Buy your ticket before you queue and be at the Makarska landing three quarters of an hour early: Jadrolinija treats a ticket on line 638 as a reservation for a particular sailing. Then check the day. Monday to Saturday the ferry leaves Makarska at 09:00, 12:30 and 18:30, while the Sunday and holiday evening crossing waits an hour longer, until 19:30.
Coming back is the part to plan. On weekdays the ferry leaves Sumartin at 06:30, 11:00 and 15:30, and on Sundays at 08:00, 11:00 and 18:00. So a day on Brač from Makarska in October means the 09:00 out and, on a weekday, the 15:30 back.
Line 638 is a state ferry route that Jadrolinija runs under contract to AOLPP. In high summer it had seven crossings each way, every two hours from 06:30 to 16:30 plus a 21:00 boat; the autumn cut left three, a pattern that holds through December.
An early start on Brač, three departures from the mainland
Monday to Saturday
| From Makarska ferry landing | From Sumartin harbour, Brač |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | 06:30 |
| 12:30 | 11:00 |
| 18:30 | 15:30 |
Sundays and public holidays
| From Makarska ferry landing | From Sumartin harbour, Brač |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | 08:00 |
| 12:30 | 11:00 |
| 19:30 | 18:00 |
Line 638 off-season timetable (AOLPP and Jadrolinija), 28 September – 31 December 2026; the 2027 timetable is not yet published · checked 9 October 2026 Jadrolinija – line 638 timetable and tariff 2026 (PDF) · 2026-10-09
A short crossing with a summer tariff that starts in May
Right now an adult crossing is €4.10 and a 3-to-12-year-old travels for €2.30. A family-sized car (the limit is 5 m by 2 m) is €18.70, and that price is for the vehicle alone, so the driver and every passenger buy a ticket too. A family of two adults and two children with a hire car therefore pays the car fare plus four passenger fares.
Unusually, the summer tariff here starts on 1 May rather than at the end of May. This year that meant €6.40 a person and €27.00 for a car until 27 September. Coming back from Sumartin costs exactly what going out did, taxes included.
| Adult | € 4.10 |
| Child 3–12 | € 2.30 |
| Car up to 5 m long and 2 m high | € 18.70 |
| Car over 5 m or over 2 m high | € 34.80 |
| Motorbike or moped | € 9.60 |
| Bicycle | € 4.10 |
| Caravan or camper up to 5 m | € 34.80 |
| Adult | € 6.40 |
| Car up to 5 m | € 27 |
Off-season tariff 28 September – 31 December 2026; child, islander and public-service fares apply all year · checked 9 October 2026 AOLPP – line 638 tariff 2026 (PDF, page 2) · 2026-10-09
Makarska harbour and the landing at Sumartin
Makarska ferry landing
The Brač ferry uses Makarska's harbour. Jadrolinija asks passengers on this line to be at the landing at least 45 minutes before departure, and with only three sailings a day a missed boat can mean a wait of several hours. Large lorries and coaches are not carried on this crossing.
Sumartin harbour, Brač
Sumartin is a small harbour village at the eastern tip of Brač, in Selca municipality. Of the state-contracted lines listed by AOLPP for 2026, this ferry is the only one calling here; every other public boat to Brač runs from Split to Supetar, Bol, Milna or, in summer, Sutivan. If you are heading for Bol or Supetar, plan on driving across the island from Sumartin.
Straight across the Brač Channel
The ferry crosses the Brač Channel westwards from Makarska to Sumartin with no stops. The sources disagree on the crossing time: the timetable says 50 minutes one way, while Jadrolinija's description of the line says 60 minutes. Neither source gives a distance.
Taking the Brač ferry from Makarska
- 45 minutes before
Jadrolinija wants line 638 passengers waiting on the Makarska quay a good 45 minutes before sailing.
- Ticket = reserved place
Buying early secures your chosen sailing, because each ticket doubles as a booking here.
- Hire cars welcome, coaches not
Cars, motorbikes and campers can travel; large lorries and coaches cannot use this crossing.
- Christmas and New Year
No 08:00 from Sumartin and no 09:00 from Makarska on 25 and 26 December and on 1 January.
- Onward on Brač
Sumartin is at the far eastern end of the island; Bol and Supetar are a drive away, not a walk.
For anyone staying on the Makarska Riviera, Sumartin is the nearest way onto Brač, and it is the island's only harbour with a boat to Makarska. Every other public boat to the island comes from Split: the 9601 catamaran via Rogač to Milna serves the west of Brač daily, and on Wednesdays the 9602 catamaran between Split and Vis calls at Milna as well.
This year the line's high season ran from 29 May to 13 September and its low season until 27 September; the same off-season timetable also applied from 1 January to 30 April. AOLPP has not yet published the 2027 timetables.
Makarska to Brač by ferry: what visitors ask
Which sailings leave Makarska for Brač?
For the rest of 2026: 09:00, 12:30 and 18:30 every day except Sundays and holidays, when the third boat is at 19:30.
How long does the crossing take?
The printed timetable says 50 minutes; Jadrolinija's own web text says 60. Allow an hour, plus the 45 minutes you are asked to be at the landing beforehand.
Will a rental car fit on the Sumartin ferry?
Yes. A normal-sized rental costs €18.70 this autumn, and everyone in it, driver included, pays €4.10 as well.
Does the ferry go to Bol or Supetar?
No. It only sails between Makarska and Sumartin, at the eastern end of Brač; Bol and Supetar are reached by road from there.
Does the Sumartin ferry sail at Christmas?
Yes, but without the morning pair: on 25 and 26 December and 1 January there is no 08:00 from Sumartin and no 09:00 from Makarska. The rest follows the Sunday timetable.