Croatia Travel Blog

Posts Tagged ‘croatia ferries’

The catamarans from Venice to Croatia  are a delightful and easy way to augment your Venice trip with a jaunt to Istria or to hop over to Venice from your base in Rovinj, Porec, Pula, Rabac, Umag or Mali Losinj (which is actually in the Kvarner region). Beginning on April 18 and running until October 6, these passenger ferries whisk you over the Adriatic in comfort in a trip that lasts from about 2 1/2 to 4/12 hours. The frequency of the other ferries depends upon the season. The ferries run to some destinations daily in July and August. New this year is a route to Umag but only weekly in the high summer season. See more about ferries to Croatia

 Check the schedules and book online:

It’s just gotten easier for visitors who want to travel the northern Croatian coast by boat. LNP has just started their summer catamaran service that connects Pula in Istria with Mali Losinj and Zadar, stopping at Unije and Ilovik islands en route. The service began on 2 June and continues until 30 September. The catamaran runs twice a week except in July and August when it runs up to five times week.

The same company runs the ferry between Lopar on Rab Island and Valbiska on Krk Island. Service is all year but more frequent in the summer. See the schedules and booking information.

It’s been a long wait but the Jadrolinija’s local ferry schedules are finally available. Today the Croatian Ministry of Transport confirmed that there have been cutbacks on some local routes this spring for budgetary reasons. Except for the coastal ferry, all lines are running although somewhat less frequently than last year. In the same statement, the government noted that there will be no cutbacks in the summer schedule. Well, that’s a big relief for travellers!

My popular downloadable ferry guide is now available and you’ll find most other schedules on the relevant ferry sections. You can search here but I think you’ll find that the ferry guide is much more convenient AND it includes FREE UPDATES throughout the year. See more.

Jadrolinija may have its problems, but VeneziaLines is right on target in releasing its catamaran schedules from Venice to Piran, Porec, Pula, Rovinj and Rabac. Service starts in early April and runs to the beginning of October on some lines. See the schedules and book online here.

On their website today, Jadrolinija stated that the February ferry schedules are good through March 7. That’s good if you’re planning a trip to Croatia next week but unhelpful if your trip is later on.

What gives? A Jadrolinija spokesperson indicated to me last month that the state-owned company was awaiting government approval for proposed ferry lines for the rest of 2010. That approval is taking much longer than I would have expected so I contacted the Ministry responsible for handling sea traffic.

In response, I received an email politely pointing out that the original intention was to approve a schedule valid for the entire year but that “serious problems” with the state budget made it impossible to cover such a yearly schedule. The issue should be resolved in the “nearest future”.

What does that mean? I think it may mean fewer ferries to various Croatian islands, especially to less-visited islands. Notice that the coastal ferry, which has been chugging up and down the coast twice a week for about 40 years has been suspended through May. Clearly, a financially-strapped government is looking to economize as much as possible without damaging its vital tourist business.

All we can do is watch and wait.

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