Cres, an island shaped like a road

Cres runs roughly 65 km from Porozina in the north to Osor in the south, and is never wide. That geometry decides everything about travelling here: there is one main road, and the ferry you choose determines how much of it you drive.

Where Merag puts you

The quay at Merag sits about halfway down the eastern coast. Cres town is 14.7 km north west, some 22 min away. Osor and the bridge to Lošinj lie south, 47 km and about 54 min.

Arriving at Porozina instead puts you at the northern tip, which adds a substantial stretch if Lošinj is your destination. The comparison of the two crossings works through it.

The road

The island road is single-carriageway with a good deal of climbing and a good many bends. It carries all of the island’s traffic, including the lorries that come off the ferry, so a queue behind a slow vehicle is normal and overtaking opportunities are few.

Plan on the drive taking longer than the distance suggests. That matters most when you are working back from the bridge opening at Osor.

Osor, and the crossing to Lošinj

At the southern end the island narrows to a channel barely wider than a canal, spanned by a swing bridge at Osor. It is the only road link to Lošinj, it opens for boats at 09:00 and 17:00, and it carries a 20 t weight limit.

Timing your arrival against those openings is the second half of planning this journey. The Osor bridge page sets out how it interacts with the ferry timetable.

Cres town

Cres town is the first place on the island with a real choice of accommodation, shops and fuel, which makes it the practical base for anyone not continuing to Lošinj the same day.

If your sailing lands late, this is where you are heading, because there is nothing at Merag. The accommodation page covers both sides of the water.

Leaving again

For the return, note that traffic on this line runs back towards Krk heavily in the late afternoon. Departures from Merag and the pattern of the queue are on the Merag to Valbiska page.