Jadrolinija has published two useful Sunday-only updates for travelers planning island time from Zadar next weekend. On Sunday, 3 May 2026, the ferry operator says it is adding extra departures on the Zadar Gaženica to Preko line and an extra return on the Zadar Gaženica to Iž Mali line.
That is not a season-wide timetable change. It is a practical one-day adjustment, but it matters if you are building a Sunday around Zadar, planning a quick Ugljan outing through Preko, or trying to fit Iž into a short North Dalmatia stay without wasting half the day on the wrong sailing.
What changed for Sunday, 3 May
According to Jadrolinija, line 431 from Zadar Gaženica to Preko gets three extra departures from Zadar at 08:30, 10:30, and 12:15, with three extra returns from Preko at 09:15, 11:30, and 13:00. On line 435, the operator says there will also be an extra afternoon connection between Zadar Gaženica and Iž Mali (Bršanj), with a departure from Iž Mali at 16:50 and a return from Zadar Gaženica at 18:10.
Route | Extra departures on 3 May | What it changes for travelers |
|---|---|---|
Zadar Gaženica – Preko | Zadar 08:30, 10:30, 12:15 | Easier to build a flexible half-day or full-day trip to Ugljan without locking into a single morning sailing. |
Zadar Gaženica – Iž Mali (Bršanj) | Iž Mali 16:50 | Gives foot passengers a clearer late-afternoon return option and makes a selective Iž outing more realistic. |
Who this is most useful for
The Preko additions are the bigger practical update for most visitors. Preko is one of the easiest island escapes from Zadar, so extra morning and midday sailings make day-trip timing less brittle. If you are staying in Zadar for two or three nights, this is the kind of timetable tweak that can turn a rushed island add-on into a calmer plan.
The Iž sailing is narrower, but still useful. Iž is not the default island choice for most first-time travelers, which is exactly why this extra return matters. It gives you a little more room if you want a quieter island detour and do not want to risk a messy same-day return.
Before you go: these extra departures are published for Sunday, 3 May only. Recheck the Jadrolinija sailing schedule on the day of travel and do not assume the added times apply beyond this date.
What travelers should do now
If you are choosing between a city-only Zadar stay and one island day, Preko just became the easier add-on. Our Zadar spring stay guide is a good companion if you are still shaping the base itself.
If you already have a fixed Sunday plan, the main move is simple: match your hotel checkout, bus, or parking timing to the exact published sailings instead of relying on a remembered timetable. Gaženica works well when the timing is clean. It becomes annoying when one missed departure knocks your whole day sideways.
There is no official disruption notice attached to these two updates. In other words, this is not bad-weather news or a cancellation story. It is a useful capacity and timing change, and for travelers that usually means one thing: more margin, but only if you actually use the new timings.
Our take
This is a small update, but a good one. It does not change how you should think about Zadar in a big-picture sense. It simply makes one of the easiest island add-ons from the city a little easier on a specific Sunday, while also giving Iž travelers a more practical return window than usual.
That is exactly the kind of ferry news worth catching early: not dramatic, but genuinely useful.