Prince Charles has visited the island twice and was enchanted by its beauty.

The island is perhaps best visited on a day trip from Dubrovnik or Korcula.

Getting There
There are daily ferries from Dubrovnik to Sobra on Mljet. Journey time is 2 hours 15 minutes.

There is also a ferry service from Prapratno on the mainland (on the Peljesac peninsula) to Sobra - this journey is only 45 minutes.

Ferries run by Jadrolinija.

Accommodation
There is only one hotel on the island, the Hotel Odisej. Private accommodation is also available. See Accommodation on Mljet.

More information
Accommodation on Mljet
Mljet National Park
Mljet.hr