Venice to Split by Ferry
Traveling by ferry from Venice to Split is a viable travel option for people who would like to avoid traveling by car, bus, or flying while doing their summer holiday in the Adriatic.
There is no direct ferry line that connects Venice and Split. You would need to change two ferries. One from Venice to Ancona and another one from Ancona to Split. See info about Italy to Croatia ferries.
If you carefully plan your journey you can reach Split from Venice by ferry with ease, enjoying the crossing and views of the sea and coast from the ferry windows and decks.
In this crossing two ferries are involved, both comfortable and offering good onboard facilities.
The total time of the whole journey involved in spending on a ferry is about 16 hrs. That includes one transfer and an overnight ferry trip.
Venice to Split Ferry Schedules
The first leg of the trip is Venice to Ancona journey. This service is run twice a week, on Wednesdays and Thursdays all year round. Here is a ferry schedule:
Depart from Venice
Wednesdays and Thursdays: departure from Venice at 04:30 arrival in Ancona: 11:00. The ferry company is Grimaldi Minoan Lines running this route with Cruise Europa or Cruise Olympia ferries (see above photo)
This is all year round route and is an excellent option to reach Croatia from Venice as the second leg of the journey, Ancona to Split also runs all year round.
The alternative option is to get on a ferry from Venice to Pula, overnight there, and proceed to Split via Zadar the following morning. If you can’t get that ferry, try Venice to Rovinj instead and get to Pula by bus.
The second leg of the trip is Ancona to Split journey. This service is run several times a week, all year round too. Here is a ferry schedule:
Depart from Ancona
From Ancona, you will take a direct ferry to Split, Croatia. Departure from Ancona is at 20:00 arriving in Split at 7:00 the following morning. This route is run by Jadrolinija and Snav ferry companies running this route with ferry Marco Polo or Aurelia comfortable cruise ferries.
Tip:
As you will arrive in Ancona at 11 am, you will have about 7 hours to explore Ancona before embarking on your next leg of the journey. This is enough time to see the main attractions in Ancona including its Passetto Beach and the lovely old Cathedral of San Ciriaco. The Fontana del Calamo and the ancient Arch of Trajan and the Lazzaretto are attractions you can see in the town center and near the port.
Once you embark on your ferry, you will enjoy the sunset views over the waters (get prepared for your trip – check what to wear)
Ticket booking, timetables, and cost
Venice to Ancona ferry trip will cost you, for a deck passenger, 30 Euros Ancona to Split ferry trip will cost you, for a deck passenger, 33 Euros.
Motοrcycle is just 13 Euro, Cars 37,00 euro for each journey. On both ferries, you can take your pet with you too.
- For the first leg of your journey, Venice to Ancona, book your ticket here
- For the second leg of the journey, Ancona to Split, ticket booking is here
- The total estimated deck passenger one-way cost for both legs of the journey is 65 euros.
Split to Venice by ferry
For the return trip from Split to Venice, you will depart from Split by the same ferry in the early evening and arrive in Ancona the following morning. You will have until 3 pm to explore the town. Make sure you are in the Ancona ferry port by that time, as boarding for this ferry starts 2 hours in advance. Here is a schedule:
Tuesday and Wednesday departures are at 17:30 from Ancona, with arrival in Venice at 01:30. With this option you will arrive in Venice late at night, at 1:30 am. You may see this as a very long journey, but if you compare it with options like taking a bus from Split to Venice which takes a very long time, this is not a bad option.
The alternative option is to get on Pula to Venice ferry (or Rovinj to Venice) by getting from Split to Pula as the first leg of the trip.
For foot passengers, another alternative to this journey is to fly from Venice to Split with a flight duration of just 1:10 minutes. Flights are run by Volotea and the current schedules are to depart at 08:20 from Venice Marco Polo airport and arrive at the Split airport at 09:30. The cost is 79 Euro. Check details here volotea.com.
Journey Map
On the above map, you can see three steps of the journey. On step 2 (Ancona) you will have several hours for sightseeing before embarking on the overnight ferry to Croatia.
Videos
This is a ferry that runs from Venice to Ancona. Another one, from Ancona to Split is here:
FAQ
Is there a direct ferry service between Venice and Split?
No, there is no direct ferry from Venice to Split, but, there are ferries departing from Venice to Ancona and via Ancona, another ferry arriving in Split in Croatia. The whole journey, including one transfer, one afternoon of sightseeing in Ancona, and an overnight ferry crossing, takes about 27 hours.
If you try this route, let me know your experience and impressions on this journey – get in touch.
