Getting to Croatia by Ferry FB

Reaching Croatia by ferry is relatively straightforward…as long as you’re travelling from Italy or Montenegro, that is. The only international ferry services to Croatia are from there – no services exist from or to any other European country. (For those looking for the answer to an often-asked question – sorry, there are NO ferries between Croatia and Greece.)

Getting to Croatia by Ferry

If you find yourself in a northern part of the Italian coast (say, Venice) and are looking to get to the southern part of the Croatian coast (say, Split or Dubrovnik), we would advise travelling down the Italian side of the Adriatic rather then the Croatian side. This is because you can utilise some of the high(er)-speed train services in Italy (you can look up train timetables on the Trenitalia website) to get to Ancona or Bari to then get a ferry across to Croatia. This would be quicker than travelling from Venice to Croatia and then taking a slow bus down the Croatian coast. Or, if you’re pressed for time, you can always fly from Venice to Split or Dubrovnik!

You can take ferries (or catamarans) from the ports of Venice, Cesenatico, Pesaro, Ancona or Bari to Croatia – which one you travel from depends on your final destination and the time of year. Ferries from Trieste to Istria are expected to reinstated for 2025 – we expect details to be announced soon.

There is also a catamaran that sails from Budva in Montenegro to Dubrovnik, as well as a new for 2025! catamaran from Kotor to Dubrovnik. Both are run by Adriatic Lines.

The only route that operates year-round is the Ancona to Split route with Jadrolinija. However, do note that it only operates a couple of times a week during the winter months

You may find our Ferries to Croatia map useful for planning your sailing to Croatia.

Alternatively, see the following table for route and ferry company website details.

2025
From…To…Months of operationOperated by
Venice
(Italy)
Umag
Jul & Aug
Poreclate Apr –
early Oct		Adriatic Lines
PulaJun – SeptAdriatic Lines
Rovinjlate Apr – SeptAdriatic Lines
Piran
(Slovenia)		mid Apr – early OctAdriatic Lines
 
Cesenatico
(Italy)
Rovinj
end Jun – Aug
Losinj
end May – Aug
Novalja (Pag)
Jul & Aug
 
Pesaro
(Italy)
Losinj
Jun – Aug
Novalja (Pag)
Jul & Aug
 
(Italy)
Split
all
end Apr –
mid Oct		SNAV
Zadarend Jun – early Sept

Jadrolinija

 
(Italy)
Dubrovnik
mid Apr –
early Nov		Jadrolinija
    
Budva
(Montenegro)
Dubrovnik
Jun – SeptAdriatic Lines
    
Kotor
(Montenegro)
 DubrovnikJun – Sept Adriatic Lines 

Tips for Travelling to Croatia by Ferry from Italy

If you find yourself in a northern part of the Italian coast (say, Venice) and are looking to get to the southern part of the Croatian coast (say, Split or Dubrovnik), we would advise travelling down the Italian side of the Adriatic rather then the Croatian side. This is because you can utilise some of the high(er)-speed train services in Italy (you can look up train timetables on the Trenitalia website) to get to Ancona or Bari to then get a ferry across to Croatia. This would be quicker than travelling from Venice to Croatia and then taking a slow bus down the Croatian coast.

Or, if you’re pressed for time, you can always fly from Venice to Split or Dubrovnik!

Getting to Croatia by Ferry – Book Ferry Tickets

Booking for some of the above ferry routes to Croatia – especially Ancona to Split – can be done using the search box below: