Boat & Ferry Travel

Jadrolinija's local ferries (trajektne linije) and passenger boats (brodske linije) run daily routes that connect Zadar not only with the surrounding islands but also with Rijeka. Do check also with Miatours, which offers alternative service to the islands and also between Zadar and Ancona, Italy. Twice a day most days of the week there is ferry service between Pula and Zadar; at eight hours and at a cost of only 123 Kn it's a decent alternative to the bus, though a downside is that the ferry from Pula arrives in Zadar at midnight. The offices are by the Harbor Gate in the city walls, across from the ferry port.

Both Jadrolinija and Miatours run ferry routes from the port of Zadar, just outside the city walls on the western side of the Old Town, to Sali. The trip, which takes about two hours and costs from 30 Kn (Miatours) to 38 Kn (Jadrolinija), takes you initially south in the Zadarski kanal, then through a narrow strait between Ugljan and Pasman islands before proceeding to the island of Dugi Otok, where you stop briefly in Zaglav before heading on to Sali. If you don't want to base yourself in Murter, you can take a cruise straight from the Borik marina just outside Zadar all the way to Kornati National Park, that almost mythical archipelago even further south. The Blue Lagoon, which holds 90 passengers, will take you on a full-day journey (8 am to 6 pm) to the national park, including stops on the islands of Mana and Kornat.

Information

Jadrolinija (Liburnska obala 7, Zadar, 23000. 023/254-800 or. www.jadrolinija.hr.)

Kornat Exursions. This Zadar-based company runs day trips by boat from Zadar to the the islands of Kornati National Park. Their boat, Plava Laguna (which means Blue Lagoon) departs from Borik marina daily through summer at 8 am, returning at 6 pm for 300 Kn, with breakfast and lunch included. The company is known by several names: Kornat Excursions, Plava Laguna, and Blue Lagune. Borik marina, Obala kneza Domagoja 1, Borik, Zadar, 23000. 023/334-468. www.kornat-excursions.hr.