Italy-Croatia maritime connections
To reach Croatia by sea, it is inevitable to leave from Italy, as the ports for the flow of passengers from which one takes off for the Croatian shores are only those of the Belpaese. You can start the crossing from Ancona or, in some months of the year, from Bari.
The route that is traveled throughout the year is Ancona ➜ Split.
In high season, the Ancona ➜ Zadar route is also active.
The departures from the port of Bari, scheduled from June to November, travel on the Bari ➜ Dubrovnik line.
Obviously we are talking about routes that are performed both for the outward and return journeys. By clicking on the previous links you can find all the information relating to the routes, such as dates and times of departure of the ferries, travel times and ticket prices.
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Ancona-Split ferries
The ferries that travel the Ancona-Split route to Croatia round trip are of the Jadrolinija shipping company. Snav does this route only from April to early October, but every day. Ancona, the capital of the Marche region, is located on the Adriatic coast. Split is located on a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea and it is the main center of Dalmatia.
The Jadrolinija naval unit on this route is that of line 53 and it takes eleven and a quarter hours to reach its destination. The ferry is in this case the Marko Polo, equipped with cabins of different categories, armchairs, berths, restaurant, bar, children’s play area, chapel for prayers. You can also make the journey on the bridge, paying less for the ticket.
The duration of the navigation with the Snav shipping company ship is eleven hours and thirty minutes. Depending on the month, there are two, three or four trips per week (on a single leg). The carrier is a Cruise Ferry, the Aurelia motor ship, which has cabins, lounge chairs, self-service and à la carte restaurants, snack bar, shop, cinema, games room and chapel.
Ancona-Zadar ferries
The Jadrolinija ferry of line 51 sails on the route to and from Croatia on the Ancona-Zadar axis from late June to early September. Zadar is located in central Dalmatia, along the coastal area of the Middle Adriatic.
The duration of the crossing is nine hours. There is a single route per week, while, approximately from mid-July to the end of August, the races become biweekly, only to be interrupted until the following season in early September. Also on this line is the Marko Polo, with the possibility of on-board accommodation in deck passage, recliner, berth, inside or outside cabin for two or three / four people, luxury cabin with TV and bar.
Bari-Dubrovnik ferries
Line 54 Jadrolinija operates the Bari-Dubrovnik round trip from mid-June to the end of November. The port of the capital of the Puglia Region is the largest passenger port in Italy on the Adriatic Sea. Dubrovnik is a city in southern Croatia (and Dalmatia).
During the first months of the period in which the line is active, there are three to four trips on a single leg per week, while in the low season they are reduced to two and one weekly trip. The travel time of the trajectory is eleven hours. The ferry that travels this route is called Dubrovnik, and has armchairs, cabins, a restaurant, a bar, spaces for children and a chapel.
How to reach the port of Ancona
To get to the port of Ancona by car, from the North you have to take the A14 motorway to the Ancona Nord exit and then continue towards SS 16 following the signs for Ancona – Porto – Imbarchi up to via Flaminia, to be followed keeping to the right for about two kilometers, then turn right and follow the signs for Port – Boarding. For those arriving from the south, there is the Ancona Sud exit of the A14, from which to follow the directions for Port – Boarding.
From the train station, instead, to reach the port of Ancona (two kilometers away), as an alternative to a taxi, you can take bus line 12 to the ticket office (Ancona Ferries check); from here to the boarding terminal there is free line 20.
From the airport, to go to the port you have to take the train from Castelferretti to Ancona or the Raffaello Aerobus to Piazza Kennedy, 50 meters from the port.
How to reach the port of Bari
To get to the port of Bari by car, after taking the A14 motorway, you have to exit at Bari Nord or Bari Sud depending on the origin, take the ring road towards Fiera – Porto, get out at exit 4 for via Napoli; after 3 kilometers you have to turn left at the first intersection (with via Maratona) and then right at the next intersection, then straight up to the entrance to the port area of Varco della Vittoria.
If you arrive by train, departing from the train station, the alternative to a taxi is the bus of line barred 20, which has the Port Gate as its destination.
From the airport to reach the port, as public transport there is the bus line 16 (direction Bari) to Piazza Aldo Moro, from where you can then take the bus line barred 20 that arrives at Varco della Vittoria.
