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 ferry company in Croatia: in 2024 its fleet of 54 ferries, catamarans and passenger ships carried about 12.7 million passengers and 3.8 million vehicles. For anyone travelling to the Dalmatian islands, Jadrolinija is the backbone of the network, and 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) and international crossings to Italy from Split, Zadar and Dubrovnik.

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 the large ships keep running in winds that cancel the light catamarans.

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) and TP Line 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, line 635) is the car ferry to Hvar island's main vehicle port. The crossing takes 1 hour 50 minutes. If you want to bring a car to Hvar, this is the route. Note that Stari Grad is on the north coast of the island, a drive across the island from Hvar Town. See the Split to Hvar ferry.

Split–Hvar Town (line 641) is the Jadrolinija catamaran that goes directly into Hvar's old harbour in 1 hour 5 minutes, carrying foot passengers only.

Split–Korčula: Jadrolinija's car ferry from Split goes to Vela Luka, at the western end of Korčula, in about 3 hours and continues to Ubli on Lastovo. Catamarans from Split reach Korčula Town in about 2 hours 20 minutes to 3 hours. See the Split to Korčula ferry.

Split–Vis (line 602) is a car ferry of about 2 hours 20 minutes; Vis is the furthest of the main islands from Split. In summer 2026 a catamaran (line 9602) also ran from 19 June to 13 September in about 1 hour 25 minutes. See the Split to Vis ferry.

Dubrovnik and southern Dalmatia

From Dubrovnik (Gruž port), Jadrolinija's line 807 serves the Elaphiti islands: Koločep, Lopud and Suđurađ on Šipan, about an hour to Lopud, which makes for easy day trips from the city. Tickets on line 807 are tied to a departure time. For drivers heading to Mljet, Jadrolinija runs the year-round car ferry from Prapratno, on the Pelješac peninsula, to Sobra.

Zadar connections

Zadar's Jadrolinija car ferries leave from Gaženica port, south of the city centre. Line 431 to Ugljan (Preko) takes just 25 minutes and runs many times a day, essentially a commuter ferry for island residents. Line 434 to Dugi Otok (Brbinj) takes about 1 hour 40 minutes. Other lines serve the smaller islands out to Mali Lošinj.

International routes to Italy

The Ancona–Split overnight ferry is Jadrolinija's main international service. SNAV runs a competing service on the same route. The crossing takes about 10 to 11.5 hours, usually overnight, and the ship carries cars and has cabins, making it comfortable for drivers combining an Italian and Croatian trip. In 2026 Jadrolinija cancelled 15 Split–Ancona sailings between 13 May and 2 July, citing fuel costs, so check the timetable for your dates. See the Ancona to Split ferry.

Jadrolinija also sails Bari–Dubrovnik from May to November (up to four times a week, about 8 to 10 hours), a weekly Ancona–Zadar sailing from late June to early September, and a short Bari–Split season.

Booking

Book car ferry sailings for summer, particularly July and August, well in advance if you have a vehicle. Vehicle space is genuinely limited. On reservable lines such as Split–Stari Grad and Split–Vis, a ticket bought online holds a place on a specific departure, which a turn-up-and-queue approach cannot guarantee.

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 Ferryhopper and Direct Ferries, which list Jadrolinija alongside other operators like Krilo. That is useful for comparing departure times on shared routes. See also our Croatia ferries overview and the Krilo guide.