Hey guys,
I am planning on traveling a bit on the istria coast however I would love to do it by ferry. It looks like each trip (porec to rovenji etc) is $60 bucks....is there any way to purchase an on/off pass of some sort I could get? Or maybe a cheaper booking site?
Thanks!
Rick's guidebook suggests car rental as the easiest method of transport in Istria. Bus comes second if you can check schedules carefully. Ferries aren't mentioned, aside from seasonal service to Italy. You may find some private boat operators for shorter rides.
Not sure where you are looking, but there isn't a ferry between Pula and Rovinj other than the Venice ferry, where I don't think you can buy a ticket for only half the leg. The fare is c 60 euros from Venice.
I haven't come across ferry passes in Croatia.
The ferry companies in Croatia are krilo.hr and jadrolinija.hr for route planning and prices. If travelling without a car, ferries and catamarans are generally very cheap in Croatia.
You really need a car to see Istria properly.
A car would certainly be better in Istria, but I was able to stay in Rovinj and take buses to Vrsar and Porec. Buses also run to Pula. There are some day-tours as well, including the one I chose to inland Istria. I believe the latter runs only once a week, however. Obviously, the day-tours are a more costly option.
As noted by others there is no 'ferry network' along Istria's coast, only international boats like Venezia Lines from Venice (very good, pay extra for the upstairs VIP lounge) and one from Trieste. The website for bus users is www. autotrans.hr and has an English version. It is easy to bus up and down, although inner Istria is best seen by car. Every port has excursion boats - from Rovinj to the Lim canal, for example - that offer small boat access to the coast. There are also outfits like Inselhupfen which offer tours on small boats with rental bikes on board. For small ferries to islands in the Kvaerner bay, east of Istria, look at the Jadrolinija website. Even there, ferries have had a hard time surviving. Ferry excursion to the Brijuni islands from Fazana also easy to take. Commercial day trip excursions and sailing tours on rented sailboats with local skippers (fabulous, but not cheap)are other ways to see the Adriatic at this point. Pula to Ilovik/Mali Losinj/Rab for example is a great sailing route in the Gulf of Kvarner s.e. of Istria.
