Getting around
The Pelješac Bridge: what it is, where it goes and why it matters for travellers
What is the Pelješac Bridge?
The Pelješac Bridge is a 2.4 km road bridge across Mali Ston Bay in southern Dalmatia, linking the Croatian mainland with the Pelješac peninsula. It opened on 26 July 2022 and gives the Dubrovnik area a road connection to the rest of Croatia that stays entirely inside the country.
The European Commission’s announcement called it one of the biggest projects funded by EU Cohesion Policy in the EU and in Croatia. According to the Commission’s project summary, the EU’s regional development fund contributed about €357 million to the wider road connection to southern Dalmatia, a project of about €526 million that includes the bridge, its access roads and the Ston bypass.
Why was the Pelješac Bridge built?
Because Croatia’s coast is interrupted at Neum. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a short stretch of Adriatic coastline there, and until 2022 the main road from Dubrovnik to the rest of Croatia, the D8, crossed it. Travellers passed through two border checks within about 9 km, as the Wikipedia article on the bridge records, and with Croatia’s entry into the Schengen area in 2023 they would have become three separate checks.
The bridge, together with new access roads, lets traffic bypass Neum completely. The Commission says the new link cut the drive between the two ends of the D8 on either side of the Neum corridor from at best 59 minutes to 22.
How big is the bridge?
The Pelješac Bridge is about 2,404 m long, with five central spans of 285 m each. It rises 98 m above sea level and leaves 55 m of clearance below for shipping. It was designed by the Slovenian engineer Marjan Pipenbaher and built by China Road and Bridge Corporation.
The project was more than the bridge itself. The EU also funded the access roads, including tunnels, bridges and viaducts, an 8 km bypass of the town of Ston and upgrades to the existing road along the peninsula, the D414.
How does it change the drive from Dubrovnik to Split?
It removes the border. The road from Dubrovnik to Split now follows the D8 north-west, turns onto the new link roads near Ston, crosses the bridge to the mainland and continues to the A1 motorway. The whole journey is about 235 km and takes roughly 3¼ hours, with no passport check.
Some travel guides written before 2022 still warn about queues at Neum. That advice applies only if you choose to drive the old coast road through the town, which remains open and is a border crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina, outside the EU and Schengen.
| Before July 2022 | Since July 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Route north from Dubrovnik | D8 through Neum | D8, Ston bypass and the Pelješac Bridge |
| Border checks | Two, within about 9 km | None |
| Passport needed for Split | Yes, at Neum | No |
What is there to see near the bridge?
The bridge lands on the Pelješac peninsula a few kilometres from Ston, so a trip to see it combines naturally with one of the region’s most remarkable sights. Ston’s walls were begun in 1358 by the Republic of Ragusa to protect the salt pans that made the town rich, and about 5.5 km of them survive, linking Ston with Mali Ston, according to the Wikipedia article on the Walls of Ston. The salt pans are still worked today.
From Ston, the D414 continues along the Pelješac peninsula to Orebić, where car ferries cross to the island of Korčula. The upgrade of that road was part of the same EU-funded project as the bridge.
Is the Neum crossing still used?
Yes, by anyone who chooses the old coast road through Neum. Because Bosnia and Herzegovina is outside the EU and the Schengen area, the crossings at each end of the Neum strip are external Schengen borders. Since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System has applied there, so non-EU travellers have their photograph and fingerprints recorded on their first crossing, as the Croatian Ministry of the Interior explains.
For a journey between Dubrovnik and the rest of Croatia, the bridge route avoids all of that, and in most cases it is also the quicker road.
Can you see the bridge on a day trip?
Yes. The bridge is on the route to Split, Makarska and the Pelješac peninsula, so any journey north passes it. A day north of Dubrovnik can combine Ston’s medieval walls, begun in 1358 to protect the salt pans, with the Pelješac peninsula and the bridge itself, all without crossing a border. Our list of day trips from Dubrovnik by car includes Ston and the peninsula.
What does it mean for a transfer to Split?
A private transfer from Dubrovnik to Split no longer involves a border, so the journey time is more predictable and nobody needs to show a passport. The price is fixed per vehicle, and a stop at Ston on the way can be added when you book.
For a comparison of the bus, the catamaran, driving and a transfer, read our guide on how to get from Dubrovnik to Split. For travel within the city, see getting around Dubrovnik.
Quick answers
When did the Pelješac Bridge open?
On 26 July 2022, when the European Commission marked the inauguration of one of the largest EU-funded projects in Croatia.
How long is the Pelješac Bridge?
About 2.4 km (2,404 m). It crosses Mali Ston Bay from the mainland to the Pelješac peninsula, with five central spans of 285 m each.
Do you still need a passport to drive from Dubrovnik to Split?
No. The route over the Pelješac Bridge stays inside Croatia, so there is no border check. A passport is needed only if you choose the old road through Neum.
Who paid for the Pelješac Bridge?
The EU's regional development fund contributed about €357 million to the road connection to southern Dalmatia, a project of about €526 million that includes the bridge and its access roads, according to the European Commission.