June 28, 2022 -  In the newest TCN series, we take a look at the destinations you can visit by ferry from the main Croatian ports. In this fourth installment of our Croatia Ferry Guide 2022, where to go from the port of Šibenik?

When advertising the Adriatic Sea and the Croatian islands abroad, the experience of being on board a sailboat, yacht, or catamaran is usually highlighted. However, there is no destination a Croatian ferry can't reach, and why not mention that it's totally worth saving a good amount of euros on sailboat rentals and crews?

Today we tell you more about the island destinations you can reach from the ferry port of Šibenik.

Photo: Mario Romulić

First of all, how to buy your ferry tickets? There are three ways. The first is via the official Jadrolinija website. In it, you can not only see the updated sailing schedules, but you can also buy your tickets online. Simply choose the port of departure, the port of destination, and the date of your trip, and you will find the available times. Once you have chosen the time and the number of tickets, in addition to completing all your personal information, you can proceed to pay for your tickets online with a credit or debit card.

The second way is through the official Jadrolinija mobile app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Playstore for Android. The application is very easy to use and, just like on the website, just select the port of departure and you will be able to see the ports that you can travel to from the one you selected. The process is very similar, and you will find that it is even more comfortable and intuitive to use. Payment also allows the use of credit and debit cards.

Finally, the third type of payment is the most traditional and has its benefits. All ferry ports in Croatia have a Jadrolinija office, where you can go to buy your tickets in person. Sometimes one can be a bit confused before buying their tickets both on the website and in the app, so having a Jadrolinija agent to guide you is a great help.

Where is the Šibenik ferry port located? The ferry port of Šibenik is located in the center of the city. Six minutes walk from the iconic cathedral of Saint Jacob, and three minutes from the Robert Visania Park.

Kaprije

Kaprije is one of the furthest islands in the Šibenik archipelago.

Ferry line 532 (Šibenik - Zlarin - Kaprije - Žirje) leaves for Kaprije every day, making two trips from Monday to Saturday, and only one trip on Sunday. From Monday to Saturday, one ferry leaves from Šibenik at 11:30 am and arrives in Kaprije at 12:35 pm, and the second ferry leaves at 16:30 pm and arrives in Kaprije at 17:35 pm. The only ferry leaving for Kaprije on Sunday leaves at 11:30 am and arrives at 12:35 pm.

The price of the ferry ticket for adults is 31 kunas, while for children (from 3 to 12 years old) it is 15.5 kunas.

Photo: Roman Klementschitz/Wikimedia Commons

Obonjan

Obonjan is a small island located east of the island of Zlarin. Starting July 1st, one ferry will depart from Šibenik on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the direction of Obonjan, via line 532 (Šibenik - Zlarin - Kaprije - Žirje). The ferry departs at 8:30 am and arrives in Obonjan at 9:10 am. The price of the ferry ticket for adults is 25 kunas, while for children (from 3 to 12 years old) it is 12.5 kunas.

Photo: Ante Pletikosić/Wikimedia Commons

Prvić Luka

Prvić Luka is located south on the island of Prvić, one of the first islands after crossing the Saint Ante channel.

Every day, ships leave Šibenik for Prvić Luka. From Monday to Saturday, up to five trips are made on line 505 (Vodice - Šibenik), while on Sundays only three. From Monday to Saturday, the schedule of the ships leaving Šibenik for Prvić Luka is as follows: the first one leaves at 5:30 am and arrives at 6:25 am, the second one leaves at 9:30 am and arrives at 10:20 am, the third leaves at 12:40 pm and arrives at 13:20 pm, the fourth leaves at 15:40 pm and arrives at 16:20 pm, and the fifth and last ship leaves at 19:30 pm and arrives at 20:05 pm. The Sunday schedule is as follows: the first ship leaves at 6:35 am and arrives at 7:35 am, the second leaves at 9:00 am and arrives at 9:35 am, and the third and last ship departs at 20:45 pm and arrives at 21:25 pm.

The price of the ferry ticket for adults is 25 kunas, while for children (from 3 to 12 years old) it is 9 kunas.

Photo: Andres rus/Wikimedia Commons

Šepurine

Šepurine is another destination on the island of Prvić, but further north. As with Prvić Luka, line 505 (Vodice - Šibenik) is the one that goes to Šepurine.

The frequency of boat trips is the same: five from Monday to Saturday, and three on Sundays. The schedule of the boats from Monday to Saturday is as follows: the first one leaves at 5:30 am and arrives at 6:10 am, the second one leaves at 9:30 am and arrives at 10:40 am, the third leaves at 12:40 pm and arrives at 13:35 pm, the fourth leaves at 15:40 pm and arrives at 16:35 pm, and the fifth and last ship leaves at 19:30 pm and arrives at 20:20 pm. The Sunday schedule is as follows: the first ship leaves at 6:35 am and arrives at 7:20 am, the second leaves at 9:00 am and arrives at 9:50 am, and the third and last ship departs at 20:45 pm and arrives at 21:40 pm. 

The price of the ferry ticket for adults is 25 kunas, while for children (from 3 to 12 years old) it is 9 kunas.

Photo: Hschermer/Wikimedia Commons

Vodice

Unlike other ports that we have covered in this series of articles, the port of Šibenik also has a ferry connection to a destination that is not an island: Vodice, located north of the city.

Line 505 (Vodice - Šibenik) offers four daily trips from Monday to Saturday, while only three on Sundays. The schedule of the boats from Monday to Saturday is as follows: the first one leaves at 9:30 am and arrives at 11:00 am, the second leaves at 12:40 pm and arrives at 13:50 pm, the third leaves at 15:40 pm and arrives at 16:50 pm, and the fourth and last ship leaves at 19:30 pm and arrives at 20:45 pm. The Sunday schedule is as follows: the first ship leaves at 6:35 am and arrives at 7:05 am, the second leaves at 9:00 am and arrives at 10:15 am, and the third and last ship departs at 20:45 pm and arrives at 22:00 pm.

The price of the ferry ticket for adults is 26 kunas, while for children (from 3 to 12 years old) it is 11 kunas.

Zlarin

Zlarin is one of the largest islands in the Šibenik archipelago, known for its quiet beaches and historic port.

The ferry line 505 (Vodice - Šibenik) is one of Jadrolinija's lines that takes passengers to the island of Zlarin. From Monday to Saturday, five trips are made from the port of Šibenik, and four on Sundays. The schedule of the ships leaving Šibenik for Žlarin is as follows: the first one leaves at 5:30 am and arrives at 6:40 am, the second one leaves at 9:30 am and arrives at 9:55 am, the third leaves at 12:40 pm, and arrives at 13:05 pm, the fourth leaves at 15:40 pm and arrives at 16:05 pm, and the fifth and last ship leaves at 19:30 pm and arrives at 19:50 pm. The price of the ferry ticket for adults is 25 kunas, while for children (3 to 12 years old) it is 9 kunas.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, there is an additional trip of ferry line 532 (Šibenik - Zlarin - Kaprije - Žirje), which departs at 11:30 am from Šibenik and arrives in Zlarin at 11:55 am. The price of the ferry ticket for adults is 25 kunas, while for children (3 to 12 years old) it is 12.5 kunas.

Photo: Luboš Holič/Wikimedia Commons

Žirje

The island of Žirje is the farthest from the port of Šibenik. To reach the island of Žirje, two ferries on line 532 (Šibenik - Zlarin - Kaprije - Žirje) leave every day. The first departs from Šibenik at 11:30 am and arrives at 13:10 pm, and the second leaves at 16:30 pm and arrives in Žirje at 18:10 pm. The price of the ferry ticket for adults is 26 kunas, while for children (from 3 to 12 years old) it is 11 kunas.

Photo: Roman Klementschitz/Wikimedia Commons

The ferry lines mentioned above are those with confirmed schedules for the next three months. Prices are subject to change. Visit the official Jadrolinija website for more information on other ferry lines from Šibenik.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

As Morski writes on the 2nd of August, 2020, the crashed German bomber Junker Ju 87 ‘Stuka’ from the Second World War was found in very good condition on the seabed on the west side of the island of Zirje six years ago.

The military aircraft was hit on April the 12th, 1941 in an artillery skirmish, in an attack by the Axis Powers on the warships of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia near Jadrtovac, from an artillery battery above Zaboric. The wreck is located at a depth of 26-28 metres, and the only thing missing is the engine that undoubtedly broke off when the plane met its fate and hit the sea's surface. The rest of the plane is completely intact and in excellent good condition, the body of the plane is even leaning on its wheels, as if it had landed smoothly on the seabed, and the engine is located nearby.

''As for the research, I think that everything has been more or less done. The serial number of the plane was found and all of the other data according to it was obtained. The plane was in Italian service when it crashed. It took off from an Italian air base and one of the two planes which were struck down managed to return, and the other fell into the sea near Zirje,'' said Igor Lemac, from the team of divers who have been diving together for years and who dived to this location over recent days. Daniel Frka is the author of the fantastic photographs you can view by clicking the link above.

Along with the "Flying Fortress" B-17 found near the island of Vis, known for its military past, this is only the second aircraft that was found practically intact in the Croatian Adriatic. The value of this discovery is enormous, out of a total of 5,709 manufactured aircraft of this type, only two have been preserved in museums in Europe, more precisely in London and across the Atlantic in the United States - in Chicago, while two Ju 87 wrecks were removed and exhibited from Norwegian and Greek waters in far worse condition than the one found under the sea near Zirje.

According to the available historical data, the plane is most likely an Ju 87R-2 aircraft which belonged to the Italian Air Force of the time, which was damaged by cannon fire by the air defense of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the April War of 1941, and as such had to be forced to land. In professional literature on the topic, information was found about the attack of three Italian Ju 87R aircraft from the 239th Squadriglia, 97 Gruppo Bombardamento a tuffo on April the 12th, 1941.

Britain's Royal Navy were also stationed in the bays around Jadrtovac. On that occasion, two Ju 87s were hit. One of them crashed, resulting in the deaths of both the pilot and the radio operator. Another Ju 87 was forced to land on the sea surface due to damage, only to remain hidden from prying eyes at the bottom of the Croatian Adriatic close to Zirje to this day.

For more, follow our lifestyle page.

As Jurica Gaspar/Morski writes on the 1st of February, 2020, the gorgeous coves and bays of the island of Zirje, much like most of Croatia's islands, are unfortunately full of discarded plastic waste.

Zirje is being written about specifically because as this harmful plastic rubbish arrives on the island, so do the lovers of Zirje as they embark on yet another praiseworthy beach clean-up action. This time, they cleaned up as much as one tonne of plastic waste in just two or three hours, and their satisfaction with their hard work for the good of the environment was sadly spoiled by the fact that someone else would surely arrive and throw more plastic there before long.

This is far from the first time that volunteers, under the organisational baton of Sibenik's city councillor, Anton Dobra, have engaged in cleaning up bays on Zirje which have been contaminated by plastic waste. They regret that the politicians sitting comfortably in Zagreb, as well as many lower-ranking authorities and local government units, still don't feel the need for organised action.

The Adriatic sea seems to concern them only in the domain of its commercial exploitation, as if they've not been concerned at all with the obvious, extremely worrying problems of high amounts of plastic pollution along the Croatian coast and in the sea over recent years. It's like it's not happening at all, or it's happening to someone else, somewhere on another planet.

Owing to this selective blindness, few people except local volunteers rolled up their sleeves on Zirje at least. This is precisely why they urge that at least those who are actually paid for it finally begin to do their work to protect the only sea Croatia has.

''When people start working, then not even jugo (strong southern winds) can stop us. Luckily, we managed to clean up a tonne of plastic, and we're sad that this evil seems to have no end,'' Dobra wrote on Facebook, proud that the volunteers filled up 35 bags with plastic waste that had ended up on Zirje.

''It's important for me to emphasise that we need to awaken people's consciousness. So that it isn't too late for us. The Adriatic is increasingly polluted! The political structures need to be awakened, by volunteers, by individuals… For 2-3 hours of work, there are so many benefits. And this is just a drop in the ocean, this is our national problem - the state MUST get involved! At the moment, there are at least two garbage trucks' worth of trash on Zirje alone. Every county should have its own boat for this kind of thing. This is a global issue, but it's also our problem, we have to face the reality,'' concluded Dobra, showing photographs that confirm the far from optimistic reality on Croatian islands.

Divers claim that below the surface of a seemingly sparkling, clean Adriatic, the situation is sadly even worse.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more. If you're interested in both official and unofficial ways Croatia takes care of its environment, give Total Eco Croatia a follow.

While life on an isolated Croatian island, away from the hustle and bustle of life on the mainland might look like a dream, the reality is often a stark contrast. These gorgeous islands, of which Croatia has more than 1,000 in total, are dotted along the glorious coastline like rough emerald gems, some are inhabited and some aren't, but the islanders have it far from easy. Zirje is just one example.

As Jurica Gaspar/Morski writes on the 4th of January, 2020, more complaints have come from Sibenik city councillor and environmental activist Anton Dobra after a series of traffic problems affecting the island of Zirje. This time, the complains have been about another, rather pressing problem; there has been no telephone signal and internet connection on Zirje for a month now. And we're now very deeply in the 21st century.

“Greetings from one of Zirje's peaks. What a wonderful view of the Kornati islands. Now, they're all going to say, ah, look at that Dobra guy, how he's taking photos of the sunset again, he's really gone mad.

But it's the morning, the bura has blown, it's freezing, and there's not so much as a seagull to be seen, let alone hear. But, there's a telephone signal and internet connection at the top of this peak. God forbid you slip and fall down this cliff, who would you call when your connection to the world from the island of Zirje has been gone for weeks? So, if you are thinking of falling down and breaking your leg a bit then you have to do it from up at the top of the hill.

For the past three weeks, I've been hunting squid from here, at 100 metres in height, and I must add that I've not managed to catch any, but I do it because at least here I'm sure that if my fuel runs out I can call someone for help. So, if any of you people know anyone from t-com, tell them there's been no mobile network for weeks. I mean... we don't have shops and ships when the bura blows, but for even our phone network disappear in the winter, well, you just can't believe it,'' Dobra wrote on social media.

Nevertheless, Morski were actually able to contact him, but as he says, that was only because he climbed to the top of the hill to grab some phone signal.

''I'm at the top of the hill now, the top of this hill in my car is practically my office now. I come in the morning and evening to browse through my emails. I'm shocked and sad that in the 21st century there's simply no telephone and internet signal on most of the island of Zirje. God forbid something happens...'' then Morski and Dobra were disconnected, and indeed until the conclusion of the original article, they were not able to reach him again.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

Good news for both those visiting and those who live in the historic city of Šibenik and its immediate surroundings, not to mention on the numerous nearby islands, as a brand new and much needed maritime connection is announced by Šibenik-Knin County.

Many residents of Croatia's inhabited islands complain of a lack of, or at the very least inadequate public transport links between the islands and the mainland. In summer, these vessels are typically packed with foreign tourists, and in the winter, many of the lines simply cease running until April or even May finally rolls around again.

Connections to the mainland and also between specific islands has been an issue for years, and it seems that some concrete moves are finally being made for various locations and islands up and down the Croatian coast.

As Morski writes on the 31st of August, 2019, the administration of Šibenik-Knin County in Dalmatia has informed local islanders, mainland residents and other potential passengers that as of the 31st of August, 2019, a new maritime connection has been put into full use in the local area.

Namely, public transport by sea for both residents and visitors will be performed between Žirje - Kaprije - Šibenik and vice versa by the ship operator G&V Line Iadera d.o.o. from Zadar. The Zadar-based operator has engaged a high-speed passenger ship named (HSC) "Antonija" to do the job, which boasts a fair capacity of 194 passengers. The vessel was constructed back in the year 2002.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel and lifestyle pages for much more.

Support Croatia's island communities today on the beautiful Dalmatian island of Žirje.

May 11, 2018 - Visiting Šibenik? Here's an idea for a day trip to an often overlooked island

With all the horrible weather we've been having lately, we thought a lovely video of some friendly residents of the Adriatic might brighten up your day

Residents of Žirje island voiced their concern regarding the unreliable ferry transport

With this week's feature on The Bench, an unofficial thesis seems to be forming: the best examples of The Bench are to be found on the islands.