A new port will be built on Croatia’s Pelje？ac peninsula in a bid to improve travel for locals and tourists alike.

       Found along the Orebi？ bypass in the picturesque seaside town of Perna, the impressive infrastructure project will also help to resolve major transport issues and improve the quality of life of residents in the area.

       Orebi？ lies directly across a narrow channel from the town of Kor？ula - situated on the island of the same name - and is approximately 70 miles from the top tourist destination of Dubrovnik.

       The new port is also expected to improve connectivity between Kor？ula and the Pelje？ac peninsula and improve travel.

       The Dubrovnik-Neretva County Port Authority has been granted an impressive 19.5 million euros (￡16.2 million) from the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Cohesion to finance the construction of the new public port, the Dubrovnik-Neretva County confirmed.

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       The port of Perna will be directly connected to the new port of Kor？ula at the Pola？i？te location, which is also under construction and is costing 25 million euros (￡20.6 million). It involves the construction of two operational quays, an 80-metre pier for a ferry terminal, a passenger terminal building and numerous parking spaces.

       The two ports will be connected by a regular car ferry service.

       The port of Perna is one of the nine port infrastructure projects in Dubrovnik-Neretva County worth more than ￡79 million, which is largely funded by the European Union.

       The Pelje？ac peninsula is a region renowned for its wine, beaches and natural beauty with craggy mountains, deep valleys and picturesque coves. Some of its best beaches are found near the village of ？uljana, while the two historic towns of Ston and Orebi？ cannot be missed.

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       There have been other major infrastructure projects on the go in the region too.

       To travel between Split and Dubrovnik you currently need to travel along the coast for around three hours as Croatia’s coast is actually split into two parts due to the location of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s town of Neum.

       As a result, someone travelling from Dubrovnik would undergo three border checks within 12 miles.

       To find a solution, Croatia has built the 2,400-metre Peljesac Bridge from Komarna on the northern mainland to the southeastern semi-exclave, the Peljesac peninsula, bypassing Neum entirely. The Peljesac Bridge and its access roads were opened for traffic in July 2022.

       By late June 2023, the bridge had seen two million crossings, and this figure rose to three million by September.