Pula appears exactly once in Croatia’s 68-route coastal register: state catamaran 9141, calling at seven ports between Pula and Zadar. It carries foot passengers only, so it is the single sea route out of Istria and a hire car cannot follow you along it.
Line 9141, port by port
This single route is the only sea link between Istria and Dalmatia in the register, and it is a genuinely useful one: it threads the small Kvarner islands that are otherwise reached by a long detour through Rijeka. The last column below shows how well connected each call is in its own right, which is what turns a transit stop into a stopover.
| Port | Where it is | Registered routes calling there |
|---|---|---|
| Pula | Istrian mainland | 1 |
| Unije | Kvarner island | 3 |
| Susak | Kvarner island | 3 |
| Mali Lošinj | Kvarner island, and a gateway in its own right | 6 |
| Ilovik | Kvarner island | 3 |
| Silba | Zadar archipelago | 4 |
| Zadar | Dalmatian mainland | 16 |
Mali Lošinj is the one to note. With 6 registered routes calling there it is a gateway rather than a stop: from it you can reach Cres, Ilovik, Susak, Unije and Rijeka without returning to the mainland. Unije, Susak and Ilovik manage 3 apiece, and that handful is the whole of their connection to the world.
Seven calls in one route also tells you what kind of service this is. It is not a shuttle; it is a lifeline route, built to give small populations a link to a hospital and a supermarket, which happens to be sold to visitors as well. Timings follow the islands’ needs rather than a tourist’s, and the boat is small enough that weather has a say in it.
Hiring a car in Pula and expecting it to follow you
Line 9141 is a fast catamaran and takes no vehicles. Neither does any other route out of Pula, because there is no other route out of Pula. A car collected in Istria has exactly one way south and it is the motorway.
This is the general rule on this coast rather than a local quirk: 24 of 68 registered routes carry vehicles and all 33 catamarans refuse them. If the plan is to arrive from Venice, pick up a car and then continue by sea, the register says it cannot be done.
What to do with the route
Used as transport it is a way to reach Zadar without driving, and Zadar is where the real island network begins — the network finder shows how much thicker it gets there. Used as a trip it is better still: the small Kvarner islands it calls at are among the least visited inhabited places in the country, and this boat is how you get to them.
If you are not going south, the crossing from Venice is simply the way into Istria, and the peninsula is covered on the Venice to Croatia page. Either way, treat line 9141 as a fixture worth planning around rather than a fallback: with one route on the register, there is no second option.
What do you need to work out next?
The onward leg is settled. These come next.
Where to stay
Where should I stay before sailing?
Pula is the port; the Istrian coast north of it is the draw.
Getting around
What is waiting at the far end?
The Zadar gateway carries more registered routes than any except Split.
When to go
Does 9141 run outside summer?
It is a state line, so it carries an obligation to sail.
Planning
Which islands does it actually reach?
Unije, Susak, Mali Lošinj, Ilovik and Silba, in that order.
Ferry data: Agencija za obalni linijski pomorski promet (ZOLPP), 2026 state coastal line register and per-line timetables.