Getting around by Ferry

Companies    Reservations    About Schedules     Services

Ferries IN Croatia connect the Croatian coast with all inhabited islands. Ferries TO Croatia connect Croatian ports with Italy. (See more about ferries TO Croatia)

Companies

Jadrolinija
the state-owned company that runs nearly all ferries in Croatia, helped by a few private ferry companies. Local Jadrolinija ferries connect all islands to the mainland and there is a summer coastal ferry from Rijeka to Dubrovnik. Ferry services from one island to another are much spottier. Don't assume that there "must be" a ferry from one island to another. Service is year-round on most routes although a few are summer only. Ferries are generally much more frequent in the summer.

Buraline
runs a summer catamaran between Trogir, Slatine and Split.

GV Lines
runs catamarans from Zadar to nearby islands and also the Nona Ana which runs from Dubrovnik to the Elaphiti Islands, Mljet Island, Korcula and Lastovo. Service to Mljet, Korcula and Lastovo are summer only. See the Dubrovnik-Mljet-Elaphiti-Korcula-Lastovo schedule.

Krilo
runs a useful passenger ferry all year between Split, Hvar Town and Korcula Town (see the schedule). Krilo also runs a passenger ferry that connects Rijeka with Cres and Mali Losinj.

LNP
runs car ferries from Lopar to Valbiska on Krk Island, and Split to Milna on Brac Island.

MedPlov
runs a handy catamaran from Orebic to Korcula.

Rapska Plovidba
handles car ferry services to and from Rab Island.

Miatours
operates local and international services from Zadar.

Reserving Local Ferries

Passengers can always get on board but reserve ahead if you're bringing a car, especially in the busy summer season. Unfortunately you cannot reserve local ferries online; You reserve most local car ferries at a Jadrolinija outlet or at a local travel agency. (See detailed advice about booking local and coastal ferries in Croatia)

The only time you can't reserve ahead are on the shuttle car ferries that connect the mainland with several island ports such as:

Drvenik to Sucuraj on Hvar Island

Valbiska (Krk Island) to Merag (Cres)

Jablanac to Misnjak (Rab Island)

Ploce to Trpanj (Peljesac peninsula)

Orebic to Domince (Korcula Island)

Show up at least 1/2 hour in advance (1 1/2 hours in the summer), park your car in the queue, collect your ticket from the nearby stall and wait. On the above routes, ferries run from four to eight times a day, depending on the season, and cost about 80HRK for a car and driver for the 30-minute run. See more about booking local and coastal ferries in Croatia.

About local ferry schedules

Check the local ferry schedule carefully! Many routes from the coast to the islands are designed to bring islanders to coastal cities to work which means that they leave the island early in the morning and return late afternoon. That's exactly the opposite of what tourists are looking for to make a day trip to an island.

Ferry Services

Services on board Jadrolinija's ferries vary wildly depending on the boat. I've taken 1/2 hour trips on modern, well-equipped boats and suffered through seven-hour trips on dreary and aged buckets. The best idea is to plan ahead: bring something to eat and drink and a very absorbing book for longer ferry rides! See more about Jadrolinija onboard services.

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