Babino Polje

Babino Polje stretches for roughly four kilometres above Mljet’s fertile central field, its long ribbon of houses divided among Zabrežje, Sršenovići and Zadublje. During the Dubrovnik Republic it served as the island’s administrative centre, a role still legible in the 16th-century Rector’s Palace and the 15th-century Church of St Blaise. Its signature excursion heads south through olive groves to Odysseus Cave. The final descent towards the sea opening is steep enough to require sturdy shoes, while in summer swimmers and small boats can enter through a marine tunnel about 20 metres long. For an easier beach day, the pebble cove of Sutmiholjska lies on the island’s southern shore. Rather than a waterfront resort, Babino Polje works as Mljet’s practical inland hub, with a grocery shop, post office, pharmacy, medical clinic and dental service. The D120 road runs through the settlement, making a car particularly useful for trips from Sobra ferry port, west towards Mljet National Park or east to Saplunara’s sandy beaches.

Babino Polje, Mljet’s largest settlement, sits on a slope above its namesake karst plain at roughly 145 metres above sea level. Its fertile fields, olive groves and vineyards shaped a community that became the island’s administrative centre after Dubrovnik took control in 1410. That history is tangible at the Duke’s Palace, built in 1554 for Mljet’s rector. The village also preserves the 15th-century Church of St Blaise and the parish church of St Paul the Apostle, completed in 1935. The road to the ferry port at Sobra is about six kilometres long.