Croatia ferry guide will be all you’re going to need to plan your travel from the mainland to the islands. At the same time, it will be a great help to find your way among numerous ferries in Croatia.
Croatia ferry guide quite interlaced covering all parts of Adriatic coast. Local ferries in Croatia are the most common and in some case the only way of transportation to remote islands but also the cheapest way to move around Croatia’s Adriatic coast.
I know how frustrating can be to find the right ferry or catamaran to and from your favorite Croatian destinations like Rijeka, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik to any of islands scattered along Croatia coast.
I’ll help you find most of the local ferry schedules from all main coastal ports, with all prices to plan your budget. Each of ferry schedule is ready to have a look at and it’s downloadable (PDF.format) or printable.
2018 Croatia ferry guide covers all coastal district including car ferries (cars and passengers), ships (only passengers) and fast boats – catamaran (only passengers).
This guide will not miss chance to recommend the use of catamarans (high speed boats) for all visitors without a car, as a faster way to get to their destination. Keep in mind that some islands are not accessible by car or use of vehicles is not permitted.
My task will be also to assist you in your decision whether to take a catamaran or a car ferry and to advise you which is the shortest way to reach your island destination.
Although Jadrolinija (state ferry company) covers over 80% of all ferry connections between the islands and mainland, there are also other ferry and catamaran companies you can find in the country.
A great place for finding options for your routes (which can also include bus, minivan or car) is Bookaway. Plenty of options to choose from there!
Croatia Ferry Guide By Harbors
The main hubs for ferries to the islands in Croatia are Split, Zadar, Dubrovnik and Rijeka for the Northern Adriatic islands.
There are so many car ferries and catamarans each season, run by different companies and the timetables change very often during the year, sometimes two, three times a year.
Another problem which makes difficult to dig through the various ferry schedules is their different online format and the fact that not all ferry companies have online booking. On some others you can’t reserve in advance and there are some where you must pay cash on the spot.
According my long experience I’ve decided to divide this guide in two parts. The first part includes the only car ferry schedule and the second one refers to catamaran (high speed boats). The guide covers following districts from the starting ferry harbors:
- Central Dalmatia – car ferries from Split
- Southern Dalmatia – ferries from Dubrovnik
- North Dalmatia – ferries from Zadar and Sibenik
- North Adriatic – ferries from Rijeka
For many visitors catamarans are very popular means of transportation, because of their speed which allows them to get to their island destinations as soon as possible. The most requested are catamarans from Split to Dubrovnik. In 2018 two companies will manage this maritime line:
- Jadrolinija Split to Dubrovnik 2018 catamarans – this line N° 9811s will operate from 1 st June to 1st October on daily basis leaving Split at 04:15 PM arriving in Dubrovnik at 10:10 PM. From Dubrovnik will sail every day at 07:00 AM getting to Split harbor at 12:15 PM.
- Krilo catamaran company 2018 – This company will also operate on this route starting from April 16 to October 15 2018.
In 2018 Croatia ferry guide will be enriched with new catamaran line from Split – Bol (Brac island) – Makarska Croatia Town – Korcula town – Mljet island (Sobra) – Dubrovnik. This line will be run by Krilo maritime company.
International Croatia Ferry Guide
Jadrolinija company will remain the main maritime carrier on international lines from Italy to Croatia with three ferry connections:
Ancona (Italy) – Split – Ancona
Ancona (Italy) – Zadar – Ancona
Bari (Italy) – Dubrovnik – Bari
International ferry 2018 prices