Getting to Croatia by Ferry

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.)

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, Trieste, Cesenatico, Pesaro, Ancona or Bari to Croatia – which one you travel from depends on your final destination and the time of year.

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

As of summer 2024, there is now also a catamaran that sails from Budva in Montenegro to Dubrovnik. It is run by Adriatic Lines.

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.

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: