# Ancona: a ferry port first, an airport second

> Six international ferry lines leave Ancona for Greece, Croatia and Albania. Falconara airport handled 345,397 passengers from January to July 2026.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/ancona/getting-there
Last updated: 2026-09-11

Ancona is a ferry port before it is anything else: six international lines leave it for Igoumenitsa and Patras in Greece, Zadar and Split in Croatia and Durres in Albania, from a terminal that sits inside the city at Molo Santa Maria.

## Six ferry lines from a port in town

The port authority lists six international ferry lines from Ancona in 2026: Igoumenitsa and Patras for Greece, Zadar and Split for Croatia, and Durres for Albania. A seasonal summer service adds Montenegro.

The terminal is at Molo Santa Maria, a few hundred metres from the centre, so arriving by sea puts you in town on foot. The authority names the routes but not the sailing times, which are on each shipping line's own timetable.

One line to watch is Split. It was temporarily suspended in 2025 and is back among the six on the 2026 list, so confirm with the operator before you plan a crossing around it.

## How busy the crossings get

Ferragosto is the peak: over the weekend of August 14 to 16, 2026 the port handled more than 18,500 passengers on 15 ferries and one cruise ship. About 7,850 travelled on the Greek routes, 3,900 on the Croatian ones and 3,850 on the Albanian line, and Saturday, August 15, saw 6 ship movements.

Across the whole of 2025 the port counted 817,627 passengers, 739,399 on ferries and 78,228 on cruise ships, 12% fewer than the 927,415 of 2024. Part of that drop is the Split suspension.

If you're sailing in mid August with a car, book the crossing as early as you'd book the flight.

## Falconara airport

Ancona-Falconara handled 345,397 passengers from January to July 2026, 67,242 of them in July alone. That is a running total for the year so far, not an annual figure.

The link between the airport and the city, by train or by bus, isn't in the data verified for this page, so check it with the airport before you land. Train times into Ancona are not published in our data either: use the Trenitalia planner for those.

## Down to the sea at the Passetto

The Passetto beach, below the Monumento ai Caduti, is reached by a panoramic lift run by Conerobus that drops from the pine wood above to the shore and its caves, for €1.30 return (2026). A monthly lift pass costs €24, or €48 combined with the city buses.

The beach is white pebbles, with the Grotte del Passetto and the rock known as the Seggiola del Papa. Tickets are sold at the lift station, by card from the staff or in cash at the machines.

The operator doesn't publish the lift's hours on the page we read, and the €56 summer pass it quotes was the 2025 one. If the lift isn't running, walk down the staircase from the monument or take the stradello del Passetto.

The city itself is at [Ancona](/towns/ancona), with what to see at [things to do in Ancona](/towns/ancona/things-to-do) and the [Mole Vanvitelliana](/attractions/mole-vanvitelliana-ancona).

## FAQ

### Where do ferries from Ancona go?

To Greece (Igoumenitsa and Patras), Croatia (Zadar and Split) and Albania (Durres): six international lines in 2026, plus a seasonal summer service to Montenegro. Check each operator's timetable, because the Split line was temporarily suspended in 2025.

### How far is the ferry terminal from Ancona's centre?

A few hundred metres: the terminal is at Molo Santa Maria, inside the city. That's why a peak weekend like Ferragosto 2026, with more than 18,500 passengers on 15 ferries and one cruise ship, is felt in the streets as well as on the quay.

### How busy is Ancona airport?

Ancona-Falconara handled 345,397 passengers between January and July 2026, 67,242 of them in July. That's a year-to-date total, not an annual one, and the link from the airport into the city isn't covered by the data verified for this page.

### How do you get down to the Passetto beach?

By the panoramic lift run by Conerobus, which costs €1.30 return in 2026, or on foot down the staircase from the Monumento ai Caduti or along the stradello del Passetto. The lift's operating hours aren't published on the operator's page.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dal porto di Ancona partono sei linee internazionali di traghetti: verso la Grecia per Igoumenitsa e Patrasso, verso la Croazia per Zara e Spalato e verso l'Albania per Durazzo. Nel solo fine settimana di Ferragosto 2026 (14-16 agosto) il porto ha movimentato oltre 18.500 passeggeri con 15 traghetti e una nave da crociera, di cui circa 7.850 passeggeri sulle rotte greche, 3.900 su quelle croate e 3.850 su quella albanese. | [Autorita' di Sistema Portuale del Mare Adriatico Centrale](https://www.porto.ancona.it/it/news/il-porto-di-ancona-pronto-per-il-picco-di-traffici-del-ferragosto-18500-passeggeri-in-transito-15-traghetti-e-una-nave-da-crociera-in-arrivo-e-partenza) | medium | 2027-08-31 |
| Il porto di Ancona ha collegamenti traghetto di linea con Grecia, Croazia e Albania, piu' un servizio stagionale estivo per il Montenegro. | [AdSP Mare Adriatico Centrale](https://www.porto.ancona.it/it/news/adsp-mare-adriatico-centrale-11-2-milioni-di-tonnellate-di-merci-e-939-mila-passeggeri-nel-2024); [doc 2](https://www.porto.ancona.it/it/news/il-2025-annata-positiva-per-il-sistema-portuale-del-mare-adriatico-centrale) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Nel 2025 il porto di Ancona ha registrato 817.627 passeggeri (739.399 sui traghetti e 78.228 crocieristi), il 12% in meno rispetto ai 927.415 del 2024. | [AdSP Mare Adriatico Centrale](https://www.porto.ancona.it/it/news/il-2025-annata-positiva-per-il-sistema-portuale-del-mare-adriatico-centrale); [doc 2](https://www.porto.ancona.it/it/news/adsp-mare-adriatico-centrale-11-2-milioni-di-tonnellate-di-merci-e-939-mila-passeggeri-nel-2024) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| L'aeroporto di Ancona-Falconara ha movimentato 345.397 passeggeri nei primi sette mesi del 2026 (+1,9% sullo stesso periodo del 2025), con 67.242 passeggeri nel solo luglio 2026. | [Assaeroporti](https://www.assaeroporti.com/statistiche/) | medium | 2027-03-31 |
| La spiaggia del Passetto ad Ancona, sotto il Monumento ai Caduti, si raggiunge con un ascensore panoramico gestito da Conerobus che collega la pineta in alto alla costa e alle grotte: il biglietto di andata e ritorno costa 1,30 euro, l'abbonamento mensile 24 euro e quello stagionale estivo 56 euro. In alternativa si scende dalla scalinata del Monumento (2026). | [Conerobus S.p.A.](https://www.conerobus.it/servizi/ascensori-passetto/); [Ancona Tourism - Comune di Ancona](https://anconatourism.it/mare-sport-e-natura/passetto/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.ancona.1600.jpg
Author: Terragio67. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ancona_-_Monumento_ai_caduti_di_Ancona,_dettagli_-_GT_ver2_-_2025-09-11_21-09-15_001.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/ancona/come-arrivare.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/ancona/como-llegar.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/ancona/acces.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/ancona/anreise.md