Ferries, Ferry Ports and Ferry booking

Ferry-Sardinia
Ferry-Sardinia

Ferries, connections, ferry ports or booking: The ferry to Sardinia is important for campers or RVs or the journey by car and own motorcycle. Ferries to or from Sardinia are very interesting if you like to have a round trip as well. Sardinia is not near to the European mainland. Depending on the connection or port the journey takes 3 to about 10 hours. Only Corsica is very close and requires less travel time. That's why the journey with a ferry to Sardinia is not worth a short trip - unless you want to transport something, go by RV or camper. In addition, the prices for the ferry are not necessarily cheap if you bring a car or another vehicle. For people without a vehicle pricing can be a real deal in comparison to flights.

So before you book a holiday in Sardinia, you should compare, if a flight with a rental car might be more interesting than the ferry. Otherwise, it is also a matter of taste, whether you like to go on vacation with your own car. The connections in the Mediterranean are also suitable for round trips - so you can discover the whole of southern Europe in the context of an extended holiday.

The main ferry port is Olbia in northern Sardinia. In addition, there is another large ferry port in Cagliari (southern Sardinia) and some smaller harbors like Arbatax and Golfo Aranci, Palau, Alghero and Porto Torres.

Map-Sardinia

Routes and ferry ports in Sardinia

Going to Sardinia by ferry - The Routes

Ferry Genoa - Sardinia

Located in the north of Italy and thus relatively close too many European countries, this is the ferry connection that is by far the most common. From here you can reach Olbia or Golfo Aranci or Porto Torres in about 8 hours. Most crossing are being operated overnight. The ferry ports in Sardinia from Genoa are all in the north of Sardinia, which is touristically relatively well developed. If you want to go to the middle or the south of Sardinia, then you have to take a ride to your destination by car or other transportation.

Marseille, Naples, Palermo, Trapani (Sicily), Barcelona – Sardinia

If you are planning a round trip or if Marseille (France) is easier to reach, the route from Marseille might be a great option. Other ports are in from Spain (Barcelona), Sicily (Southern Italy, e.g. rrom Naples and Trapani. Form southerin Italy the routes will take you to Cagliari in the south of Sardinia.

Livorno and Piombino, Civitavecchia – Sardinia

If you like to see Tuscany, you can go via Livorno and Piombino. These ferries will take you to destinations in the north of Sardinia. Another alternative is to plan for Rome - the capital of Italy. The ferry port in Civitivecchia is not too far from rome. The ferries will take you to Sardinia in about 5 hours from here.

Ferry port in Golfo Aranci

Another ferry port in Sardinia is to be found in Golfo Aranci. The routes are connection Piombino and Livorno (Tuscany, Italy), Porto Vecchio in Corsica, Nice in southern France and Toulon in France. The route from or to Toulon takes about 14 hours, Porto Vecchio in Corsica is about 2.5 hours away from here and the route to Nice in France takes about 13 hours. Tuscany is about 6 hours away from Golfo Aranci by ferry.

Bonifacio (Corsica) – Sardinia

Of course, one can also go to Corsica from Sardinia or the other way around. Corsica is very close, the descent takes place in Bonifacio (south Corsica) and ends in Santa Teresa di Gallura (northern Sardinia) or Golfo Aranci. Interesting can be an island round trip, which brings you first to Elba, from there to Corsica and from Corsica to Sardinia. If you want to do this, then you can travel back from Sardinia (Cagliari) via Sicily, Rome or Tuscany.

Access to La Maddalena

Ferries to the main island of the La Maddalena Archipelago depart from Palau. These do not have to be reserved. You just drive to Palau and off you go. The crossing takes only about a quarter of an hour. Only the main island is accessesible by car, the other islands are subject to strict rules of conservation and can only be reached by boat: La Maddalena.

Ferries - Good to know

The prices for the ferry vary as well as the prices for rental cars and hotels or apartments. It pays to have a look around. The food on the ferries is good, mostly they are equipped with a bar or restaurant. The travel times are very different. From Civitivecchia it takes 4 to 7 hours, from Genoa to Olbia it takes about 9 to 10 hours to travel. It is recommendable to book a cabin, the armchairs (poltrona) are not really comfortable for an overnight stay. Some passengers also use the deck or deckchairs on deck to get some sleep. The routes of the ferries change annually. Hence a precise check is worthwhile and necessary.

Ferry-Olbia

The following ferries operate between mainland Europe and Sardinia. The current timetables and prices can be found on the respective website. If you are traveling with a dog, you will find a friendly environment with a dog-box on deck at Sardinia Ferries, where the four-legged friends may also join the restaurant or bar.

Further ferries:

La Meridionale connects Sardinia to France and vice versa: To the website at La Meridionale. Corsica Linea was formerly known as SNCM and connects Corsica with Sardinia: Visit Corsica Lines website. GNV Ferries (Grandi Navi Veloci) connects Porto Torres in the northwest of Sardinia with the Italian port of Genoa: To the website at GNV. The Flotta Gallura (GoinSardinia) had crossings on offer, but whether there will be new crossings is unclear. For now they are not operating any route. Blue Navy connects Santa Teresa Gallura with Corsica: Blue Navy.

Booking a Ferry to or from Sardinia

Via directferries.com you will find most of the routes described above. Check here for a suitable ferry connection and book it:

Navigation: Discover Sardinia

Good to know: Information about Sardinia
Food and drinks: Cuisine
Transportation: Arrival and accomodation
Places and more: Where to on Sardinia?

For your journey

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Where to spend your holiday? Holiday regions. Find the most interesting spots on Sardinia: Places of interest.