Croatia in EU, goodbye ferries from Puglia to Montenegro

New regulations for navigation force Jadrolinija to skip a stop in the Montenegrin town of Bar. Now there will be stops in Split and Dubrovnik. Bar and Montenegro are no longer so close.

The summer of 2023 will begin without a historic connection to one of the Adriatic Sea's neighbors. The reason is politics: Croatia's entry into the Schengen zone has changed navigation rules for Croatian company Jadrolinija, which was forced to skip a stop in Bara, Montenegro.

For years, the shipping company has been connecting Croatia and Italy, adding an intermediate stop in the port of Bara. This corporate policy has benefited both Jadrolinija and Montenegro, just remember the success of Budva, another popular destination for many Bar residents: a tourist destination that can be compared landscape-wise with Croatia, Greece and Albania, but economically more profitable.

In place of Bar, the new stops are now Split and Dubrovnik, both cities located in Croatia.

Now it seems quite difficult for someone to step in and make up for the lack of communication with Bar. The Direct Ferries portal, which is the point of reference for organizing trips by sea, explains: "At the moment there are no departures to Montenegro; we recommend the Bar-Dubrovnik route, which operates all year round and connects Italy with Croatia. The flights are operated by the maritime company Jadrolinija, which offers 4 ferries per week and lasts 10 hours of sailing time. "

Albania and Croatia are still necessary transit points to reach Montenegro's coveted natural beaches. They remain far removed from human intervention.