Which Zadar quay you need depends on whether you are bringing a car. The car ferry on line 431 leaves from Gaženica, the city's ferry port, with 17 sailings on weekdays between 05:00 and 23:00. The passenger-only boat on line 409 leaves from Liburnska obala on the old-town peninsula, with nine weekday departures. Jadrolinija runs both, and both reach Preko on Ugljan in 25 minutes.
If your accommodation is inside the old town, the boat is the easier choice: the quay is a short walk away, whereas Gaženica means a bus or taxi across town. The ferry wins on frequency and on late evenings, with a last sailing from Zadar at 23:00; the boat's final weekday departure from the peninsula is 20:45 (22:00 on Saturdays).
Fares run against expectations. A foot passenger pays €3.80 on the car ferry all year, but €4.00 on the old-town boat until the end of December. A car under five metres costs €17.30 on top of the driver's own ticket.
A ferry roughly every hour, a boat every two
Car ferry 431: Monday–Saturday
| From Zadar – Gaženica ferry port (car ferry 431) | From Preko harbour, Ugljan |
|---|---|
| 05:00 | 05:30 |
| 06:20 | 06:15 |
| 07:30 | 07:00 |
| 08:30 | 08:15 |
| 09:30 | 09:15 |
| 10:30 | 10:30 |
| 11:30 | 11:30 |
| 12:15 | 12:15 |
| 13:30 | 13:00 |
| 14:45 | 14:30 |
| 15:30 | 15:30 |
| 16:40 | 16:00 |
| 18:00 | 17:20 |
| 19:30 | 18:40 |
| 20:45 | 20:10 |
| 22:00 | 21:20 |
| 23:00 | 22:30 |
Car ferry 431: Sundays and public holidays
| From Zadar – Gaženica ferry port (car ferry 431) | From Preko harbour, Ugljan |
|---|---|
| 06:20 | 06:15 |
| 07:30 | 07:00 |
| 09:30 | 08:15 |
| 11:30 | 10:30 |
| 13:30 | 12:15 |
| 14:45 | 14:30 |
| 15:30 | 15:30 |
| 16:40 | 16:00 |
| 18:00 | 17:20 |
| 19:30 | 18:40 |
| 20:45 | 20:10 |
| 22:00 | 21:20 |
| 23:00 | 22:30 |
Passenger boat 409: Monday–Friday
| From Zadar – Gaženica ferry port (car ferry 431) | From Preko harbour, Ugljan |
|---|---|
| 06:20 | 05:45 |
| 07:35 | 06:50 |
| 09:30 | 08:10 |
| 11:30 | 10:20 |
| 13:35 | 12:55 |
| 15:30 | 14:30 |
| 16:45 | 16:10 |
| 19:35 | 17:25 |
| 20:45 | 20:15 |
Passenger boat 409: Saturday
| From Zadar – Gaženica ferry port (car ferry 431) | From Preko harbour, Ugljan |
|---|---|
| 07:35 | 06:50 |
| 09:30 | 08:10 |
| 13:35 | 12:55 |
| 19:35 | 17:25 |
| 22:00 | 21:30 |
Passenger boat 409: Sundays and holidays
| From Zadar – Gaženica ferry port (car ferry 431) | From Preko harbour, Ugljan |
|---|---|
| 07:35 | 06:50 |
| 09:30 | 08:10 |
| 13:35 | 12:55 |
| 19:35 | 17:25 |
| 20:45 | 20:15 |
| 22:00 | 21:30 |
Car ferry 431: low-season timetable, 1 October – 31 December 2026; boat 409: off-season interim timetable, 28 September – 31 December 2026. The 2027 timetables have not been published · checked 26 October 2026 Jadrolinija – ferry route no. 431, sailing schedule 2026 (PDF) · 2026-10-23
Why the car ferry is cheaper on foot this winter
Line 431 keeps one fare table all year: adults €3.80, children from 3 to 12 €1.60, and €17.30 for a normal car (no longer than 5 m, no taller than 2 m). That car price excludes the driver, who needs an ordinary passenger ticket too. Prices include VAT and harbour dues and do not depend on direction.
On foot, the ferry is actually the cheaper option in autumn and winter: the old-town boat charges €4.00 right through to 31 December and €5.00 in summer. As tickets on both lines are good all day, missing a sailing does not cost you anything.
| Adult | € 3.80 |
| Child 3–12 | € 1.60 |
| Car up to 5 m long and 2 m high | € 17.30 |
| Car over 5 m or over 2 m high | € 25.70 |
| Caravan or motorhome up to 5 m | € 25.70 |
| Motorcycle or moped | € 7.60 |
| Bicycle | € 3.80 |
| Adult, off-season | € 4 |
| Adult, summer (29 May – 27 September) | € 5 |
Ferry 431: one fare table for 1 January – 31 December 2026. Boat 409: off-season fare from 28 September to 31 December 2026 · checked 26 October 2026 Jadrolinija – price list, line 431 Zadar – Preko (PDF) · 2026-10-23
Gaženica, Liburnska obala and Preko harbour
Zadar – Gaženica ferry port (car ferry 431)
Gaženica is Zadar's modern ferry port, a few kilometres south-east of the old town, and it is where the car ferry to Preko loads. The Jadrolinija ticket office there opens from 04:30 to 23:00 Monday to Saturday and from 06:00 to 23:00 on Sundays and public holidays, so it is staffed for the first and last sailings. Without a car you will need a local bus or a taxi to get there from the centre.
The passenger boat 409 does not use Gaženica at all. It leaves from Liburnska obala, the quay along the old-town peninsula, where Jadrolinija's city office at number 4 opens 06:00 – 21:00 on weekdays and 07:00 – 22:00 at weekends and on holidays.
Preko harbour, Ugljan
On the island side both boats come into the same harbour in Preko, and Jadrolinija's office at Put Martinovih 2D sells tickets every day from 05:00 to 22:30. The islet of Ošljak, just offshore, has no boat of its own: only four ferry sailings a day call there.
The short hop over to Ugljan
Preko sits on Ugljan's east coast, directly across the Zadar Channel from the city. The old-town boat runs straight over; the car ferry starts further south at Gaženica and on four sailings a day swings past Ošljak, a small islet just off Preko. Jadrolinija and AOLPP give 25 minutes for either crossing, or 30 with the Ošljak call. No distance is published.
Ferry or boat: choosing the right one
- Hire cars go from Gaženica
Vehicles travel only on line 431. With a hire car, drive to Gaženica rather than to the peninsula.
- Tickets valid all day
Jadrolinija honours a ticket for either line on every departure of the date printed on it, so you are not tied to one boat.
- Staying in the old town
The boat leaves from the peninsula, a short walk from most old-town accommodation. Gaženica is a bus or taxi ride away.
- Late return
The last ferry from Gaženica leaves at 23:00; the last weekday boat from the old town leaves at 20:45.
- Luggage
Bags up to 20 kg go free; heavier luggage costs €0.40 per extra 10 kg.
AOLPP, the state agency for coastal shipping, contracts Jadrolinija to run line 431; for boat 409 it only posts an interim 2026 timetable and refers passengers to Jadrolinija's own fare sheet. The old-town quay is shared with the Iž and Rava catamaran, while Gaženica also sends ferries out to Molat and Ist, so make sure you know which of Zadar's two harbours your boat uses.
Ošljak, the tiny island in the channel just off Preko, has no boat of its own. Four ferry sailings a day make a short detour to it. Monday to Saturday that means the 07:30 and 14:45 out of Gaženica and the 12:15 and 18:40 back from Preko; on Sundays and holidays the 08:15 and 18:40 from the Preko side and the 09:30 and 13:30 from Zadar. All other ferries run straight across.
Preko and Ošljak by boat: what visitors ask
Does the Preko ferry use the old-town harbour?
No. Car ferry 431 loads at Gaženica, Zadar's ferry terminal outside the centre. The old-town quay, Liburnska obala, is served only by foot-passenger boat 409.
Is the boat faster than the ferry?
No: Jadrolinija gives 25 minutes for both. Only the ferries that call at Ošljak take longer, 30 minutes.
Is a rental car allowed on the Ugljan crossing?
Yes, on the car ferry from Gaženica: €17.30 for a car under 5 m, and the driver also pays €3.80. Boat 409 has no vehicle deck.
Latest ferry back from Preko?
At 22:30, except on 1 January, 5 April, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, when it is 21:20. The final weekday boat into the old town leaves Preko at 20:15.
Should I buy my ticket for one particular sailing?
There is no need. On 431 and 409 alike, Jadrolinija honours the ticket on every departure of the date shown.
Which ferries stop at Ošljak?
Four a day. Monday to Saturday: 07:30 or 14:45 from Gaženica, 12:15 or 18:40 from Preko.
Is the old-town boat cheaper than the ferry?
Not between October and May: the boat costs €4.00 and the ferry €3.80. In summer the boat costs €5.00.