# Ferries to the islands: which port to use

> Sardinia has five passenger ports and Olbia moved 47,000 people in 48 hours last August. Which port serves which trip, and what we could not verify.

URL: https://myitalia.it/themes/ferries
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Two Italian islands need a ferry and they work differently: Sardinia is reached by long overnight crossings into 5 passenger ports, while Sicily is reached mainly by a short shuttle across the Strait from Villa San Giovanni to Messina.

## Sardinia: eight ports, five that carry passengers

The Sardinia Sea port authority runs 8 ports: Cagliari, Olbia, Golfo Aranci, Porto Torres, Oristano, Portovesme, Arbatax and Santa Teresa Gallura. For crossings from the mainland, 5 of them matter: Olbia, Golfo Aranci, Porto Torres, Cagliari and Arbatax.

Each has a job. Olbia handles ferries and cruise ships at the Isola Bianca terminal and serves the northeast. Golfo Aranci is the Sardinian port closest to the mainland, 30 minutes of sailing beyond Olbia. Porto Torres is both the passenger port for the northwest and an industrial port. Santa Teresa Gallura is the link to Corsica, and Portovesme serves the island of San Pietro.

## Olbia at Ferragosto, in numbers

Over the weekend of August 14 and 15, 2026, Olbia moved more than 47,000 passengers and over 16,000 accompanied vehicles in 48 hours, with 19 ferries alongside. The whole Sardinian port system handled 100,000 passengers and 140 ferry movements in the same window, on the authority's own estimate.

That is the peak, not the norm, and the figures were the authority's projection at the time of publication. It is still the number to keep in mind when choosing a sailing date in mid August: the port authority calls Olbia the first passenger port in the Mediterranean, a claim we have not verified independently.

## From Rome: everything leaves from Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, has sailings to 4 Sardinian ports and 2 Sicilian ones, which makes it the main Tyrrhenian departure point for both islands. Grimaldi Lines and Tirrenia sail to Olbia, Grimaldi Lines to Porto Torres, Tirrenia to Cagliari and Arbatax, and Grandi Navi Veloci to Palermo and Termini Imerese.

Seasonal services come and go on top of this list and we have not verified them. Treat the operator names as the current pattern rather than a timetable.

## Sicily has two port systems, for two different trips

The Strait port authority runs 6 ports as one system, Messina, Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria, Milazzo, Tremestieri and Saline, and the Villa San Giovanni to Messina crossing is by far the most used way to bring a car to Sicily.

The West Sicily authority runs Palermo, Trapani, Termini Imerese, Porto Empedocle, Gela, Licata and Sciacca, with Palermo as its main passenger port. Those are the ports for the long crossings from the Tyrrhenian mainland, not for the Strait shuttle.

## What we could not verify, and it matters

For the busiest crossing in the country, Villa San Giovanni to Messina, we have 0 verified figures on duration, frequency or operators, because the official pages we read do not publish them. The same applies to the routes from Palermo towards Naples, Genoa, Civitavecchia and Livorno, of which only Civitavecchia to Palermo is confirmed, and only from the departure end.

For most travelers coming from the United States or the United Kingdom, a flight beats a long crossing: [Catania, Palermo, Cagliari and Olbia all have airports](/themes/airports). The ferry earns its place when you are bringing a car.

## FAQ

### Which port should I use for northern Sardinia?

Olbia, at the Isola Bianca terminal, for the Costa Smeralda and the northeast; Golfo Aranci, 30 minutes further out to sea, is the closest Sardinian port to the mainland; Porto Torres serves the northwest. Cagliari and Arbatax cover the south and the east coast.

### How do I get a ferry to Sardinia from Rome?

From Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, which serves 4 Sardinian ports. Grimaldi Lines and Tirrenia sail to Olbia, Grimaldi to Porto Torres, and Tirrenia to Cagliari and to Arbatax. The same port also has Grandi Navi Veloci sailings to Palermo and Termini Imerese in Sicily.

### What is the shortest ferry crossing to Sicily?

Villa San Giovanni to Messina, across the Strait, and it is by far the most used crossing for cars. Both ports belong to the Strait port authority, which runs 6 ports in all, adding Reggio Calabria, Milazzo, Tremestieri and Saline.

### How busy does Olbia get in August?

Over the Ferragosto weekend of August 14 and 15, 2026, the port handled more than 47,000 passengers and over 16,000 accompanied vehicles in 48 hours, with 19 ferries alongside. The whole Sardinian system moved close to 100,000 people.

### Which Sicilian ports handle ferries from the mainland?

2 separate systems. The Strait authority runs Messina, Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria, Milazzo, Tremestieri and Saline; the West Sicily authority runs Palermo, Trapani, Termini Imerese, Porto Empedocle, Gela, Licata and Sciacca, with Palermo as its main passenger port.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Autorita' di Sistema Portuale del Mare di Sardegna gestisce i porti di Cagliari, Olbia, Golfo Aranci, Porto Torres, Oristano, Portovesme, Arbatax e Santa Teresa Gallura; i principali scali passeggeri per i collegamenti con la penisola sono Olbia, Golfo Aranci, Porto Torres, Cagliari e Arbatax. | [AdSP del Mare di Sardegna](https://www.adspmaredisardegna.it/en/portale-del-lavoro-portuale/caratteristiche-dei-porti/); [doc 2](https://www.adspmaredisardegna.it/en/2026/08/14/per-ferragosto-100-mila-passeggeri-nei-porti-del-sistema-della-sardegna/) | medium | 2027-09-01 |
| Olbia e' la principale porta d'accesso marittima alla Sardegna: nel weekend di Ferragosto 2026 il porto ha movimentato oltre 47.000 passeggeri e piu' di 16.000 veicoli al seguito in 48 ore, su un totale di circa 100.000 passeggeri nell'intero sistema portuale sardo. | [AdSP del Mare di Sardegna](https://www.adspmaredisardegna.it/en/2026/08/14/per-ferragosto-100-mila-passeggeri-nei-porti-del-sistema-della-sardegna/) | medium | 2027-08-31 |
| Civitavecchia, il porto di Roma, e' il principale scalo tirrenico centrale per i traghetti verso le isole maggiori: da qui partono i collegamenti per Olbia, Porto Torres, Cagliari e Arbatax in Sardegna e per Palermo e Termini Imerese in Sicilia, operati da Grimaldi Lines, Tirrenia e Grandi Navi Veloci. | [AdSP del Mar Tirreno Centro Settentrionale (Porti di Roma)](https://www.portidiroma.it/autostrade-del-mare) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| L'Autorita' di Sistema Portuale dello Stretto gestisce in modo unitario i porti di Messina, Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria, Milazzo, Tremestieri e Saline: l'attraversamento Villa San Giovanni-Messina e' il collegamento marittimo di gran lunga piu' usato per raggiungere la Sicilia in auto. | [AdSP dello Stretto](https://adspstretto.it/en/ports-of-stretto/port-of-villa-san-giovanni/) | medium | 2027-09-01 |
| L'Autorita' di Sistema Portuale del Mare di Sicilia Occidentale gestisce i porti di Palermo, Trapani, Termini Imerese, Porto Empedocle, Gela, Licata e Sciacca; Palermo e' il principale scalo passeggeri del sistema. | [AdSP del Mare di Sicilia Occidentale](https://www.adsppalermo.it/) | medium | 2027-09-01 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/theme.traghetti.1600.jpg
Author: Dr.Conati at Italian Wikipedia. License: Public domain.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catamarano_attraccato.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/temi/ferries.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/temas/ferries.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/themes/ferries.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/themen/ferries.md