Ugljan Island Guide: Preko, Kukljica and Getting There from Zadar

What Ugljan island is like

Ugljan is a long, low island of olive groves and small harbours rather than a resort strip. The Zadar Channel separates it from the mainland, and the Pašman Channel runs down its other side, so the sea is never far from any village. Its shore is varied: the island has more than 20 km of coastline with many small and large coves used for swimming, diving and boat excursions.

The olive groves are the organising theme of the island. Paths and minor roads link the villages through the trees, which makes walking and cycling between them the natural way to see Ugljan without committing to a car. Pašman lies across the narrow channel to the south, and reaching Kukljica and the crossing point is what makes the two islands a combined outing if you have the time.

Getting there from Zadar

Ferries run from Zadar across the channel to Preko, and the service is described as running practically every hour on what is the busiest ferry line in the Adriatic. Treat that as a general description of frequency rather than a timetable: the actual departure times and the fare for your date are set by the ferry operator, so confirm them before you travel.

The crossing is short, which is why Ugljan works as a spontaneous half-day rather than a planned expedition. Because it is the busiest line, it also absorbs the most pressure in July and August: foot passengers usually have more flexibility than cars, and arriving at the port early matters more in high season.

Dugi Otok takes a longer crossing but rewards it with the cliffs and salt lake of Telašćica Nature Park. Ugljan is the island you can do on a whim; Dugi Otok is the one you plan a day around. For the wider choice, the Islands Near Zadar guide compares the crossings and what each island offers.

Arriving at Preko harbour

Preko is where the ferries dock, and the village is built around that harbour. It is the island's main base for a short visit: you step off the boat into the village centre, with the waterfront and the lanes behind it, and the fortress hill rises directly above. Stay in Preko if convenience matters more than quiet, because everything you need for a half-day is within a few minutes of the ferry.

The village is compact and walkable, so you can arrive, see the harbour and start up the hill without any transport at all. That is the main argument for basing yourself here rather than at the southern end of the island if your time is limited.

St Michael's fortress above Preko

St Michael's fortress sits on the hill above Preko and is the island's signature viewpoint. From the top the view opens across the Zadar Channel to the mainland and down over the harbour you arrived at. Treat it as its own outing rather than a quick photo stop, and avoid the climb in the middle of a summer day.

The fortress is the reason a half-day in Preko is satisfying rather than thin. Pair it with the harbour and a swim from the shore, and you have used the crossing well without needing to go further south.

Ugljan village, Califf Castle and St Hieronymus

North of Preko, the village of Ugljan holds Califf Castle, a 17th-century castle built by the Califfi family in the heart of the settlement. It has been restored and now carries the name Dvor Krešimir Ćosić after the Croatian basketball player. It is a short, worthwhile stop on the way up the island rather than a destination in itself.

On the shore at Mostar stands the Franciscan monastery of St Hieronymus, founded in 1430 with its simple Gothic church consecrated in 1447. The cloister holds the decorated tombstone of Bishop Šimun Kožičić Benja, founder of the Glagolitic press at Rijeka. The setting on the sandy beach at Mostar makes it an easy pairing with a swim.

Kukljica and the southern end

Kukljica is the alternative base at the southern end of Ugljan, quieter than Preko and reached by road from the ferry rather than on foot from the dock. From here the Pašman Channel and its small islands are on your doorstep, and the pace is slower than around the main harbour. Choose Kukljica if you are staying a night or two and want the southern coves rather than ferry convenience.

Kukljica is where Ugljan faces Pašman across the narrow channel, and it is the southern end that makes a combined two-island plan possible if you have the time. The Pašman Channel and its small islands sit off this coast, which is the point where Ugljan connects onward rather than dead-ending.

The church of St Kosmas and St Damien at Ljokina

The church of St Kosmas and St Damien at Ljokina is the oldest church on Ugljan, built in the late pre-Romanesque style in the 11th or 12th century. It stands in a sheltered cove, and a path leads to it, which makes it a natural target on foot for walkers and cyclists exploring the quieter parts of the island.

Because it sits off the main village circuit, reaching it is the point: you get a quiet cove and an early medieval church in one stop. Build it into a cycling or walking day rather than a dedicated trip.

Galešnjak, the heart-shaped islet

Galešnjak lies in the Pašman Channel and is one of only three natural heart-shaped islands in the world, keeping its outline through winter low tides, strong tides and the bura wind of the Velebit. It is a small islet seen from the water, not a beach day in itself, so the way to experience it is from a boat passing through the channel.

Boat excursions from the Zadar side do reach these waters: CroAdventure advertises a dolphin search cruise of about five and a half hours and a four-hour afternoon sailboat tour around Ugljan and posts each at €45 per person. Those are that operator's advertised prices and times, so the figures to compare against if you want a boat rather than the ferry.

Getting around without a car

Ugljan suits walkers and cyclists: the villages are linked by lanes and paths through the olive groves, and the distances are modest. Bring or hire a bike if you want to cover Preko, Ugljan village and Ljokina in a day, since the island is long and the roads roll rather than flatten. Walking is enough for Preko and the fortress alone.

A car makes the southern end and a Pašman crossing easy but is a liability on the busiest ferry days, when space is at a premium. If you are island-hopping, other islands in the Zadar archipelago are separate guides on this site.

Olib is one of the quieter northern islands in the Zadar archipelago and is covered in its own separate guide. Island-hopping there is a different trip from a day on Ugljan, so plan it as its own outing rather than an add-on to the Preko ferry.

How long Ugljan needs

A half-day covers the ferry to Preko, the harbour and St Michael's fortress, and is enough for a first taste from Zadar. A full day adds Ugljan village with Califf Castle and the monastery at Mostar, or a swim and a walk towards Ljokina. An overnight, based in Preko or Kukljica, is what lets you reach the southern end and take a boat out to Galešnjak without rushing.

The trade-off is simple: the half-day is the least effort and the least reward, the full day is the best value for a single crossing, and the overnight is for travellers who want the olive-grove paths and the quieter southern villages. A car only pays off if you plan to push on to the southern end of the island.

When to go

Spring and autumn give you the olive groves and the fortress walk without the peak-season ferry crowds. July and August bring the demand that makes this the busiest crossing in the Adriatic, so start earlier in the day if you are going as a foot passenger.

The bura is the local wind to respect: it can blow hard down the Velebit and make exposed walks and small-boat trips uncomfortable, so keep boat plans flexible. On windy days the fortress climb and the village lanes are the better bet than a crossing to Galešnjak.

Beaches and swimming

Swimming on Ugljan is a matter of coves rather than a single named beach: the shoreline has many small and large bays reached from the villages, and the sandy shore at Mostar in front of the St Hieronymus monastery is the one most easily combined with a sight. Across the channel on Pašman there are further beaches at Ćinta, Suha, Ždrelac and Banj. Pick a cove near whichever village you are in rather than travelling across the island for one.

Preko, Kukljica or just a half-day?

Take the half-day to Preko if Ugljan is one stop on a wider Zadar itinerary: the ferry, the harbour and St Michael's fortress justify the crossing. Give it a full day, or an overnight in Kukljica, if you want the olive-grove paths, the old churches and a boat out to Galešnjak.

Whichever you choose, check the current ferry times and fares with the operator before you set out.