By the Dalmatia Express crew — skippers running the Split–island routes daily, 24/7. Updated July 2026.

Here’s how to get to Vis: there’s no bridge and never will be, so every route starts on the water. Your realistic choices from Split are the Jadrolinija car ferry (140 minutes, takes a vehicle), the Krilo catamaran for foot passengers (around 70–100 minutes, but on a thin schedule and not built for day trips), or a private taxi boat that crosses in about 65 minutes on your own schedule. Vis island ferry links are the only way in — no airport, no shortcut — and that isolation is exactly why the island still feels like Dalmatia did forty years ago.

Vis is the furthest inhabited island off Split, and for most of the 20th century it was also the most off-limits. The Yugoslav National Army fortified it with more than thirty military installations — an underground submarine pen, a hidden hospital, gun emplacements cut into the cliffs — and closed it to foreigners until 1989. While Hvar and Brač filled up with package tourists through the 1970s and 80s, Vis stayed a restricted zone, not genuinely open to tourism until Croatian independence in 1991. That’s the whole reason it looks the way it does today: vineyards instead of resorts, konobas instead of cocktail bars, bays like Stiniva that the rest of the Adriatic lost decades ago. Getting there takes more planning than hopping to Hvar — and that trade-off is exactly what keeps it this way.

How to get to Vis: every way across, compared

Split to Vis options come down to one question: do you need a car, are you doing a day trip, or do you want a fixed landing time without gambling on a timetable. The table below is checked against the operators’ own 2026 schedules, not guessed.

On Vis specifically, the water itself matters more than on most routes, since this is one of the more exposed crossings in Central Dalmatia.

Is a private transfer actually worth it? The honest math

Take the worst realistic version of the “cheap” public route and compare it to our boat at its best — a full boat of 14 sharing one hull, Split Airport → Vis Town.

A full boat costs a little more per head — but you arrive hours sooner, private and door to door, and it is the only way across at odd hours.

What else you get with Dalmatia Express

• Private — just your group. No strangers, no packed ferry deck.
• Met at the gate. Our driver takes your luggage, walks you to the boat, and the crew helps you off — door to door.
• Radar cabin, licensed crew. Safe in rough sea, and we sail when the catamarans are cancelled.
• 24/7, on demand. Book by call, SMS or WhatsApp — even mid-flight — and we are waiting when you land.
• The scenic route. Open sea, islands and hidden coves the whole way, not a crowded car deck.
• Concierge on board. Crew tips on the best beaches, konobas and what to see.
• Special rates on our tours. Transfer guests get preferential pricing on our Blue Cave and island excursions.
• Trusted names. Chosen by Mate Rimac and a James Bond production.

The part nobody tells you: the last catamaran to Vis Town leaves around 19:00 in peak. Land after that — a delayed or late-night flight — and there is no public boat until morning: a Split hotel night (€100–180) plus next-day tickets, or hours at the port. Our closed-cabin boats run 24/7 and still sail in a bura when the catamarans cancel.

Skipper’s tip: 4+ people with luggage, or any flight after ~19:00 → the private boat usually wins on total cost once taxis, tickets and a possible hotel are added, and always on time.

See our Split → Vis prices, or tell us your flight time — we reply 24/7.

Jadrolinija car ferry: Split–Vis Town, the everyday workhorse

The Jadrolinija car ferry (line 602) is the backbone of how to get to Vis if you’re bringing a vehicle, want the lowest fare, or your dates aren’t fixed. It sails from Split’s ferry port into Vis Town harbour in about 140 minutes. 2026 fares run €7.20 per adult foot passenger off-season (1 Jan–28 May and 28 Sep–31 Dec), rising to €9.10 in season (29 May–27 Sep); children 3–12 pay €3.60 year-round. A standard car up to 5 metres runs €40.60 off-season or €52.00 in season, so a couple with a car pays roughly €55–€70 depending on the month.

This is a reservation-based line: a ticket for a specific sailing also reserves your spot, car included, which matters in July and August when vehicle capacity sells out. Jadrolinija recommends arriving 60 minutes early in summer with a car, 30 in winter. Sailings run two to five times daily depending on season — check the current timetable.

Skipper’s tip: travelling with a car in July or August? Book your Split–Vis ferry ticket online days ahead, not at the port. We regularly see people turn up on the day and find vehicle slots gone on the next two sailings — then they’re stuck killing four hours in Split with a rental car and nowhere to put it.

Split–Vis catamaran: the foot-passenger route, and its timing catch

Without a car, the standard public option is the fast catamaran, Krilo/Kapetan Luka’s line 9602, running Split–Milna (Brač)–Hvar Town–Vis Town in roughly 1h10–1h40 depending on stops, fares around €7.20–€10.00. It lands right in Vis Town and is one of the cheaper ways across — but it comes with a catch. Across most of the year, the schedule runs one useful sailing a day each way: a late-afternoon or evening departure from Split, and an early-morning return from Vis, built for one-way, overnight travel rather than a same-day round trip. Jadrolinija runs a second, summer-only fast ship — line 659, Split–Bol (Brač)–Hvar–Vis, daily from roughly June to September, marketed on its own page as suited to comfortable day trips. Both lines are seasonal and shift month to month, so check the current timetable.

The day-trip constraint: why timing is everything

This catches out more visitors on Vis than on any other Split island route. Unlike Split to Hvar, with close to twenty sailings a day in peak summer, Split to Vis options are genuinely limited most of the year. A same-day round trip realistically works only via the car ferry in high summer — an early-morning departure (around 09:00, arriving Vis roughly 11:20) paired with a late return (Vis departures around 12:00, 15:30 or 18:00, arriving Split by 20:20) — or the summer line 659 catamaran on the right day. Outside those windows, a genuine day trip usually isn’t possible on public boats. Tellingly, Vis’s own tourist board says a typical Blue Cave trip departs in the morning, so you can’t arrive and visit Biševo the same day — the logistics here are tighter than on Hvar or Brač. If your trip hinges on one fixed day, confirm exact sailing times first.

Skipper’s tip: if you only have one day on Vis and want Stiniva Bay, Komiža and the Blue Cave without racing the clock, don’t build your day around the public boat’s return time — it forces you off the island by early-to-mid afternoon in most seasons. Book us for the way home instead and leave when you’re actually done.

Private taxi boat: Split–Vis in 65 minutes, on your schedule

We run this crossing daily, and it’s a route where a private water taxi makes a clear difference: about 65 minutes door to dock, against 140 minutes on the car ferry or a fixed evening-only slot on the catamaran. A private transfer with our Split to Vis taxi boat runs €460–€1,000 for the whole boat, not per person, so a group of four to six splits that down to a reasonable per-head cost — plus a fixed departure time, direct routing to Vis Town, Komiža or a private dock, and no queue at the Split terminal in August heat.

Our fleet is closed-cabin and radar-equipped — Great White 49, 39, 35 and the Lolivul 9 — built to keep running in sea states that ground public catamarans. Vis sits further out in open water than Hvar or Brač, so it’s one of the routes most exposed to bura and jugo winds; when those pick up, fast catamarans are usually cancelled first, sometimes stranding people for a day or more. We’re often still sailing when that happens — usually why people choose us over waiting out a cancelled sailing. Message us with your dates and group size through our contact page for a fixed quote.

Onward to the Blue Cave, and Vis Town vs Komiža

Most people who reach Vis also want the Blue Cave (Modra špilja) on neighbouring Biševo, and your base matters. Both the car ferry and the catamaran land in Vis Town, on the island’s east side; Komiža, on the west coast, is reachable from there by bus, taxi or car. The Blue Cave sits roughly 6 nautical miles off Komiža, and fast boats reach the cave area (Mezuporat cove) in about fifteen minutes — noticeably quicker than from Vis Town. Prioritising the cave means basing yourself in Komiža; wanting a walkable old town points to Vis Town. Our sibling guide Komiža or Vis Town (2026) breaks the trade-offs down further.

The cave charges a separate entrance fee, usually paid in cash at Mezuporat cove — reported prices vary meaningfully by source and season, roughly €10–€24 adult, so check the current price rather than trust any single figure, ours included. Most Komiža boat tickets don’t include it. Best light is late morning, and July/August queues run long, so go as early as you can. The crossing to Biševo is small-boat, open-water work — one of the first things cancelled on a windy day. Our Blue Cave excursion uses the same closed-cabin, radar-equipped boats, so we can often still cross when open tenders stay tied up. Still deciding if it’s worth the day? Read Is the Blue Cave worth it (2026) first.

Which option should you actually pick?

Bringing a car and flexible on dates: the Jadrolinija car ferry is the sensible default — slow, but cheap and reliable year-round. Travelling light, happy to go one-way and stay overnight: Krilo gets you there for under €10. Working around a tight schedule — a same-day trip, a flight, a group unwilling to be split across ferry queues — a private taxi boat is built for exactly that, and it’s usually the only way to guarantee you’re back in Split when you need to be. The same logic applies to Split do Korčule, another further-out island where a private crossing solves problems the public timetable can’t.

Message the crew through our contact page with your dates and group size — we’ll tell you honestly whether a private transfer suits your trip or the public ferry will do just as well.

FAQ: getting to Vis island

How do you get to Vis island from Split?

By sea only — there’s no bridge or airport on Vis. Choose the Jadrolinija car ferry (line 602, ~140 min, takes vehicles, year-round), the Krilo catamaran for foot passengers (line 9602, ~70–100 min, seasonal, usually one sailing a day), or a private taxi boat (~65 min, on your own schedule, any date).

Is there a fast boat or catamaran from Split to Vis?

Yes — Krilo (Kapetan Luka) line 9602, foot passengers only, via Milna and Hvar Town. In peak season, Jadrolinija also runs a separate summer catamaran (line 659) via Bol and Hvar. Both are seasonal — check the current timetable.

Can you visit Vis island as a day trip from Split?

Only realistically in high summer via the car ferry’s early-out, late-back timetable, or the summer line 659 catamaran, and even then it’s a long day. Outside those windows a genuine day trip isn’t possible on public boats. A private taxi boat lets you set your own return time regardless of season.

How much does it cost to get to Vis from Split?

Public fares run roughly €7–€10 per adult one way, plus €40–€52 for a standard car on the ferry. A private taxi boat costs €460–€1,000 for the whole boat, splitting down to a reasonable per-head price for a group travelling together.

Why was Vis closed to visitors for so long?

It was a fortified Yugoslav military base with more than thirty installations, closed to foreign visitors until 1989. That isolation is a big part of why the island stayed undeveloped and still feels different from Hvar or Brač today.

Do you land in Vis Town or Komiža?

Both the car ferry and the catamaran land in Vis Town, on the island’s east side. Komiža, on the west coast, is the better base for the Blue Cave, since it’s a much shorter hop to Biševo. A private transfer can land you at either.

Sources & further reading

• Jadrolinija — Split–Vis car ferry line 602 (official)
• Krilo Fast Ferries — sailing schedule, line 9602 (official)
• Vis Tourist Board — the Blue Cave, official visitor information
• Port of Split — live departures and berths