Here’s a guide to the best ways of getting to Rab island from the Croatian mainland.
Getting to Rab by ferry/catamaran
From Rijeka
There’s a daily catamaran run by Jadrolinija from Rijeka to Rab Town, which has a journey time of 1 hour and 40 minutes and which operates year-round. This catamaran then sails on to Novalja on the island of Pag – the journey time of this section of the route is 55 minutes.
G&V Line Iadera have a daily catamaran (summer-only) that sails from Rijeka to Lopar on Rab via Krk Town. (It then goes on to Silba and Zadar).
From Krk
There is a car ferry from Valbiska on Krk to Lopar on Rab run by Jadrolinija. This ferry sails a couple of times a day year-round, with a higher frequency during summer. Seeing as Krk is attached to the mainland by bridge, this is certainly one option to get to Rab from there – via a drive on another island!
Mentioned above, G&V Line Iadera have a daily summer catamaran that sails from Krk Town to Lopar on Rab.
By catamaran from Zadar
G&V Line Iadera‘s daily summer catamaran sails from Zadar (via Novalja on the island of Pag) to Lopar on Rab.
Other ferries to Rab
Daily ferries also exist between Stinica on the mainland and Misnjak, which is on the southern tip of the island. This line operates numerous times a day, with a higher frequency in the summer months; journey time is only 30 minutes. The route is run by Rapska Plovida – see the website for timetable details.
There is a small boat that operates a route from Rab Town to Lun on the northern tip of Pag island. Also run by Rapska Plovida, this sails a few times a week year-round and daily during summer.
Getting to Rab by bus
From Rijeka
There are a few daily buses from Rijeka to Rab Town, run by Arriva. Journey time is just under three hours.
From Zagreb
There are several daily buses from Zagreb to Rab Town – look up schedules on the Zagreb Bus Terminal website. Journey time is four and a half to five and a half hours, depending on which bus you take.