Getting to Zadar

Here are the best ways of getting to Zadar, with details of flights, ferries, buses and trains to the town.

Flights to Zadar from the UK, Ireland and Europe

Zadar has its own airport, which is only 11km away from the town. There are flights from the UK and Ireland, and other European towns and cities to Zadar (with more and more being added each year!). Take a look at our Getting to North Dalmatia page for full details of these.

Buses from the airport to the main bus terminal in Zadar roughly run in conjunction with flight arrivals; see the how to reach us page on the Zadar airport website for bus times.

Having said that, you should normally see a bus waiting outside the terminal (on the right-hand side). A one-way ticket costs €4.65, which can be bought directly from the driver when boarding. This bus makes two stops – firstly at the main bus station in Zadar, and then just outside the Old Town. The ticket price is the same regardless of which stop you get off at. See our Zadar Airport for more info.

Flights to Zadar from elsewhere in Croatia

There are daily flights to Zadar from both Zagreb and Pula in the summer, with a flight time of 45 and 40 minutes respectively. These routes are operated by Croatia Airlines.

Getting to Zadar by bus

You can look up timetables for buses to and from Zadar on the Zadar Bus Terminal website. You will find routes from and to all the major towns, cities and places in Croatia, such as Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Sibenik and elsewhere.

Getting to Zadar by ferry from Italy

There are international ferry services to Zadar from Italy. Jadrolinija runs an overnight ferry service from Ancona that runs from June to late September each year, which has a journey time of nine hours. The ferry runs near-daily in August and fewer times per week during the other months.

Gomo Viaggi has a summer service from the ports of Cesenatico and Pesaro (both are close to Rimini) to Zadar. Services run from June to August inclusive.

Getting to Zadar by ferry from elsewhere in Croatia

Jadrolinija runs year-round (and frequent) local ferry routes to and from many of the islands very close to Zadar, including Ugljan, Dugi Otok, Rava, Silba, Olib, and the island of Losinj which is further north.

G & V Iadera run a new (summer-only) service that connects Zadar with Rijeka, stopping off Silba, Lopar (Rab) and Krk Town along the way.

G & V Iadera also run year-round catamaran routes connecting Zadar and its nearby islands, as does MiaTours.

Kapetan Luka has a year-round catamaran service that sails from Pula to Zadar, stopping at Unije, Susak, Mali Losinj, Ilovik and Silba en route. (This route only sails once a week in the off-season, twice a week in June and September and five times a week during peak summer.)

Trains to Zadar

There are train services connecting Zadar to Zagreb and Split – see the timetable on the Croatian Railways website. There are also a couple of services a day to Zagreb with a journey time of either 7 and a half or 9 and half hours. Honestly? We wouldn’t recommend travelling by train to Zadar, as the bus is far quicker!