In the summer of 2025, a new ferry service will link the historic Italian port city of Trieste with Croatia.
The service aims to strengthen transport connections between the two top tourist destinations, offering convenient travel options for both tourists and locals.
The service will begin and end in Trieste, with stops in Piran (Slovenia), Poreč, Rovinj, and Mali Lošinj (Croatia), according to Istra24.
The schedule includes two weekly departures on all routes – the Trieste–Piran–Poreč–Rovinj route, the Trieste–Rovinj–Mali Lošinj route, the Trieste–Poreč–Piran route and on the Trieste–Piran–Rovinj route.
Next summer, the seasonal ferry service will operate from 26 June until early September.
The contract is set to last for three years, covering the summer seasons from 2025 through to 2027, with an option to extend it to 2028.
The ferry service will be established with financial support from the Italian government.
Ferry connections between Trieste and Istria date back to 1963, when the motor vessel Edra called at all the major towns along the western coast of Istria.
With some changes over the years, the service continued until the early 1990s. The last regular passenger ferry, Dionea, ceased operations in 1990.
Croatia had around 19.5 million tourist arrivals in 2023, which was a 9.7% increase from the previous year. Zagreb was the most visited city, with over 1.3 million visitors, while Rovinj was the most visited city in the County of Istria.
Meanwhile, in 2023 Italy had around 57.3 million international tourist arrivals, making it the fourth most visited country in the world. Tourism and travel contributed 10.5% to Italy’s GDP last year.
As of December 6, Italy is estimated to have had 62.2 million tourists in 2024. This is a significant increase from the pandemic’s impact on the Italian tourism industry, and is bringing the country closer to returning to pre-pandemic levels.
