Ferry Italy to Croatia
Despite Italy and Croatia being almost connected by a land border in the northeastern corner of the Adriatic sea, taking a ferry when travelling between the countries is in most cases both faster and cheaper. Most of the ferry connections between the countries only operate during the summer season which usually covers May, June, July, August, September and a bit of October. However, there are also ferry routes from Italy to Croatia which operate the whole year.
Car ferry Italy to Croatia
If you are travelling by car there are 3 possible travel routes, Bari to Dubrovnik, Ancona to Zadar or Ancona to Split, these car ferry routes operate year-round, in the winter season twice a week in the summer season 4 or more times a week, all 3 are operated by Jadrolinija. The route Ancona to Split is also operated by SNAV during the summer season, some years SNAV has been using a traditional car ferry for the route, other years they have operated the route with a fast ferry/catamaran jet.
Italian ports with ferry to Croatia
Trieste
The company Triestelines used to operate a Hydrofoil/fast ferry connection from Trieste to Porec, Rovinj and Pula, the line has now been taken over by Libertylines which are scheduled to operate the line from 2020:
Venice
The port in Venice is one of the main port for travelling between Italy and Croatia, several companies operate fast ferry/catamaran connections from the historical town, to towns in Istria and to Island Losinj, the connection available usually change from year to year, but the following ones are available each year.
Cesenatico
The recent year the ferry company Gomo Viaggio, has been operating a summer route between Cesenatico and towns in Istria and Kvarner, due to coronavirus this line has been cancelled for 2020 but should return for the 2021 season.
| Cesenatico – Rovinj | Cesenatico – Mali Losinj | Cesenatico – Rab | Cesenatico – Novalja |
| Rovinj – Cesenatico | Mali Losinj – Cesenatico | Rab – Cesenatico | Novalja – Cesenatico |
Pesaro
The ferry company Gomo Viaggio has also been offering a fast ferry summer connection from Pesaro to Losinj, Pula, Rab, Novalja and Rovinj, also this lines has been cancelled for 2020 due to the coronavirus but should return for the 2021 season.
Ancona
Ancona is the main Italian Sea gateway to Croatia, as mentioned above two of 3 whole year car ferry connections operate from here, the ferry from Zadar to Ancona, it optimal for those going to the mid and northern part of Croatia, as well as passengers travelling to the northern part of Bosnia. The ferry from Ancona to Split is optimal if you are travelling to Dalmatia, or places like Sarajevo, Mostar and Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Civitanova Marche
From Civitanova Marche there used to be a fast ferry connection to Split operated by Gomo Viaggio, but as for now, the route has been discontinued.
Pescara
The company SNAV several years operated a summer connection between Pescara and Hvar and Split, currently the company does not operate this route.
Termoli
A few years ago the travel company GSTravel started a fast ferry route between Termoli and Ploce in Croatia. The route, with a sailing time of only 4.5 hours, was a great way of getting to the southern part of Croatia from Italy. For 2020 the route will not operate and it is not clear if it will be back in 2021.
Bari
The southernmost Italian port with a ferry connection to Croatia, as mentioned above there is a whole year car ferry connection between Bari and Dubrovnik. The ferry connection is operated by Jadrolinija.
Price ferry Italy to Croatia
Obviously, with the many ferry connections, there are a lot of different prices. The summer connections with the foot passenger ferries usually range from 70 -110 Euro for a one way adult ticket, early birds and other special offers for people who plan ahead are quite common.
Tickets for the car ferries are often sold for as little as 20 Euro or less in the winter season (Price for one passenger without vehicle) in summer season price is of course much higher. In July and August price can be up to 800 Euro or more for a vehicle and 4 passengers. This, of course, is a lot of money, but compared to the cost and time of driving around the Adriatic bay, it is justifiable. In general, planning ahead is a good idea, as the ferry companies often run campaigns.
Alternative to ferry Italy to Croatia
Driving with a car between Italy and Croatia is one alternative to taking the ferry, if you are doing a cost-benefit car vs ferry, remember to include the cost for road toll in Italy as well as in Croatia. Also if you travel in the main season, keep in mind the risk of having to wait at the border between Slovenia and Croatia.
Traveling by Bus from Italy to Croatia, is indeed an option, but the main one to consider if you are in the northern part of Italy e.g there is a bus from Venice to Pula and Venice to Zagreb if you travel from further west or south in Italy you will have to change bus at least once. From a price perspective, a bus is probably the cheapest way of travelling.
Taking a train from Italy to Croatia is not possible, the closest you can get by train is to Trieste from where you can then continue with a hydrofoil to Istria, or by bus to e.g Zagreb or Rijeka.
Flying between Italy and Croatia is of course also an option, but mainly in the summer season, exception is the route Rome to Split, which normally operates at least once a week year-round.
Map Ferry Italy to Croatia
Below you can see a map of the ferry connections between Italy and Croatia. In the menu on the map you can select to see connections e.g from Venice if you uncheck the other ferry ports. If you wish to see the timetable and operational period for a specific travel combination, you can use the search form at the top of the site!
The ports marked with purple and orange indicates that a passenger-only ferry operates from/to those ports, the ports marked with dark red and brown indicates a car ferry operates from the port.