Cebu to Bohol Ferry Guide ✔️ 2 Hour Catamaran

Want to know how to get to Bohol from Cebu?

Getting from Cebu to Bohol is easy as there are direct fast-crafts and catamarans every day making the journey between these 2 popular islands in the Philippines. Most boats depart from Cebu port which can easily be reached by taxi or Grab if you’re in the city. If you’re in South Cebu (Moalboal – Oslob) there is a daily 90 minute catamaran from Oslob to Bohol’s main tourist area Panglao.

Currently there are no direct flights from Cebu to Bohol.

How to get from Cebu to Bohol. The chocolate hills on Bohol.
Bohol’s Chocolate Hills as seen from the viewing area.

Best way to get from Cebu to Bohol

The most popular option is the catamaran from Cebu City to Tagbilaran port in Bohol. This is a popular route as Tagbilaran port is close to Panglao which is the main tourist area of Bohol. Upon arrival at Tagbilaran Port, most accommodations are reachable within a 20 to 30-minute ride. →You can check catamaran schedules and reserve seats here.

Note: While there are regular departures and pre-booking isn’t always required, this is a popular route used by foreign and local tourists. If you have a specific travel time and want peace of mind, it is always best to →book tickets in advance.

Should you be in the southern part of Cebu (Moalboal – Oslob) there is a 90 minute catamaran that departs every day at 11:30 am from Quartel beach in Oslob. Advance booking is recommended as this is the only boat from south Cebu to Bohol (Panglao)→Check availability and reserve seats here.

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Other ways to reach Bohol

Besides the catamarans and fast-crafts, there are also ordinary ferries going from Cebu to Bohol. These ferries will be a bit cheaper than the ordinary tickets on the catamaran. The journey is much slower though with a travel time of at least 5 hours. And also departures aren’t as frequent.

You can purchase tickets directly from Cebu port. Most of the ferry booths are located on your way into the port. Make sure to go to a booth and avoid anyone trying to sell you tickets as there are many touts there.

Cebu to Bohol by ferry. An image of a map point Cebu city port
The boats depart from Cebu Pier 1 – Click image for location
Halamanan Residences

If you still need to book your accommodation in Panglao, make sure to check out these 3 options. Each accommodation has a 9+ Review Score and you can can walk to Alona beach (the most popular in Panglao), various restaurants and cafes within less than 10 minutes.

Budget: →Canna Boutique Hostel
Mid Range:
Yellow Mango Resort Bohol
Luxury: Halamanan Residences

Ferry/Catamaran From Cebu to Bohol

Buying Tickets

There are 3 ticket options for the catamaran from Cebu to Bohol. There’s open air seats where you sit outside and enjoy a nice natural breeze. Or the tourist class tickets in the air condition. These tickets usually cost the same and you have a 15kg check in allowance. If you want more comfort you can book the business class tickets which also have 20kg check in luggage allowance. These tickets cost about 50% more.

Tickets can be bought on the day of travel directly at Cebu Port. The booths are located on your way into the port and it is required to show your passport while purchasing the tickets from Cebu to Bohol. If you have a specific time in which you want to travel and want peace of mind it is always best to book ticket online in advance.

Getting to Cebu Port

Boats from Cebu to Bohol depart from Cebu Pier 1. This port is located in Cebu City and can easily be reached either by taxi or Grab. While easy to reach, you have to know that Cebu City is very busy and a 10km ride can result in over 1 hour journey. Our taxi ride from Mactan airport to the hostel was around 13km and took around 90 minutes!

It’s pretty crazy especially during rush hours. So make sure to plan your journey from your accommodation to the port well ahead.

Check-In

On your day of travel make sure you’re at Cebu Port at least 1 hour ahead of departure. You need to do check-in at the Oceanjet counter located on Pier 1 at Cebu Port. Have your passport ready and show the booking confirmation. The ticket voucher can be shown on your phone. A print out is not required.

If you’re booking tickets directly at the counter on your day of travel, check-in is done there and then and you’ll be handed your tickets.

Travel duration from Cebu to Tagbilaran port in Bohol is 2 hours.

Getting to your Hotel

Before you arrive: If you have already booked accommodation in Bohol, make sure to check in advance of your arrival if they offer any shuttle transport. Certain accommodations offer shared shuttle service free of charge or at a reasonable price.

Convenient options: You can take a taxi or tricycle from Tagbilaran port to your hotel or hostel in Panglao. When you walk out of the port there will be lots of drivers offering their service and will take you wherever you need to go. You will need to negotiate a reasonable price. Another option is to book a hotel transfer and you won’t need to worry about finding a reliable driver. →View options here.

Best budget option: If you’re on a budget and you have a backpack, you could always rent a scooter. There are lots of motorbike rental shops just outside the port and you’re likely to get many offers. We just rented a scooter from a random guy which wasn’t a great idea because we got a really shitty bike and the guy tried to rip us off when we returned the bike. If you want to rent a scooter check out these shops →Bohol JCD Motorbike rental and →Mervin Bohol Motorbike and Car Rentals. While we didn’t rent from either of these shops, they both have a great review score of around 4.8 out of 5 stars.

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Other Routes

To Siquijor

If you’re traveling around the Philippines, after your visit to Bohol you can take a direct ferry to Siquijor. This island is gorgeous and has one of the most beautiful waterfalls, stunning beaches, marine life and the atmosphere is exactly what you’d expect from a tropical island. It’s laid back and not really developed. There is daily fast-craft departing from Tagbilaran port. To reserve seats click here

To Camiguin

Another island that can be reached directly from Bohol is Camiguin. The ferry departs Jagna Port in East Bohol at 2:30pm. You can book ferry tickets up to 1 week in advance. Camiguin is a little known island in the Philippines and not many tourists come here. You can expect a tropical paradise where everything seems to go by so slow. There’s a number of amazing tourist spots such as naked island a sunken cemetery and a huge cascade. A number of →affordable resorts have popped up recently and the food is downright delicious. Camiguin is where we had the best pizza and pasta and the cruchiest calamari friitti in all of the Philippines.

To Siargao

If you have made it to Camiguin, from there you can also travel to Siargao, the famous surfing island. Siargao is awesome!! It transmits those cool surfy vibes. There’s loads of hip cafes and trendy hostels and water front accommodation. Riding a scooter along the desolated roads is unbelievable because everywhere you look there are coconut trees!! It’s along journey from Camiguin to Siargao as it requires taking a ferry, then 2 buses and then another ferry. It’s a fun, tiring and memorable 12 hour journey where you’ll get to experience a different and not so commonly seen part of the Philippines.

This is the journey: take ferry from Camiguin to Balingoan. Then go to Balingoan bus terminal. You need to take a bus heading north to Surigao. Ask at the terminal which is the bus and let the driver know you want to take the ferry to Siargao. The journey ends at Surigao bus terminal. From here you can take a tricycle to the port. It’s a 20 minute ride and should cost around ₱200.

There are 3 ferries departing each day: at 6:00am – 10:00am – 15:30pm. The morning ferries are the most popular. But the afternoon ferry not so much. If yo don’t make in time for the last ferry, spend the night in Surigao. →This is the best place to stay near the port. For the next day make sure you’ve booked the earliest ferry so you can make the most out of the day.

HEY, just so you know…

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