Cebu to Bohol (2026): Tagbilaran & Tubigon Ferries

TL;DR: Two real options get you from Cebu to Bohol by sea. Cebu Pier 1 to Tagbilaran on OceanJet or SuperCat fastcraft takes about 2 hours and costs roughly ₱920–1,450 (US$16–25) — best if you’re headed straight to Panglao or Alona Beach. Cebu Pier 3 to Tubigon on FastCat, StarCraft, or Lite Ferries takes about 1–1.5 hours and costs roughly ₱330–540 (US$6–9) — cheaper and closer to the Chocolate Hills and Loboc, but you’ll need a bus onward. Add small terminal fees at both ends either way. Verified July 2026.

There’s no bridge and no direct flight between Cebu and Bohol, so almost everyone crosses by boat — and the province gives you a real choice, not just one route. Cebu Pier 1 runs the fast, frequent crossing straight into Tagbilaran City, Bohol’s capital and the closest port to the Panglao resort strip. A few minutes’ walk away, Pier 3 sends cheaper fastcraft to Tubigon, a smaller port on Bohol’s northwest coast that’s a better jumping-off point if the Chocolate Hills, Loboc River, or the countryside loop is your priority. This guide breaks down both routes — fares, schedules, which operators run them, and which one actually saves you time depending on where in Bohol you’re headed.

Cebu to Bohol Ferry Routes at a Glance

Route	Operator(s)	Fare (one-way)	Travel time
Cebu Pier 1 → Tagbilaran (fastcraft)	OceanJet, SuperCat	₱920–1,450 (~US$16–25)	~2 hours
Cebu Pier 3 → Tagbilaran (RORO/slow ferry)	Lite Ferries	₱400–620 (~US$7–11)	~4 hours
Cebu Pier 3 → Tubigon (fastcraft)	FastCat, StarCraft, Lite Ferries, Weesam Express	₱330–540 (~US$6–9)	~1–1.5 hours

Fares are per person, one-way, before the ₱25 Cebu terminal fee and ₱20 Bohol terminal fee. Business/premium classes sit at the top of each range. Confirm exact fares and sailing times before you book — operators revise them seasonally. Verified July 2026.

How Do You Get From Cebu to Tagbilaran?

Fastcraft from Cebu Pier 1 takes about 2 hours and is the route most travelers use. OceanJet and SuperCat both run frequent daily departures — OceanJet alone lists roughly a dozen-plus sailings a day, starting as early as 5:00–6:00 AM and running into the evening. Tourist/open-air seating runs around ₱920–1,000; business class with more legroom runs ₱1,450–1,560. Terminal fees (₱25 Cebu, ₱20 Bohol) are usually added at checkout or paid at the gate.

If you’re not in a rush and want to save money — or you’re bringing a vehicle — Lite Ferries runs a slower RORO (roll-on/roll-off) service from Cebu Pier 3 to Tagbilaran, taking around 4 hours for roughly ₱400–620. It sails once or twice a day rather than every hour, so check the schedule before planning around it.

Both Tagbilaran routes drop you closest to Panglao. From Tagbilaran Port, it’s about 20–40 minutes by tricycle or taxi to Alona Beach — a tricycle runs roughly ₱250–400, a taxi ₱400–500. That short hop is the whole case for choosing Tagbilaran over Tubigon if the beach, dive shops, or Bohol Panglao International Airport are your destination.

How Do You Get From Cebu to Tubigon?

Fastcraft from Cebu Pier 3 takes roughly 1–1.5 hours, making Tubigon the faster and cheaper crossing on paper. FastCat, StarCraft, and Lite Ferries all serve this route, with fares from around ₱330–540 depending on class and operator — noticeably cheaper than the Tagbilaran fastcraft. FastCat runs about four round trips a day; StarCraft’s first sailing leaves around 5:45 AM and its last around 6:45 PM.

The catch is that Tubigon isn’t near the beach. It’s a small port town on Bohol’s northwest coast, and from there you’re looking at another 1.5–2 hours by bus to Tagbilaran (around ₱80–100) or a more direct van/taxi transfer if you’re heading straight to Loboc, the Chocolate Hills, or the countryside tour circuit — Tubigon actually sits closer to those inland attractions than Tagbilaran does. If Panglao is still the end goal, budget a total of around 2–2.5 hours door to door once you add the Tubigon-to-Tagbilaran-to-Panglao bus connections, which usually erases the money you saved on the ferry fare.

Which Route Should You Choose?

Choose Tagbilaran if Panglao, Alona Beach, dive resorts, or the airport are your destination — you land closest to where you’re staying and skip an extra land transfer. Choose Tubigon if you’re doing the Chocolate Hills, Loboc River cruise, tarsier sanctuary, or a countryside day tour first, or if the fare difference actually matters to your budget and you don’t mind arranging a bus onward.

A few other things to factor in:

• Group or vehicle: If you’re driving a car or motorbike across, only the Lite Ferries RORO service to Tagbilaran carries vehicles — none of the fastcraft do.
• Time of day: Tagbilaran has far more sailings spread through the day, so it’s more forgiving if your schedule shifts. Tubigon’s fastcraft options are fewer and more fixed.
• Onward plans: If Bohol is a stop between other islands — say Cebu, then Bohol, then Siquijor — Tagbilaran’s port also handles onward inter-island routes, which can simplify multi-stop trips.
• Booking: Compare current fastcraft schedules on Klook or the operators’ own booking sites before you commit to a departure time, since sailings do get shuffled around holidays.
• Bundling the crossing with a tour: If you land in Tubigon and want the Chocolate Hills, Loboc River cruise, and tarsier sanctuary handled in one go, browse Bohol countryside day tour packages on Klook — most operators can pick you up from either port.

The Honest Take

Neither crossing is a hardship — the channel between Cebu and Bohol is short and generally calm, and both ports are functional, if a little chaotic at peak hours. The real trade-off is time versus money versus where you actually end up standing when the boat docks. Paying more for the Tagbilaran fastcraft buys you proximity to Panglao, not a meaningfully more comfortable ride. Saving money on the Tubigon route only pays off if the Chocolate Hills or Loboc are genuinely first on your list — otherwise the bus transfer eats the savings and adds a layer of hassle for no real benefit.

Skip the slow RORO ferry unless you’re bringing a vehicle or the four extra hours don’t cost you anything you value — for a same-day arrival, the fastcraft is worth the extra few hundred pesos. And build slack into your schedule during the June–October monsoon stretch: sailings do get cancelled in rough weather, more often on the smaller Tubigon fastcraft than the larger Tagbilaran vessels.

Sources

• OceanJet — official schedule and fares and Pamasahe.com OceanJet Cebu–Tagbilaran listing
• Pamasahe.com FastCat Cebu–Tubigon listing
• Pamasahe.com Lite Ferries Cebu–Tagbilaran listing
• Lite Ferries — official schedule
• Tricycle/taxi transfer times from Tagbilaran Port to Alona Beach cross-checked against traveler reports (AlonaBeachGuide.com, Tripadvisor Bohol forum)
• Fares, schedules, and pier assignments verified against multiple 2026 aggregator listings; confirm exact sailing times with the operator before booking. Verified July 2026.

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Whichever port you land at, Bohol rewards the crossing — the Chocolate Hills, the Loboc River, and Panglao’s dive sites are all worth the trip. Pair this with a look at Cebu’s pier layout if you’re navigating the terminals for the first time, or check the OceanJet vs 2GO comparison if you’re also planning a Cebu–Bohol–Siquijor loop. Compare current Cebu–Bohol ferry tickets and fares on Klook before you lock in your travel dates.