Ferry route guide
Bali to Lombok by ferry
There is exactly one public ferry crossing between Bali and Lombok — Padang Bai to Lembar — and for most visitors it is not the right way to make the journey. This page is about when it is.
At a glance
| Approximate crossing time | Usually about four to five hours at sea |
|---|---|
| Service pattern | The Bali–Lombok ferry is a continuous service rather than a handful of fixed daily sailings — vessels work through the night as well as the day. Actual departures for your date are published by ASDP. |
| Operated by | ASDP Indonesia Ferry, a state ferry operator |
| Where tickets are sold | Ferizy, ASDP’s official channel, and authorised Ferizy sales points |
| Bookable on Sailtix | Not yet — this page is travel information only |
Schedules and fares can change. Check the official Ferizy/ASDP channel before travelling.
Route overview
Travellers searching for a Bali to Lombok ferry are usually asking one of two quite different questions. The first is “how do I get to Lombok cheaply, or with my vehicle?”, and the answer to that is the public ASDP ferry from Padang Bai to Lembar. The second is “what is the boat to Lombok?”, and the answer to that is almost always a fast boat, which is a different vessel, from different harbours, at a different speed.
The public ferry is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle ship. It crosses the Lombok Strait in about four to five hours, runs continuously rather than on a handful of daily sailings, and carries motorcycles, cars, buses and freight along with foot passengers. It leaves from the ASDP terminal at Padang Bai in east Bali and arrives at Lembar in south-west Lombok. Both ends are working ports rather than resort areas.
A fast boat, by contrast, crosses in a fraction of that time, leaves from tourist harbours, carries no vehicles, and lands where visitors actually want to be — including directly at the Gili Islands, which the ferry does not serve at all. If you are travelling with luggage and not much else, that is the comparison that matters.
So the ferry is the right choice in three situations: you are bringing a vehicle, you want the lowest possible fare and have the day to spend, or sea conditions have stopped the small boats. Outside those, take the faster option.
Who and what can cross
| Travelling as | Carried |
|---|---|
| Foot passengers | Yes |
| Motorcycles | Yes |
| Cars | Yes |
| Buses and coaches | Yes |
| Trucks and freight | Yes |
This is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle ferry, so everything from a scooter to an articulated truck crosses on the same deck. A vehicle is ticketed by its class, which is based on the type and length of the vehicle rather than on how many people are inside it.
How ASDP classes a vehicle
Vehicle fares are set by class, and the class is decided by what the vehicle is and how long it is. There are nine classes; IV, V and VI split into A for passenger vehicles and B for goods.
| Class | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Golongan I | Bicycles. |
| Golongan II | Motorcycles under 500cc, and hand carts. |
| Golongan III | Motorcycles over 500cc, and three-wheeled vehicles. |
| Golongan IVA | Passenger cars up to 5 metres — jeep, sedan, minibus. Most private and rental cars sit here. |
| Golongan IVB | Goods vehicles up to 5 metres: open and closed pickups, and double cabins. |
| Golongan VA | Buses over 5 and up to 7 metres. |
| Golongan VB | Medium trucks and tankers over 5 and up to 7 metres. |
| Golongan VIA | Buses over 7 and up to 10 metres. |
| Golongan VIB | Trucks and tankers over 7 and up to 10 metres, and tractor units without a trailer. |
| Golongan VII | Trucks, tankers, tractor-trailers and heavy plant over 10 and up to 12 metres. |
| Golongan VIII | The same, over 12 and up to 16 metres. |
| Golongan IX | The same, over 16 metres. |
- You must enter the vehicle registration plate number when booking — ASDP requires it under government regulation, so have the plate to hand before you start.
- ASDP staff may measure your vehicle at the port and verify its class. If the measured class does not match the one on your e-ticket, ASDP applies a penalty of 25% of the measured vehicle fare plus the difference in fare.
- If you over-declared and paid too much, a refund can be requested — but it is also reduced by a 25% penalty and bank transfer costs, and ASDP allows itself up to 30 days to pay it. Declaring the right class first time is the only outcome that costs nothing.
ASDP’s full vehicle-class reference is the authority on this, and it is where the figures above come from.
Public ferry or fast boat?
These are two different services that travellers routinely confuse, and choosing the wrong one is the most common mistake on this journey. The short version: the ferry takes vehicles, the fast boat takes time off the crossing.
| Public ferry | Fast boat | |
|---|---|---|
| Vessel | Large roll-on/roll-off public ferry | Small passenger craft |
| Vehicles | Cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks | None — passengers and luggage only |
| Crossing time | Hours, on the longer routes | A fraction of the ferry time |
| Ports | Working freight ports | Tourist harbours near where visitors stay |
| Fares | Generally the cheapest way across | Higher, and priced per passenger |
| Sold by | ASDP, through Ferizy and authorised sales points | Private operators — bookable on Sailtix |
| Weather | Keeps running in conditions that stop small boats | More often cancelled in rough seas |
The fast boat is the comparison most readers are really after: a fraction of the crossing time, tourist harbours at both ends, no vehicles. Live schedules and fares for that are on Sailtix. See the fast boat route page.
Buying a ticket for the Bali–Lombok ferry
The crossing is operated by ASDP and ticketed through Ferizy, its official channel, plus authorised sales points. Tickets are bought before travel and issued against passenger identity details — turning up at the gate to pay is not the process. Passengers and vehicles are ticketed separately, with vehicles priced by class according to type and length.
Sailtix does not sell this crossing. Fast boats on the same corridor are a different matter and are bookable here today.
- Book through Ferizy or an authorised Ferizy sales point, before you travel to the port.
- Names on tickets must match travel documents.
- Vehicles are ticketed by class; declare the vehicle you are actually driving.
- Around Nyepi, ferry services to and from Bali stop and the ports close. The date changes each year.
Buying on Ferizy, step by step
Finding your crossing on Ferizy
The site is in Indonesian only. These are the six fields on its search form, in order, with what each one wants.
- Pelabuhan Asal — departure portGilimanuk and Ketapang are in the short default list. Padang Bai and Lembar are not: choose "Pelabuhan Lainnya?, Klik Disini" ("other ports, click here") to reach them. This is the step that convinces people the route does not exist.
- Pelabuhan Tujuan — arrival portThe list fills in once the departure port is chosen.
- Kelas Layanan — service classWhich class of service you are buying on that crossing.
- Jenis Pengguna Jasa — who is travelling"Pejalan Kaki" is a foot passenger; "Kendaraan" is with a vehicle. Choosing Kendaraan then asks for Golongan Kendaraan, the vehicle class.
- Jadwal Masuk Pelabuhan — port CHECK-IN time, not departureThe form asks you to "set your arrival schedule at the port". You are booking a slot to enter the port, not a sailing time — which is the single most misread thing about an ASDP ticket.
- Penumpang — passengersAdults, elderly, children and infants are counted separately.
The button on that form reads CARI JADWAL — "search schedules".
Opens ASDP’s official ticketing site in a new tab. Sailtix earns nothing from this link and is not a Ferizy sales agent — it is here because naming the official channel is the only way to keep you away from the ones imitating it.
Taking a vehicle between the islands
This is the only way to move a car or a motorcycle between Bali and Lombok, which is the ferry’s single strongest argument. Nothing else carries vehicles across the strait.
The thing to settle first is not the ticket but the rental contract. Bali rental cars and scooters are frequently restricted to the island, and taking one on a ferry can void the insurance. Ask the owner before you plan the trip around it.
- Confirm your rental agreement permits inter-island travel, and what the insurance covers.
- Foreign drivers need an International Driving Permit alongside their home licence.
- Ask at booking how the people travelling inside a vehicle are counted for its class.
- Allow for loading and unloading time at both ends on top of the four to five hours at sea.
What to expect as a visitor
This is domestic public transport rather than a tourist crossing: unassigned seating, Indonesian-language announcements, basic facilities, a terminal built for freight. It is entirely routine for the people who use it every week, and it is a long day for someone who booked it expecting a boat trip.
The Lombok Strait is deep water and can be rough, particularly around the middle of the year. Four hours of a moving deck is long enough for that to matter.
- Carry cash, water and food; onboard facilities are limited.
- Take something for seasickness before boarding rather than after.
- Do not book a same-day onward flight against a ferry arrival.
- Both ports are a substantial road journey from where most visitors stay. Budget for the drives at both ends.
Where the ferry actually lands you
Lembar is on Lombok’s south-west coast, about an hour from Mataram, roughly an hour and a half from Senggigi, Kuta Lombok and the airport at Praya, and around two hours from Bangsal in the north-west.
That last figure is the one to hold on to. Bangsal is the harbour for the Gili Islands. If the Gilis are your destination, arriving at Lembar means a two-hour drive across Lombok and then a boat — when a fast boat from Bali would have taken you to the islands directly.
- Mataram: about an hour.
- Senggigi: around an hour and a half.
- Kuta Lombok and Lombok International Airport: roughly an hour and a half.
- Bangsal, for the Gili Islands: about two hours, plus a boat.
Mistakes travellers make on this route
Searching for a “ferry to the Gili Islands” and booking the Lembar ferry.
The public ferry does not serve the Gilis. It lands at Lembar, about two hours from the Gili boat harbour at Bangsal. Fast boats from Bali go to the islands directly.
Assuming ferry and fast boat are the same thing at different prices.
They are different vessels, from different harbours, with different journey times and different operators. Only the ferry takes vehicles; only the fast boat is quick.
Planning the day around four hours.
Four to five hours is time at sea. Add two hours of driving to Padang Bai, the wait and loading, then the drive from Lembar at the far end.
Questions travellers ask
Is there a ferry from Bali to Lombok?
Yes — the public ASDP vehicle ferry from Padang Bai in east Bali to Lembar in south-west Lombok. It is the only public ferry crossing between the two islands and the only service carrying vehicles.
How long does the Bali to Lombok ferry take?
About four to five hours at sea, plus loading, berthing and disembarkation at both ends. Weather in the Lombok Strait can extend it.
Does the ferry go to the Gili Islands?
No. It lands at Lembar, roughly two hours by road from Bangsal, where the Gili boats leave. Fast boats from Bali serve the Gili Islands directly.
Ferry or fast boat — which should I take?
Take the ferry if you are bringing a vehicle, want the cheapest crossing, or the small boats are not running. Take a fast boat if you want speed and a harbour near where you are staying.
Where do I buy ferry tickets?
Through Ferizy, ASDP’s official channel, or an authorised Ferizy sales point, before you travel. Ferry booking is not available on Sailtix.