Red Island from Rovinj: Boat Tour, Speedboat or Public Shuttle?
Updated October 20, 2026 · 5 min read
For most visitors the best-value way to swim around Red Island is the five-hour boat tour with barbecue: €60, 4.7 stars from 264 reviews, about an hour on the island and four swim stops in total. If all you want is a beach afternoon on the island itself, the public shuttle boat from Rovinj is the simpler choice.
What Red Island is
Crveni Otok is not one island but two, Sveti Andrija and Maškin, a short boat ride off Rovinj. Croatian travel guides put the crossing at about 20 minutes. Sveti Andrija is the larger one, with a hotel and a pebble beach that slopes gently into the sea; Maškin is quieter, with rockier coves, and a walk around it takes roughly 40 minutes. There are no cars on either island. These details come from a travel guide, not from the tour operators, so treat opening details such as restaurants as something to check on the day.
Three ways to get there
| Option | Duration | From | Rating | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Island and Lim Fjord boat tour with BBQ | 5 hours | €60 | 4.7 from 264 reviews | Group boat day with lunch |
| Luxury island hopping with swimming and snorkelling | 2 hours | €187.50 | 4.9 from 43 reviews | Private speedboat, several islands |
| Rovinj archipelago and Lim Fjord speedboat tour | 4 hours | €540 | 4.9 from 11 reviews | Private half day, price per group |
A public shuttle boat is the fourth option and does not appear in the table because it is not sold through GetYourGuide. A travel guide describes a service roughly every half hour in summer and less often outside the season, paid on the way back. Fares and timetables change, so confirm both at the pier in Rovinj before you plan around it.
The group boat day
The five-hour trip is run by a family crew on a traditional wooden boat. After the old-town panorama, the boat goes to Sveti Andrija for about an hour of free time and swimming, with a homemade aperitif and canapés. It then continues to the Lim Fjord, stops at the Pirate Cave (entry €1 per person, paid on the spot) and has lunch on a charcoal grill, with sardines and pork or chicken. A last swim in the bay of Saline closes the day. Up to 45 people can be on board, and people prone to seasickness are listed as not suitable.
The trade-off: Red Island is one stop out of four. If you wanted a long beach day on the island, this is not the tool, because you are back on the boat after about an hour.
Check dates and prices for the five-hour Red Island boat tour
The private speedboat
The two-hour island-hopping trip is for people who want to skip the crowd. According to the description it passes the Red Island archipelago and its lighthouse, stops at Sveti Ivan island for swimming and snorkelling, takes a swim break at Figarola, and offers cliff jumping at Sveta Katarina. Speedboats carry a sundeck and an on-board shower; the page lists at most eight people, while one highlight mentions up to ten. It is listed at €187.50 per person in the booking data, yet the page calls it a private group tour, so check on the booking page what that price covers before you plan for a family.
The four-hour private speedboat tour at €540 adds the Lim Fjord. It is priced per group of up to five people. Confirm the group size when you book. Both tours have few reviews, so the 4.9 is not yet a strong signal.
See availability for the two-hour private island-hopping tour
Who should pick what
Families on a budget who want a beach for a few hours should look at the shuttle. A swim plus a sail, with food on board, points to the €60 trip. A private party that wants snorkelling and cliff jumping in one short outing fits the speedboat. The five-hour trip lists seasickness as a reason not to come, and both private options list babies under one year, pregnant women, people with limited mobility and wheelchair users as not suitable. They state no further age limits for children, so ask the operator if you travel with small children.
The verdict
Book the five-hour Red Island and Lim Fjord boat tour if you want Red Island as one highlight of a full day. Choose the shuttle for a beach-only plan and a speedboat only if the price per group makes sense for you. More ideas are on our pages for Rovinj islands and private boat tours, and our guide to Lim Fjord trips from Rovinj compares the fjord options in detail.
