Jadrolinija

Croatia's national ferry company

Jadrolinija is Croatia's state-owned national ferry operator, founded in 1947 and headquartered in Rijeka. It is the largest company on the Adriatic by volume of passengers and routes, operating both slow car ferries and fast passenger catamarans. For anyone travelling to the Dalmatian islands, Jadrolinija is the backbone of the network — most routes touch it in some form.

The company operates year-round, though the timetable expands significantly in summer. It covers domestic routes (mainland to islands), longer coastal lines, and the international Ancona–Split Adriatic crossing.

Two kinds of service

Understanding Jadrolinija starts with the distinction between its two service types.

Car ferries (trajekti) are the workhorses of the island network. Slower than catamarans, they carry cars, motorbikes, bicycles and foot passengers, and serve the larger, more accessible ports. They are the only option if you have a vehicle. Sailings tend to be frequent and run even in rough weather when catamarans are cancelled.

Passenger catamarans (katamarani) are faster, carry foot passengers only, and often dock right in the old harbour — which means no bus transfer from a remote port. Jadrolinija's catamarans compete with Krilo (Kapetan Luka) on several routes, giving passengers a choice of operator and departure time.

Key routes from Split

Split–Supetar (Brač) is one of Croatia's busiest short crossings: a 50-minute car ferry, running many times daily. It is the default route to the island and popular as a day trip.

Split–Stari Grad (Hvar) is the car ferry to Hvar island's main vehicle port. Crossing time is about 2 hours. If you want to bring a car to Hvar, this is the route — note that Stari Grad is on the northern side of the island, about 20 km by road from Hvar Town.

Split–Hvar Town is the Jadrolinija catamaran that goes directly into Hvar's old harbour in about an hour, carrying foot passengers only.

Split–Korčula by catamaran takes about 2–3 hours, reaching the old walled town directly. The car ferry is slightly longer.

Split–Vis carries both passengers and cars; Vis is the furthest of the main islands from Split, at around 2.5 hours on the car ferry.

Dubrovnik and southern Dalmatia

From Dubrovnik, Jadrolinija runs services to the Elaphiti islands — Šipan, Lopud and Koločep — which are just 30 minutes to an hour away and make for easy day trips from the city. There is also a coastal line running between Rijeka and Dubrovnik that calls at Split, Korčula and other ports along the Dalmatian coast — useful for travellers wanting to see the coast at a slower pace.

Zadar connections

Zadar is served by Jadrolinija car ferries to Ugljan (Preko) — just 25 minutes, essentially a commuter ferry for island residents — and to Dugi Otok (Brbinj), a longer crossing of about 1.5 hours. Zadar is also the closest mainland point for access to the Kornati archipelago.

Ancona–Split — the Adriatic crossing

The Ancona–Split overnight ferry is one of Jadrolinija's international services, operated in partnership with SNAV. Crossing time is around 10–11 hours; departures are typically evening, arriving the following morning. The ship carries cars and has cabin berths, making it comfortable for drivers combining an Italian and Croatian trip.

Booking

Book car ferry sailings for summer — particularly July and August — well in advance if you have a vehicle. Vehicle space is genuinely limited and Jadrolinija does not hold reservation blocks; a place on the next sailing is not guaranteed without a ticket.

For catamaran bookings, seats sell out on the busiest routes (Split–Hvar Town in midsummer) several days ahead. Off-season, booking a few days in advance is usually enough.

You can book directly at port ticket offices, on Jadrolinija's website, or through Direct Ferries which lists Jadrolinija alongside competitor operators like Krilo — useful for comparing departure times on shared routes.