Valbiska to Merag is a popular car ferry crossing that serves primarily passengers traveling by car, motorcycle, or bicycle from the mainland via Krk island to the island of Cres and further to Losinj island. This ferry line (locally known as route 332) is very convenient as Krk Island is connected by a bridge with the mainland, meaning if you are driving to Cres or Losinj, there is just this ferry crossing that you have to take. The alternative car ferry crossing is Brestova to Porozina which is more convenient if you are driving from Istria (see how to island hop from Pula/ Istria)
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Valbiska to Merag (Krk to Cres Car Ferry)
This pleasant 25-minute ferry journey, covering a distance of just over 6 kilometers, crosses the channel 10 to 14 times a day depending on the season/ time of the year. Krk is connected with the mainland by a bridge so drive across the bridge and head to Valbiska, from where you can either get on the ferry to Cres Island (Merag) or you can choose to drive to another island – Rab via Lopar ferry. Once you arrive in Merag, there is another 12 km to drive to Cres or 66 km to drive to Mali Losinj.
Valbiska to Merag Ferry Schedule and Prices
The earliest departure is 05:45 and the last departure is at midnight. The ticket prices start from 4.5 Euros per person and 20 Euros for a small car. Check the detailed schedule and prices at croatiaferries.com website. You can buy your car ferry tickets at the ticket kiosk in the port or online at Jadrolinija.
How early should you get to the port?
Important note: Bear in mind this popular Krk to Cres ferry is a first-come-first-serve service, so no advance booking for car places is available on this ferry. To secure your car place on the ferry, depending on the time of the year, try to be in the port at least 60 minutes in advance in the high season (July & August) while out of the season, it is less busy so 30 minutes before departure should be fine.
Facilities in Valbiska and Merag ferry ports
- Jadrolinija’s ticket kiosk where you can buy your ferry ticket (cards accepted)
- cafe bar offering basic refreshments, bites, and free WIFI (also available on the ferry itself – cash only)
- limited parking, you will have to wait in the waiting line
Crossing Map
Here is a direction map showing the location of Valbiska and Merag with a small dotted line representing the crossing – right click on the image to save the map (see direction map here):
GPS coordinates
- Valbiska: 45°01’40.4″N 14°29’48.8″E
- Merag: 44°58’46.2″N 14°26’51.7″E
Video
Here is a video of the car ferry Kornati (or Bol) which are the usual vessels that serve this route. The video is taken on the ferry and shows embarkation and disembarkation by car as well as how this journey feels and looks like while on route. Note at the end of the video how long is a waiting line – that is why is important to arrive early and join the queue.
Interesting fact: This is by far the busiest car ferry route in Croatia. In 2022 it carried almost half a million vehicles, more precisely 490K vehicles. Next in the row is route 334 (Brestova – Porozina) which in the same year transported 454K vehicles (source).
Traveling further and more info: island hopping in Croatia, map of islands in Croatia
