How to Get from Cebu to Bantayan Island: The Bus-and-Ferry Route Explained

Getting to Bantayan is a two-part trip, and the part most guides gloss over is the start: the ferry doesn’t leave from Cebu City. It leaves from Hagnaya Port, near the northern tip of Cebu, about three to four hours up the coast. Reach Hagnaya and the crossing to Bantayan is a quick, frequent 90 minutes. Here’s how the route actually works.

🚢 Compare every Cebu–Bantayan option and find the best fare on 12Go

At a glance

Leg	From	To	Time	Notes
1 — Land	Cebu North Bus Terminal	Hagnaya Port	~3–4 hrs	Ceres bus, ~₱160–180
2 — Ferry	Hagnaya Port	Santa Fe, Bantayan	~1h30m	Super Shuttle (9 daily), Tabuelan

Schedules valid as of 2026-06-23 — check 12Go for current sailings. Ferry fares are paid at the port; book/confirm on 12Go.

⛴️ Compare the Cebu–Bantayan bus-and-ferry options on 12Go

Leg 1 — Cebu City to Hagnaya Port

The land leg starts at Cebu North Bus Terminal (CNBT), relocated in 2020 to the SM City Cebu parking area — not the south terminal, so don’t mix them up. A north-bound Ceres bus to Hagnaya takes roughly 3–4 hours for about ₱160–180, running through the morning. If you’re chasing a specific ferry, take an early bus: the timing of your whole day hinges on catching a Santa Fe sailing with daylight to spare.

Drivers can take the north coast road straight to Hagnaya and park, since the Bantayan ferries are passenger-focused and a car is rarely needed on the island itself.

Leg 2 — Hagnaya to Santa Fe (the ferry)

From Hagnaya, Super Shuttle Ferry runs the most frequent crossing to Santa Fe Terminal Port on Bantayan — about nine sailings a day, roughly 02:00 to mid-afternoon, a flat 1h30m crossing in Economy. Tabuelan Sea Transport adds a few more departures. With that many sailings you rarely wait long once you reach Hagnaya, which is the whole reason the route works despite the long land leg.

⛴️ Check Hagnaya–Santa Fe ferry schedules on 12Go

Doing it as one booking

The cleanest way to handle both legs is a combined bus-and-ferry ticket where available, or simply to book the ferry ahead and pay the bus on board. Either way the sequence is the same: CNBT → Hagnaya → Santa Fe. Once on Bantayan, tricycles and multicabs from Santa Fe reach the beaches and Bantayan town.

Tips for the trip

Start early. The land leg eats most of the morning; aim for a Hagnaya arrival by early afternoon so you’re not gambling on the last comfortable Santa Fe sailing. Confirm the last return ferry before you go — Bantayan’s sailings thin out later in the day, and a missed boat means an unplanned overnight. One honest caveat — weather: the Hagnaya–Santa Fe crossing is short but exposed; rough weather in the June–November window can cancel sailings, so keep your plans flexible.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the ferry to Bantayan leave from?

From Hagnaya Port near the northern tip of Cebu — about 3–4 hours from Cebu City by bus — not from the Cebu City piers. The ferry crosses to Santa Fe on Bantayan in about 90 minutes.

How long does it take to get from Cebu to Bantayan?

Plan on roughly 5–6 hours door to door: about 3–4 hours by bus from Cebu North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya, then a 1h30m ferry to Santa Fe, plus the local transfer to your beach.

How often do ferries run from Hagnaya to Bantayan?

Super Shuttle Ferry runs about nine daily crossings from roughly 02:00 to mid-afternoon, with Tabuelan Sea Transport adding more. The frequency is the route’s strength once you’ve reached Hagnaya.

How much is the bus from Cebu to Hagnaya?

Around ₱160–180 on the Ceres bus from Cebu North Bus Terminal. The ferry fare is paid at the port — confirm live prices on 12Go.

✈️ Flying in for this trip? Compare flights to the Philippines on Trip.com

Cebu’s city piers and terminal fees are administered by the Cebu Port Authority; confirm your pier and current port charges there.