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Getting there
Susak is most distant island of the Kvarner Bay in the north Adriatic sea. The closest island accessible by car is Mali Lošinj, which is about 10 km (6 miles) to the south east. It is connected by two boat lines to the other island and the mainland:
- catamaran from the port of Rijeke - (Rijeka - Cres - Unije - Susak - Mali Lošinj)
- locak boat line from Mali Lošinj - (Mali Lošinj - Susak - Unije - Ilovik - Vele Srakane)
Both boats are passenger only - there are no cars on Susak. Unfortunately the use of teleportation or wormholes as means of transportation is still not available. There have been some rumors that they are planing to build a Stargate terminal in a few years. 
In two following chapters I will describe how to reach the island traveling from the Croatian mainland. I will no go into how to get to Croatia itself. There are a lot of good guidebooks which can help you with that better than I ever could.
Traveling from Rijeka
Traveling by catamaran from Rijeka is probably the and fastest most convenient way to get to Susak. The ship itself is air-conditioned, while the trip is about 4 hours long. The catamaran dock is on the eastern side of the Rijeka harbor. The ticket office is in one of the buildings along the coast, just across the road from the big parking lot along the coast. Although tickets cannot be bought in advance and cannot be reserved, you can call the office and ask for information.
There are a few options how to reach Rijeka:
- by car - use the highways
- by bus - bus terminal at the west side of the harbor (by foot 10 minutes away from the catamaran)
- by train - train terminal is a bit further than the bus terminal (by foot 20 minutes away from the catamaran)
- by plain - there are a few airports near Rijeka - look it up yourself
- by boat - Rijeka is wel connected with other Croatian coastal cities and Italy
If you travel by car, be aware that you might not find a parking place right away, although there is a big parking right along the harbor. It is charged, so be aware also of that. It’s an option to leave your car outside of city center, where the parking is not charged, but be careful not to get lost 
One other thing people traveling by catamaran should know is that there’s a limitation on amount of luggage one is allowed to take along. It’s similar to traveling by plane, although not as strict. You can have a look at the following maps which should help you getting around Rijeka:
Traveling from Mali Lošinj
Mali Lošinj is a town in the island of Lošinj. It’s connected to the mainland by catamaran from Rijeka (the same which connects Susak and Rijeka), two ferry lines (Valbiska-Merag and Brestova-Porozina) and a catamaran from port of Zadar. Due to luggage limitations of catamaran, most of the people owning a house on Susak use the local boat line from Mali Lošinj.
The local boat line has no such limitation. All the supplies for local grocery stores and restaurants along with post is transported by this ship. The name of the boat iz “Ozalj”. The dock is located in the harbor near the city center. You reach Mali Lošinj the following way:
- by car - you can get to Mali Lošinj from two directions:
- by boat - you can use catamaran from Zadar
- by bus - the bus terminal is just 10 minutes away by foot from the port
- by plane - there’s a small airstrip just outside Mali Lošinj (www.airportmalilosinj.hr)
Have a look at these maps which might help you along the way:
Mali Lošinj Practicalities
In the following chapter you will find some additional information about Mali Lošinj.
Planning your trip
If you are traveling from Zagreb you should leave for Mali Lošinj arround 6 or 7 AM. Le’s take a look at the timing:
- It will take you about 2 hours to get to the coast
- and additional 45 minutes to get to the ferry on the island of Krk.
- If you are lucky, you might catch a ferry right away. However you also might wait for it over an hour.
- Once you aboard it will take you another 45 minutes to get across to island of Cres.
- From there to Mali Lošinj there’s about 1:30 of driving (depending on the traffic).
The road which connects ferry port on Cres and Mali Lošinj is being reconstructed, however some parts of it are still old narrow and winding, especially the part near the city of Cres. Drive carefully and safely. If we sum it all up - it will take you from 5:30 to 6:60 hours to get from Zagreb to Mali Lošinj. Plan you trip by finding information on ship’s schedule (available online)
The harbor
Just outside Mali Lošinj there is a small bridge which is lifted to let ships pass through. About 600 meters after you cross this bridge turn right, The road will go downhill and will take you to a big parking place near harbor. The ship is docked near city center and cannot be reached by car. If you are traveling by bus, the bus stop is located on the same parking. It will take you about 10-15 minutes to get to the ship by foot (depending on the amount of luggage you’re carrying).
Boarding the ship Ozalj
If you arrive around 12 o’clock, you will have plenty of time to put your luggage on board the ship Ozalj and have something to eat. But first go and buy tickets. They are sold in an office just across the road from the ship.
If you haven’t had the time to buy the tickets in Mali Lošinj, you can still do so on the ship. After the ship leaves the port of Mali Lošinj, one of the crew members walks around the ship and checks the tickets. You can buy one from him.
Ozalj’s crew usually allows passengers to start boarding their stuff about one hour before departure time. So if you get there too early, you’ll might have to wait before you’ll be allowed to board. Even then you might try asking some of the crew members - it’s pretty much informal, so if they like you they might allow it earlier. On Susak Ozalj lands starboard, so it might be wise to put your belongings on that side of the ship.
Note: don’t leave you documents, money, laptops and other valuables on the ship. There’s nobody keeping an eye on it.
If you missed the morning ship
The ship Ozalj leaves for it’s round twice a day. If you arrived too late and missed the ship morning round, you do not have to wait for the afternoon one! There are lot of small ships which make site seeing tours to the surrounding islands. These ships are docked along the cost in the city center - you shouldn’t have problems finding one. In front of the ships usually there’s a sign stating the departure time (usually around 10am) and price. You should try to negotiate a discount, since you are traveling one way only and will not be using services of the guide. The other option is to take the catamaran to Susak. Catamaran runs also twice a day, however it does not visit Susak every day (check the schedule).
Spare time
If after you’re finished with parking your, buying tickets and boarding the ship you still have some spare time before the ship leaves, there a couple of options to keep you busy. The city center is an open market where you can buy all kinds of souvenirs, ranging from authentic handmade ones to cheep chinese junk. There a lot of cafés, ice-cream parlors and a few restaurants. The center is the best place to have a cold drink and relax in the shade, while watching people strolling by, ships gently rocking…
Most of the low to mid-range restaurants are located in the back alleys. Their offer ranges from seafood (deep fried anchovy, calamari etc) to grilled meet. Take a stroll and you’ll probably find something which suites you taste.
On the other hand if you want to take a swim, the best option is to go to Sunčana uvala (sunny bay). To get there you will need to use your car, since it’s a bit far from the center. In case you had enough of driving, or haven’t arrived to Mali Lošinj by car, there’s another small beach which can be reached by foot. Walk to the the opposite side of the harbor all the way to the INA petrol station. Then follow the road which runs left uphill. When you reach the top, go right and just follow the road. It will take you again downhill to this beech. You can have a look at this map: Mali Lošinj and around
Traveling by catamaran
The interior of the catamaran looks more like a bus or a plain than a ship: it features air conditioning and tinted windows. Take some warm clothes with you, because the sometimes overdo it on air conditioning. Also the seats are not too comfy, so a travel pillow is not a bad idea. Smoking is not allowed, except on the bow which is closed while at see. Tip: don’t wave at people when you arrive to Susak - they don’t see you due to tinted glass!
Traveling by ship “Ozalj”
“Ozalj” is an old ship which connects most of the surrounding islands with Mali Lošinj. Although the ship probably wasn’t built for this purpose, it is used for transporting everything from people, post, food to construction material.
Bow, area around the main entrance of the ship, corridors leading to the stern, benches alongside of them - all of this is used as storage space for luggage and all the stuff previously mentioned.
Shade in which you could hide from the sun can be only found in the crowded corridors and inside the ship, where there’s a bar. Unlike the catamaran, Ozalj does not have air conditioning, so sitting inside might not be as pleasant. The interior of the ship resembles more a waiting room of rheumatic clinic - it’s crowded with usually older local people, who are passing time by complaining about their diseases and discussing latest Spanish soap operas. The best place you can sit is probably the stern and the bench near the engine room (if you don’t mind the noise). Sitting on the upper deck is also not a bad choice, although you will not be protected from the sun. At the peak of the summer season all the seats there are also taken. You’re let only with bow, which is not so bad once you get used being surrounded by beer crates and cement. Now seriously it’s not really so bad. Just ware a hat, use a laying mat and all will be ok.
Earlier I mentioned that on Susak the ship docks with it’s starboard (right) side. So it’s a good thing to leave you baggage on the same side. If there’s someone waiting for you at the dock, you can hand (throw) the baggage over to him before exiting the ship.
Fifteen minutes before the ship arrives to Susak, people suddenly wake up and start dragging all their belongings toward the ship exit at bow. The ship is always welcomed by a crowd eagerly waiting on the dock. When the ship finally lands the whole hell brakes loose: people simultaneously enter and exit the ship. Bags, boxes, construction iron, doors, watermelons, wine barrels, tractor spare parts, bricks and fridges start flying aboard and off board the ship. The best thing to do at this time is to sit and wait - after 10-15 minutes this whole epic scene comes to an end and you can walk out with no problems.
Arrival to Susak
Now you are finally there, if you haven’t done it already you will probably need to find a place to stay. Like all the old coastal villages, Susak is also build seemingly without a plan, making it’s little streets a maze which might be puzzling for the first few days. Therefore it’s not a bad idea to have someone to pick you up at the dock.
The village of Susak can be divided into two parts: upper and the lower village. While the lower village is easily accessible, to get to the upper one you will have to climb a hundred stares. If you have a lot luggage it might be wise to hire a tractor to drive your belongings uphill. The fair is usually 100-150 kuna.
The road which connects the two village is uneven and dusty, so do not be surprised when your things arrive covered with a thick dusty cover - it’s safer if you carry sensitive and fragile items yourself.
Sailing schedule
The sailing schedule can be found on following address: (www.jadrolinija.hr). Since if differs depending on the season, make sure to enter the correct date under traveling period.