Transportation In Croatia
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Transport in Croatia relies on several main modes, including transport by car, train, ship and plane. Road transport incorporates a comprehensive network of state, county and local routes augmented by a network of highways for long-distance travelling. Water transport can be divided into sea, based on the ports of
Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...
, Ploče, Split and Zadar, and river transport, based on Sava, Danube and, to a lesser extent,
Drava The Drava or Drave''Utrata Fachwörterbuch ...
. Croatia has 9 international airports and several airlines, of which the most notable are Croatia Airlines and Trade Air. Rail network is fairly developed but regarding inter-city transport, bus tends to be far more common than the rail.


Air transport

Croatia counts 9 civil, 13 sport and 3 military airports. There are nine international civil airports: Zagreb Airport, Split Airport, Dubrovnik Airport, Zadar Airport, Pula Airport, Rijeka Airport (on the island of Krk), Osijek Airport, Bol and Mali Lošinj. The two busiest airports in the country are the ones serving Zagreb and Split. By the end of 2010, significant investments in the renovation of Croatian airports began. Since the middle of 2013, Croatia is a member of the European Union. New modern and spacious passenger terminals were opened in 2017 at Zagreb and Dubrovnik Airports and in 2019 at Split Airport. The new passenger terminals at Dubrovnik Airport and Zagreb Airport are the first in Croatia to feature jet bridges. Airports that serve cities on the
Adriatic coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...
receive the majority of the traffic during the summer season due to the large number of flights from foreign air carriers (especially low-cost) that serve these airports with seasonal flights. Croatia Airlines is the state-owned flag carrier of Croatia. It is headquartered in Zagreb and its main hub is Zagreb Airport. Croatia is connected by air with a large number of foreign (especially European) destinations, while its largest cities are interconnected by a significant number of domestic air routes such as Zagreb-Split-Zagreb, Zagreb-Dubrovnik-Zagreb, Zagreb-Zadar-Zagreb, Osijek-Rijeka-Osijek, Osijek-Split-Osijek, Zadar-Pula-Zadar, etc. These routes are operated by domestic air carriers such as Croatia Airlines or Trade Air.


Rail transport


Railway corridors

The Croatian railway network is classified into three groups: railways of international, regional and local significance. The most important railway lines follow Pan-European corridors V/branch B ( Rijeka - Zagreb - Budapest) and X, which connect with each other in Zagreb. With international passenger trains, Croatia is directly connected with the majority of neighbouring ( Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia) and medium-distanced Central European countries such as Czech Republic, Austria, Germany or
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. Dubrovnik is the most populous and well known city in Croatia that is not connected with the railway, while the city of
Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...
(together with the rest of westernmost Istria County) can only be directly reached by railway through Slovenia (unless one takes the railway company's organized bus service between
Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...
and Lupoglav). As the most of the country's interior-based larger towns are connected with the railway (opposite to the coastal part of the country), there are many small inland towns, villages and remote areas that are served by the trains running on regional or local corridors.


Types of passenger train lines

All nationwide and commuter passenger rail services in Croatia are operated by the country’s national railway company Croatian Railways. According to schedules, there are several different ranks of passenger trains operating inside Croatia, as follows. Inter-City trains – Croatian: ''Inter-City vlakovi'' – Inter-City trains represent the fairly limited amount of trains in Croatia. They operate on long routes and usually serve only the largest stations along the way. Inter-City Titling trains – Croatian: ''Inter City Nagibni vlakovi'' (ICN) – ICN services are connecting Zagreb with Split using tilting trains. Thanks to their tilting mechanism they can run faster than conventional trains and represent only daytime connections between Zagreb and Split, also serving decent amount of larger stations along their route. Contrary to regular overnight fast trains between Zagreb and Split with scheduled travelling time of circa 8 hours in total, tilting trains on the Zagreb–Split route (lines M202 and M604) offer passengers a faster journey with a riding time of about 6 hours. Fast trains – Croatian: ''Brzi vlakovi'' - Fast trains operate on medium to long distances, serving only stations in larger settlements along the track. Their purpose is very similar to Inter City trains. Semi-fast trains – Croatian: ''Ubrzani vlakovi'' - Semi-fast trains operate on medium to long distances and their purpose is to serve destinations which have justified number of passengers, therefore skipping certain smaller stations which have not. Regional and local trains – Croatian: ''Putnički vlakovi'' (lit. "passenger trains") – Regional and local trains cover short, medium and long distances and generally serve all stations along their route, representing the largest part of passenger trains on the nationwide level. They are mainly used by local residents traveling between smaller settlements and larger centres/railway hubs or by those who want to continue their journey further using mostly well-adjusted transfers - in both cases for daily migrations (school, work, hospital, shopping, etc.) or other reasons. These trains usually have daily frequencies that meet the needs of the local population. Suburban trains – Croatian: ''Prigradski vlakovi'' - Suburban trains operate exclusively on the
Zagreb Commuter Rail Zagreb Commuter Rail is the rapid transit, suburban/commuter railway network that provides mass-transit service in the city of Zagreb, Croatia and its suburbs. This suburban rail system, introduced in 1992 on the route Savski Marof - Zagreb G ...
corridor and have the most frequent daily schedules above all types of train lines in Croatia. They are run by light motor sets that can be started and stopped quickly, and like the most of regional/local trains, they serve every station along their way. On the train lines operating within suburban areas of other larger towns, certain number of regional/local trains play the role of suburban trains. Since large number of fast, semi fast, regional and local trains have commuter-oriented schedules, they often offer passengers daily migration to the large city areas from more distant towns and settlements (between 50 km / 32 mi and 100 km / 62 mi.) and vice versa. This can, for example, refer to the railway connection of the Central Croatia's wider region with Zagreb metropolitan area.


Infrastructure condition

In Croatia, railways are served by standard-gauge (1,435 mm; 4 ft 8+12). Construction length of the railway network is 2617 km; 1626.12 mi. (2341 km; /1454.63 mi. of single-track corridors and 276 km / 171.49 mi. of double-track corridors). 1013 km (629.44 mi.) of railways are electrified, according to the annual rail network public report of Croatian Railways (2023 issue). The largest part of country's railway infrastructure dates back from the pre- World War II period and more than half of the core routes were, in fact, built during the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
i.e. before the World War I. More on that, there were also significant lack of investments and decrease of proper maintenance in Croatian railway infrastructure, roughly from the time of country's independence (1991) to late 2000's, which mainly resulted in slowing of permitted track speeds, increase of the riding times and decrease in the overall quality of passenger transport, especially on Inter City level. As a result, fair amount of routes lag significantly behind the West-European standards in the form of infrastructural condition. However, some major infrastructure improvements started to occur in early 2010's and continued through 2020's, such as full-profile reconstruction of some of the country's most important corridors like M102, R201 (section between Zaprešić and Zabok; including electrification), M101, M601 ( Vinkovci - Vukovar; including electrification), M502, M201, M202 (section between Zagreb and Karlovac, including adding of the second track) and M103 (section between Dugo Selo and Novska, including adding of the second track), respectively. Those improvements, among other things, resulted in increasing of both maximum track speed and operation safety, shortening of the travel time and modernization of supporting infrastructure (stations, platforms and other equipment). First newly-built railway in Croatia since 1967 (
L214 L214 (also known as L214 éthique & animaux) is a French animal rights organization. It was founded in 2008 by the action group "Stop Gavage" (stop force-feeding) for the abolition of foie gras, which now continues its actions within L214. The ...
) was opened in December 2019. The official rail speed record in Croatia is . Maximum speed reached in regular service is on parts of the Novska–Tovarnik line.


Rolling stock

Rolling stock of the Croatian Railways consists of
diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...
s, electric locomotives,
diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
s,
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
s and significant number of
railroad car A railroad car, railcar (American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is a ...
s. In 2004 Croatian Railways introduced a series of modern tilting trains ( HŽ series 7 123) produced by the German branch of
Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry ...
. They usually operate on the mountainous route between the two largest Croatian cities, Zagreb and Split, although they are sometimes used on other routes in the country as well. In 2011, the modernization of the fairly outdated fleet of Croatian Railways officially began with the delivery of two KONČAR Group-maded prototypes of the electric train series 6112 for suburban and regional traffic. Between 2013 and 2025, Croatian Railways was supplied with a single diesel multiple unit set of 7022 series and 12
diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
sets of the 7 023 series manufactured jointly by TŽV Gredelj and KONČAR Group together with the 54 additional
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
sets of the 6 112 series manufactured by KONČAR Group, which significantly modernized the company's rolling stock. 6 112, 7 022 and 7 023 units can be found operating on suburban, local, regional and inter-city routes.


Road transport

From the time of
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
and building the Louisiana road, the road transport in Croatia has significantly improved, topping most European countries. Croatian highways are widely regarded as being one of the most modern and safe in Europe. This is because the largest part of the Croatian motorway and expressway system (''autoceste'' and ''brze ceste'', resp.) has been recently constructed (mainly in the 2000s), and further construction is continuing. The motorways in Croatia connect most major Croatian cities and all major seaports. The two longest routes, the A1 and the A3, span the better part of the country and the motorway network connects most major border crossings. Tourism is of major importance for the Croatian economy, and as most tourists come to vacation in Croatia in their own cars, the highways serve to alleviate summer jams. They have also been used as a means of stimulating urgently needed economic growth, and for the sustainable development of this country. Croatia now has a considerable highway density for a country of its size, helping it cope with the consequences of being a transition economy and having suffered in the
Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...
. Some of the most impressive parts of the road infrastructure in Croatia includes the Sveti Rok and Mala Kapela tunnels on the A1 motorway, and the Pelješac Bridge in the southernmost part of the country. , Croatia has a total of of roads.Croatia
'' The World Factbook''. Central Intelligence Agency.


Traffic laws

The traffic signs adhere to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. The general speed limits are: * in inhabited areas 50 km/h * outside of inhabited areas 90 km/h * on marked expressways 110 km/h * on marked motorways 130 km/h Some of the more technical safety measures include that all new Croatian tunnels have modern safety equipment and there are several control cereers, which monitor highway traffic.


Motorways

Motorways ( hr, Autocesta, plural hr, autoceste) in Croatia applies to dual carriageway roads with at least two traffic lanes in each driving direction and an
emergency lane A shoulder, hard shoulder (British) or breakdown lane, is an emergency stopping lane by the verge of a road or motorway, on the right side in countries which drive on the right, and on the left side in countries which drive on the left. Many wid ...
. Direction road signs at Croatian motorways have green background with white lettering similar to the German Autobahn. The designations of motorways are "A" and the motorway number. , the Croatian motorway network is long, with additional of new motorways under construction. The list of completed motorways is as follows (see individual articles for further construction plans and status): * A1, Zagreb - Bosiljevo - Split - Ploče ( E71, E65) * A2, Zagreb - Krapina -
Macelj Macelj (; ) is the name of a village and a forest in northern Croatia bordering on Slovenia. There is an official border crossing in Macelj, and the end of the A2 highway. The villages are administratively divided into Gornji Macelj (''Upper''), p ...
( E59) * A3, Bregana - Zagreb - Lipovac ( E70) * A4, Goričan - Varaždin/ Čakovec - Zagreb ( E71) * A5,
Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
- Đakovo -
Sredanci Sredanci is a village in the Donji Andrijevci municipality of the Brod-Posavina County in Croatia. In the 2011 census, it had a population of 322. The village is the eponym for the Sredanci interchange The Sredanci interchange ( hr, Čvor Sred ...
( E73) * A6, Bosiljevo -
Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...
( E65) * A7, Rupa -
Rijeka bypass The A7 motorway ( hr, Autocesta A7) is a motorway in Croatia. It connects the nation's largest port in Rijeka, to the Croatian motorway network, as well as to the Rupa and Pasjak border crossings to Slovenia. The motorway forms part of a lon ...
( E61) * A8,
Kanfanar interchange The Kanfanar interchange ( hr, Čvor Kanfanar) is a cloverleaf interchange west of Kanfanar, Croatia. The interchange represents the western terminus of the A8 motorway and it connects the A8 route to the A9 motorway representing major a link in ...
- Matulji ( E751) * A9, Umag -
Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...
( E751) * A10, A1 Ploče interchange - Metković border crossing * A11, Velika Gorica - Lekenik Toll is charged on most Croatian motorways, and exceptions are the A11 motorway,
Zagreb bypass Zagreb bypass ( hr, Zagrebačka obilaznica) is a U-shaped motorway partially encircling Zagreb, Croatia. The largest part by far, between Jankomir and Ivanja Reka interchanges, was built between 1977 and 1979, while the Ivanja Reka – Sveta Helen ...
and
Rijeka bypass The A7 motorway ( hr, Autocesta A7) is a motorway in Croatia. It connects the nation's largest port in Rijeka, to the Croatian motorway network, as well as to the Rupa and Pasjak border crossings to Slovenia. The motorway forms part of a lon ...
, as well as sections adjacent to border crossings (except eastbound A3). Payment is in
kuna Kuna may refer to: Places * Kuna, Idaho, a town in the United States ** Kuna Caves, a lava tube in Idaho * Kuna Peak, a mountain in California * , a village in the Orebić municipality, Croatia * , a village in the Konavle municipality, Croatia ...
, all major credit cards and euros are accepted at all toll gates. Most motorways are covered by the
closed toll collection A ticket system, also known as a closed toll collection system, is a system used on some toll roads in which a user pays a toll rate based on the distance traveled from their originating entrance to their destination exit. The correct toll is de ...
system, where a driver receives a ticket at the entrance gates and pays at the exit gates according to the number of sections travelled.
Open toll collection A barrier toll system (also known as an open toll system) is a method of collecting tolls on highways using toll barriers at regularly spaced intervals on the toll road's mainline. Motorists are typically charged a flat-rate toll, unlike toll roa ...
is used on some bridges and tunnels and short stretches of tolled highway, where drivers immediately pay the toll upon arriving. Various forms of prepaid electronic toll collection systems are in place which allow quicker collection of toll, usually at a discounted rate, as well as use of dedicated toll plaza lanes (for ''ENC system'' of the electronic toll collection). All heavily traveled routes towards Slovenia, Hungary and Serbia are motorway connections, and almost all parts of Croatia are now easy to reach using motorways. Numerous service areas and petrol stations had been constructed along all Croatian motorways. All Croatian motorways are equipped with enclosed service areas with gas stations and parking. Many areas have restaurants and children's playgrounds.


Expressways

The term ''brza cesta'' or ''expressway'' refers to
limited-access road A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...
s specifically designated as such by legislation and marked with appropriate
limited-access road A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...
traffic signs. The expressways may comprise two or more traffic lanes, while they normally do not have emergency lanes. ''Polu-autocesta'' or ''
semi-highway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
'' refers to a two-lane, undivided road running on one roadway of a motorway while the other is in construction. By legal definition, all semi-highways are expressways. The expressway routes in Croatia usually correspond to a state road (see below) and are marked a "D" followed by a number. The "E" numbers are designations of European routes.


State roads

Major roads that aren't part of the motorway system are ''državne ceste'' (state routes). They are marked with the letter D and the road's number. The most traveled state routes in Croatia are: * D1, connects Zagreb and Split via
Lika Lika () is a traditional region of Croatia proper, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by ...
- passes through
Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb- Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...
, Slunj, Plitvice, Korenica, Knin, Sinj. * D2, connects Varaždin and
Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
via Podravina - passes through
Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of the Koprivnica-Križevci county. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total popu ...
, Virovitica, Slatina,
Našice Našice () is a town in eastern Croatia, located on the northern slopes of the Krndija mountain in eastern Slavonia, 51 km southwest of regional hub Osijek. Administratively it belongs to Osijek-Baranja County. Geography Našice is located ...
. * D8, connects
Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...
and Dubrovnik, widely known as '' Jadranska magistrala'' and part of E65 - runs along the coastline and connects many cities on the coast, including Crikvenica, Senj, Zadar, Šibenik, Trogir, Split,
Omiš Omiš (, Latin and it, Almissa) is a town and port in the Dalmatia region of Croatia, and is a municipality in the Split-Dalmatia County. The town is situated approximately south-east of Croatia's second largest city, Split. Its location is wh ...
,
Makarska Makarska (; it, Macarsca, ; german: Macharscha) is a town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split (city), Split and northwest of Dubrovnik, in the Split-Dalmatia County. Makarska is a prominent regional tourist center, ...
and Ploče. Since the construction of A1 motorway beyond Gorski kotar started, D1 and D8 are much less used. These routes are monitored by Croatian roadside assistance because they connect important locations. Like all state routes outside major cities, they are only two-lane arterials and do not support heavy traffic. All state routes are routinely maintained by Croatian road authorities. The road sign for a state route has a blue background and the route's designation in white. State routes have one, two or three-digit numbers.


County roads and minor roads

Secondary routes are known as county roads. They are marked with signs with yellow background and road number. These roads' designations are rarely used, but usually marked on regional maps if these roads are shown. Formally, their designation is the letter Ž and the number. County roads have four-digit numbers. The least known are the so-called local roads. Their designations are never marked on maps or by roadside signs and as such are virtually unknown to public. Their designations consist of the letter L and a five-digit number.


Bus traffic

Bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
es represent the most-accepted, cheapest and widely used means of public transport. National bus traffic is very well developed - from express buses that cover longer distances to bus connections between the smallest villages in the country, therefore it's possible to reach most of the remotest parts of Croatia by bus on a daily basis. Every larger town usually has a bus station with the ticket office(s) and timetable information. Buses that run on national lines in Croatia (owned and run by private companies) are comfortable and modern-equipped vehicles, featuring air-conditioning and offering pleasant traveling comfort. National bus travel is generally divided in inter-city (''Međugradski prijevoz''), inter -county (''Međužupanijski prijevoz'') and county (local; ''Županijski prijevoz'') transport. Although there can be bus companies whose primary goal is to serve inter-city lines, a certain bus company can - and most of them usually do - operate all or most of the above mentioned modes of transport. The primary goal of intercity buses is to connect the largest cities in the country with each other in the shortest possible time. Buses on inter-city level usually offer far more frequent daily services and shorter riding time than trains, mostly due to the large amount of competing companies and great quality of the country's freeway network. According to timetables of bus companies, there are several types of inter-city bus lines. Some lines run directly on the highway to connect certain cities by the shortest route. Other lines run on lower-ranked roads (all the way or part of the way) even when there is a highway alternative, to connect settlements along the way, while some lines run on the highway and sometimes (one time or more) temporarily exit it to serve some smaller settlement nearby, thus giving the opportunity to a certain smaller settlement to be connected by express service. Buses on county lines usually run between larger cities or towns in a particular county, connecting towns and smaller villages along the way. These buses are mostly used by local residents - students or workers and occasional passengers, so the timetables and line frequencies of these bus routes are mostly adjusted according to the needs of passenger's daily migrations. Since there is no bus terminal in smaller villages, passengers which board buses from those stations buy a ticket from the driver while boarding the bus, unless they have a monthly student or worker pass, in which case they must validate it each time they board the vehicle. Buses running on inter-county lines usually have the same or very similar purpose, except they cross county borders to transport passengers to the more distanced larger town or area. There are many international bus routes from Croatia to the neighboring countries ( Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary) and to other European countries. International bus services correspond to European standards. Zagreb has the largest and busiest bus terminal in Croatia. It is located near the downtown in Trnje district on the Marin Držić Avenue. The bus terminal is close to the main railway station and it is easy to reach by tram lines and by car.


Maritime and river transport


Maritime transport


Coastal infrastructure

Republic of Croatia counts six ports open for public traffic of outstanding (international) economic importance and those are the ports:
Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...
, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Ploče and Dubrovnik. There are also numerous smaller public ports located along the country's coast. Rijeka is the country's largest cargo port, followed by Ploče which is of great economic importance for the neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina. The three most common destinations for foreign cruise ships are the ports of Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar. Split is the country's largest passenger port, serving as the public port for domestic ferry, conventional ship and catamaran services as well as for international ferry, cruise or mega cruise services. Zadar has two public transport ports opened for passenger traffic – one located in the town center served by conventional ship and catamaran services and the other located in the suburb of
Gaženica Gaženica is a suburb of Zadar, Croatia, located about 3 miles southeast from the city center, by the Adriatic Sea. It is connected by the D424 highway. Port of Gaženica Gaženica is location of the commercial port of the city of Zadar—Por ...
, serving ferry and cruise ship services. Republic of Croatia defined the need to relieve the Zadar's passenger port and the historic center of Zadar and move ferry traffic from the city center to the new passenger port in Gaženica. Work on the construction of the new port began in 2009, and a new ferry port of approximately 100,000 square meters was opened to traffic in 2015. The advantages of the Port of Gaženica are the short distance from the city center (3.5 kilometers), the proximity of the airport and quality traffic connection with the A1 Motorway. The Port of Gaženica meets multiple traffic requirements - it serves for domestic ferry traffic, international ferry traffic, passenger traffic on mega cruisers and cruisers and RO-RO traffic, with all the necessary infrastructure and accompanying upgrades. In 2019, the passenger port of Gaženica was named Port of the Year at the most prestigious Seatrade Cruise Awards held in Hamburg.


Connection of islands and the mainland

Performing of the public transport on national conventional ship, catamaran and ferry lines and all occasional public maritime lines in Croatia is supervised by the government-founded Agency for coastal line traffic (''Agencija za obalni linijski promet''). Croatia has about 50 inhabited islands along its coast (most of which are reached from either Zadar or Split ports), which means that there is a large number of local car ferry, conventional ship and
catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...
connections. The vast majority of Croatian islands have a road network and several ports for public transport - usually a single ferry port and one or more additional ports mostly located near the bay settlements, served exclusively by conventional ships and catamarans. According to sailing schedules or in case of extraordinary conditions, conventional and catamaran ships can also serve ferry ports. There are also very small number of car-free islands that are accessible only by conventional ship or catamaran services, such as Silba in northern
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
. Regarding national ferry lines, in the lead terms of the number of transported passengers and vehicles are the one between Split and
Supetar Supetar (, it, San Pietro della Brazza) is a town on the northern side of the Dalmatian island of Brač, in the Split-Dalmatia County, in Croatia. It became the island's official centre in 1827. The Town of Supetar includes Supetar itself and th ...
on the island of Brač (central Dalmatia) and one between Valbiska (island of Krk) and
Merag Merag is a village in Croatia, located on the east coast of Cres. It is connected by ferry to Valbiska on Krk and is accessed via the D101 road which is connected to the D100 D100 may refer to: * Nikon D100, A digital camera manufactured by Nik ...
(island of Cres) in northern Kvarner Gulf. Ferry line between Zadar and Preko on the island of Ugljan (northern Dalmatia) is the most frequent one in Croatia and the rest of the Adriatic - in the summer sailing schedule on this 3 nautical mile long line (5.5 km / 3.45 mi) there is around 20 departures per day in each direction. The longest ferry line in Croatia is Zadar -
Ist Ist or IST may refer to: Information Science and Technology * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Science and Technology * Graduate School / Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Japan * Graduate School ...
- Olib - Silba (passenger service only) - Premuda - Mali Lošinj (63.4 nautical miles; 117.4 km / 72.9 mi.), while the shortest one is between Biograd na Moru and Tkon on the island of Pašman (1.4 nautical miles; 2,6 km / 1.6 mi.), both operating in northern Dalmatia. Almost all ferry lines in Croatia are provided by the state-owned shipping company Jadrolinija (included in the list of the world's top 10 passenger shipping companies), except the ferry service between Stinica and Mišnjak on the island of Rab (Kvarner Gulf area) which is operated by the company “Rapska Plovidba d.d”. Catamaran and passenger ship services are operated by Jadrolinija and several other companies such as "Krilo - Kapetan Luka" , "G&V Line Iadera" , "Tankerska Plovidba d.d." , "Miatours d.o.o." etc. Jadrolinija alone provides a total of 34 national lines with almost 600 departures per day during the summer tourist season, when the number of ferry, conventional ship and catamaran lines on the most capacity-demanding routes is significantly higher compared to the off-season period.


International routes

With its largest vessels, Jadrolinija connects Croatia with Italy by operating international cross-Adriatic routes Split - Ancona - Split, Zadar - Ancona - Zadar and Dubrovnik -
Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
- Dubrovnik. Ferry line between Split and Ancona is also operated by Italian operator SNAV.


Vessels

Most ferries sailing on Croatian national lines are, among other things, equipped with modern navigation/safety equipment and luxurious enclosed air-conditioned longues for passengers. From 2004 to 2018, a total of 13 new ferries were built in Croatian shipyards, all of which sail on national local lines - 12 are owned by Jadrolinija, and one is owned by Rapska Plovidba. In addition to these ferries, Jadrolinija has a large number of ferries purchased on foreign markets (used and reconstructed/refurbished) or built in Croatian shipyards during the time of Yugoslavia. All ferries are equipped with hydraulic ramps for loading/unloading of vehicles. Older ferries are usually smaller in size,have capacities that vary from 200 to 700 passengers and from 30 to 70 cars per vessel. They sail on lines connecting less populated islands or on lines connecting ports located in shallower bays in parts of the islands that are located very close to the mainland. Ferries built in more recent times (after 2000, either in Croatia or abroad) have a significantly higher capacity which range from 600 to 1200 passengers and from 100 to 200 cars per vessel, mostly sailing on the country's most frequent and/or busiest local lines, such as Valbiska - Merag (Kvarner Gulf area), Zadar - Preko, Zadar -
Brbinj Brbinj is a small village on the northeast coast of the Croatian island of Dugi Otok, between the villages of Dragove and Savar. Its population is 76 (as of the 2011 census). It embraces two distinct bays, a four-fingered Jaz bay in the south and t ...
( Zadar Archipelago area), Split - Supetar, Split - Stari Grad, Split - Vela Luka - Ubli (Split Archipelago) etc. The three largest Croatian ships sailing on international routes were built abroad and later bought by Jadrolinija as used vessels: ''Marko Polo'' (built in 1972 and bought in 1988), ''Dubrovnik'' (built in 1979 and bought in 1996) and ''Zadar'' (built in 1993 and bougt in 2004). Each of these three ships has a capacity of about 1000 passengers and about 300 vehicles and offer a variety of additional facilities such as self-service restaurants, sleeping cabins, cafes, children's playrooms, etc. Catamarans and passenger ships sailing on Croatian national lines are relatively small vessels mostly built in foreign shipyards. Capacity varies from vessel to vessel, and generally ranges from 200 to 400 passengers per ship. They are equipped with air-conditioned passenger lounges on one or two levels, cafe service, luggage space, etc. Croatian shipping companies have a wide range of catamarans - from those built in the late 1980’s to the most modern built in 2010’s with the latest technical advances in the navigation system. Passenger ships were mostly built in the late 1980s or early 1990s (except for a very small number of still active Jadrolinija passenger ships built in Croatian shipyards during Yugoslavia, ie in the late 1950s and early 1960s). All passenger ships also have a covered deck with seats, like the ferry vessels.


River transport

Croatia is also on the important Danube waterway which connects Eastern and Central Europe. The major Danube port is Vukovar, but there are also some smaller ports in
Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
,
Sisak Sisak (; hu, Sziszek ; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavin ...
and Slavonski Brod. Navigable rivers: * Danube(E 80) - 137,5 km from entering Croatia near Batina to exits near Ilok; VIc class * Sava(E 80-12) - 383.2 km from
Sisak Sisak (; hu, Sziszek ; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavin ...
until it exits Croatia near Gunja; II-IV class *
Drava The Drava or Drave''Utrata Fachwörterbuch ...
(E 80-08) - 14 km from the mouth of the Danube to Osijek; IV class Total waterway length (2021): 534.7 km


Pipelines

The projected capacity of the oil pipeline is 34 million tons of oil per year, and the installed 20 million tons of oil per year. The system was built for the needs of refineries in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as users in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The total capacity of the storage space today is 2,100,000 m3 for crude oil and 242,000 m3 for petroleum products. The pipeline is long and it is fully controlled by JANAF. The system consists of: reception and dispatch Terminal Omišalj on the island of Krk, with two berths for tankers and storage space for oil and derivatives, receiving and dispatching terminals in
Sisak Sisak (; hu, Sziszek ; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavin ...
, Virje and Slavonski Brod with oil storage space at the Sisak and Virje terminals, Žitnjak Terminal in Zagreb, for storage of petroleum products with railway and truck transfer stations for delivery, reception and dispatch of derivatives. Natural gas is transported by
Plinacro Plinacro is a natural gas transmission system operator in Croatia. History Plinacro was founded on 1 February 2001 as a subsidiary of INA. Since March 2002, Plinacro is a fully state-owned company. Operations Plinacro operates of high pressure ...
, which operates of the transmission system in 19 counties, with more than 450 overhead transmission system facilities, including a compressor station and 156 metering and reduction stations through which gas is delivered to system users. The system houses the Okoli underground storage facility with a working volume of 553 million cubic meters of natural gas.


Public transport

Public transport within the most of the largest cities (and their suburbs/ satellite towns) in Croatia is mostly provided by the city buses owned and operated by municipal organizations such as Zagrebački električni tramvaj in Zagreb,
Promet Split Promet Split (English: Traffic Split) is the transit authority responsible for public transport in Split (the second largest city in Croatia) and parts of the surrounding Split Metropolitan area. It was founded on March 13, 1948 in Split.
in Split, "Autotrolej" d.o.o." in Rijeka, "Liburnija Zadar" in Zadar, "Gradski Prijevoz Putnika d.o.o." in Osijek, etc. In addition to city buses, the cities of Zagreb and Osijek have tram networks. Tram lines in Zagreb are operated by Zagrebački električni tramvaj, while the tram lines in Osijek are operated by "Gradski Prijevoz Putnika d.o.o.". Tram network in the capital city of Zagreb is, however, far more extensive than the one in Osijek.


See also

*
Croatian car number plates The standard license plate, licence plates in Croatia consist of a two-letter city code which is separated by the Coat of Arms of Croatia from three or four numbers and one or two letters. Regular plates The standard regular plate consists of t ...
* Transport in Zagreb * Hrvatske autoceste * Croatian Railways *
List of E-roads in Croatia This is a list of the International E-road network, European Routes, or ''E-road'' highways, that run through the Croatia. The current network is signposted according to the 2016 system revision, and contains seven Class A roads and three Class B ...


References

{{Transportation in Europe