Galevac and Ošljak: A Short Boat Trip from Preko, Ugljan

Not every good boat trip near Zadar has to mean an early alarm, a long crossing and a full day on open water. Some of the best short outings in this part of the Adriatic are the small, local ones — a quick hop across the channel, a walk around a tiny islet, a swim, and back in time for dinner in the Old Town. The trip to Galevac and Ošljak, two small islets just off Ugljan, is exactly that kind of outing.

If you’re picturing something like the Kornati islands — bare limestone stretching to the horizon, a long speedboat ride, a full-day itinerary — recalibrate. This is a different scale of trip entirely, and part of what makes it appealing is how unhurried and close-to-home it feels.

Where Galevac and Ošljak actually are

Ugljan is the closest large island to Zadar, reached by a short passenger ferry from the Old Town harbour area, and it’s known above all for its olive groves — terraces of old trees running down toward the water, a landscape that feels rural and slow even though the mainland is visible across the channel. The island’s main town on this side, Preko, faces Zadar directly and is where most short boat trips to the islets begin.

Right off Preko’s waterfront sits Galevac, a small, wooded islet best known for its Franciscan monastery and quiet walking paths under pine trees. It’s not a swimming destination so much as a peaceful, green pocket a few minutes from shore — the kind of place where a short walk and some shade are the whole point.

A little further along the channel, closer to the stretch of water between Ugljan and the mainland, is Ošljak, often described as Croatia’s smallest permanently inhabited island. It has a handful of houses and a small resident population, which gives it a different character from Galevac — less a nature stop, more a glimpse of a tiny, still-lived-in island community.

Neither islet requires a long crossing. Both sit close enough to Preko that a short local boat can reach them, circle them, or stop briefly, all within a couple of hours rather than a full day.

Ugljan’s shape also helps explain why Preko became the natural jumping-off point for this trip rather than somewhere else on the island. The ferry line from Zadar lands directly at Preko, so there’s no need to drive further around Ugljan first — you step off the ferry and the waterfront where local boats gather is right there. That short chain of connections, Zadar to Preko to the islets, is part of what keeps this outing so uncomplicated compared with trips that involve a car, a longer drive, or a transfer between two different ports.

Why this is a “proximity” trip, not a long-distance one

It’s worth being direct about this, because the two kinds of trip get confused. A Kornati islands boat tour or a Kornati–Telašćica combo heads out into a national park of nearly 90 mostly uninhabited islands and reefs, reachable only by boat, usually as a dedicated full-day excursion from Zadar, Biograd, Murter or Sali. It’s a genuine offshore trip.

Galevac and Ošljak are the opposite kind of outing. They sit in the sheltered channel right next to Ugljan, a short ferry ride from Zadar itself. A boat trip around them is measured in a few hours, not a full day, and it’s often paired with a swim stop, a short walk, or a simple lunch rather than built around a long itinerary. If you want a slower, closer-to-shore alternative to a big island-hopping day, this is it — and if you’re deciding between the two styles of trip, our speedboat vs. cruise boat comparison is a useful companion read.

Getting to Ugljan and Preko

Passenger ferries run from Zadar’s Old Town harbour area across to Preko on Ugljan. It’s a short, frequently used crossing — locals commute on it daily — but exact departure times, frequency and crossing duration change with the season, so check the ferry operator’s current timetable directly rather than trusting a fixed schedule written into a guide. The same caution applies to any local boat operator’s prices or exact departure points around Galevac and Ošljak: treat live tour and ferry listings as the source of truth, not estimates.

Once in Preko, the islets are close enough to reach by small local boat, and this is also where several bookable boat tours depart from or pass through, combining a look at the islets with wider time around Ugljan’s coastline.

What a short trip out to the islets looks like

The shape of a Galevac–Ošljak outing tends to follow a simple pattern: a short crossing from Preko, a pass or stop at Galevac (sometimes with time to walk ashore near the monastery), a pass or brief stop near Ošljak to see the small settlement, and often a swim stop somewhere quiet in the channel along the way. Some operators add extras — a taste of local food, a drink, time to relax on deck — but these vary by trip and season, so check the current listing for details before you book rather than assuming.

a Ugljan boat trip out to Frnaža, Galevac and Ošljak that includes local snacks along the way is one way to cover both islets in a single relaxed outing without arranging transport yourself.

If you’d rather build the islets into a longer half-day around Ugljan and neighbouring Pašman, a boat tour taking in Pašman, known locally as the Island of Love, alongside Turanj gives a broader look at this stretch of the archipelago, with the smaller islets as part of a bigger picture rather than the sole focus.

Combining the islets with more of Ugljan

Because the crossing to Preko is so short, it’s easy to treat Galevac and Ošljak as one part of a longer half-day rather than the whole plan. Ugljan’s olive groves are worth a slow drive or walk if you have a car or bike on the island, and Preko’s own waterfront is pleasant for a coffee before or after the boat.

For travellers who want to stay active on the water rather than just ride along, a half-day island escape combining a boat transfer with time on a bike and a stand-up paddleboard is a way to see the channel around Ugljan at a slower pace, mixing paddling and cycling with the boat itself.

Those who’d rather stay purely on the water, with more open sailing time around the wider archipelago before or after a look at the islets, might prefer an Adriatic islands sailing tour that includes water and light snacks on board, which trades the short-hop format for a longer, more leisurely sail.

When to go

Because this is a short, sheltered-water trip rather than an open-sea crossing, it’s less weather-dependent than a longer excursion out toward Kornati or the outer islands — the channel between Ugljan and the mainland stays relatively calm even when conditions further offshore are choppier. That makes it a reasonable option across a wider stretch of the season, though like any boat trip in the region it still runs on local operators’ schedules, which thin out or pause outside the main months.

If you’re weighing this against the best time to visit Zadar more broadly, the short hop to Galevac and Ošljak is one of the easier trips to fit into a shoulder-season visit, precisely because it doesn’t demand a full calm-weather day the way a longer archipelago run does.

It’s also a trip that works well as a cooler-weather or overcast alternative to a beach day, since the appeal — a walk under Galevac’s pines, a look at Ošljak’s small harbour, a short stretch on deck — doesn’t depend on swimming conditions the way a Blue Lagoon or Kornati-focused outing does.

Galevac and Ošljak vs. other short trips from Zadar

Trip	Distance from Zadar	Typical length	Character
Galevac & Ošljak (via Preko, Ugljan)	Short ferry to Ugljan, then a few minutes by local boat	A few hours	Quiet, local, close to shore
Ugljan–Pašman island hopping	Short ferry, then boat between islands	Half day	Broader look at two larger islands
Blue Lagoon islands tour	Boat from Zadar	Half day to full day	Swimming-focused, open water
Kornati boat tour	Boat from Zadar, Biograd, Murter or Sali	Full day	Long-distance, national park, open sea

A few things worth knowing before you go

Galevac’s monastery grounds are a place for a quiet walk rather than a beach stop — if swimming is the priority, plan for that separately, either around Ošljak or elsewhere in the channel, rather than expecting it at Galevac itself. Ošljak’s small population means the island stays low-key; a boat trip here is about seeing a genuinely tiny, still-lived-in island rather than finding facilities or crowds.

Because both islets are so close to Ugljan, this trip pairs naturally with an early return to Zadar, making it a sensible choice on a day when you also want time in the Old Town itself, or when planning how many days to spend in Zadar and looking for a lighter half-day to balance a longer excursion elsewhere.

If your stay includes a mix of short local trips and one longer offshore day, it’s worth reading up on day trips from Zadar to see where a Galevac–Ošljak outing fits best in your schedule, and on where to stay in Zadar if you’re still deciding on a base for island-hopping days like this one.

Getting there and back

Ferries to Preko depart from the Zadar side regularly, and the crossing itself is short. Once on Ugljan, local boat operators around Preko’s harbour can typically arrange a short circuit of Galevac and Ošljak, though exact points of departure, timing and cost are best confirmed locally or through a booked tour listing rather than assumed in advance. Returning to Zadar follows the same short ferry route, which is part of what makes this such an easy half-day to slot into a longer itinerary.

a speedboat tour to three islands with time for swimming and snorkelling is another option worth comparing if you want a slightly more active, swim-focused version of a short island outing from the Zadar side, rather than the specific Preko-to-islets route described here.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Galevac and Ošljak Boat Trip

Where are Galevac and Ošljak, exactly?

Both are tiny islets in the channel between Ugljan and the mainland, right off the town of Preko. Galevac sits just offshore from Preko’s waterfront; Ošljak is a short distance further into the channel, roughly between Preko and the Zadar side.

How do I get to Ugljan and Preko from Zadar?

Passenger ferries cross regularly from Zadar’s Old Town harbour area to Preko on Ugljan. It’s a short, well-used crossing rather than a long sea journey, but for current departure times check the ferry operator’s schedule directly rather than relying on a fixed timetable here.

Is this the same kind of trip as a Kornati islands tour?

No. Galevac and Ošljak are a short, close-to-shore outing around islets a few minutes from Preko. Kornati National Park is a separate, much longer boat trip out into open water to a mostly uninhabited archipelago, usually booked as its own full-day excursion.

What is there to see on Galevac?

Galevac is a small, wooded islet known for its Franciscan monastery and peaceful walking paths. It’s a quiet, green stop rather than a beach destination, and most visits are brief.

Is Ošljak really inhabited?

Yes — Ošljak is often described as Croatia’s smallest permanently inhabited island. It has a small cluster of houses and a resident population, which is part of what makes a short boat pass or stop there interesting alongside the larger, uninhabited-feeling Galevac.

Can I combine this with other things to do on Ugljan?

Yes. Ugljan itself is known for its olive groves and relaxed village life, and Preko makes a natural base for a half-day that also includes a walk along the waterfront or a look at the wider island before heading back to Zadar.

Do I need to book a tour, or can I do this independently?

Both are possible. Independent travellers can take the public ferry to Preko and arrange a local boat operator on the spot, while a booked small-group or private boat tour covers the islets with a set route and boat included. Check the current listing for what’s included before booking.

Is this trip suitable for a short stay in Zadar?

Yes, that’s exactly the kind of gap it fits. Because the islets sit so close to Ugljan and the ferry crossing from Zadar is short, this works well as a half-day add-on rather than requiring a full day, unlike the longer archipelago or Kornati excursions.