Ferries to Novalja

The ferry port of Novalja in the north of the Croatian island of Pag is a special case: it serves no island route but runs straight across the Adriatic to Italy. From here you can reach Cesenatico and Pesaro. Together the services add up to as many as 4 departures a day, and crossings take between 5.5 and 7 hours. The route is served by Gomo Viaggi.

Getting there and the terminal

Do not confuse the berth with the Žigljen ferry landing. The catamaran to Italy ties up in the middle of the town at the Riva in Novalja, in other words at the town quay. Žigljen, by contrast, lies outside the town and is used by the car ferries to Prizna that link Pag with the mainland. Both come under the same port authority but are two separate facilities with different destinations.

By car you reach the island over the Pag bridge. From the Zagreb - Ploče motorway, Posedarje exit, it is 65 kilometres to Novalja. Long-distance coaches are run by Arriva Hrvatska and Antonio Tours, from Zagreb, Rijeka, Zadar and Split among others.

Check-in

Gomo Viaggi expects you at the port of departure one hour before sailing. Boarding closes 15 minutes before the ship actually casts off, not before the scheduled time - so if the ship is running late at the Riva, your window shifts with it. Factor in the search for a parking space in the town centre if you are arriving by car.