Ferry Services in Sardinia
Italy has a total of almost 8,490km of coastline so it is no surprise that there are a number of ferry services linking the islands by sea to the mainland. The main links are by car ferries and hydro-foils and the main Italian ports of embarkation for the island of Sardinia are Genoa, Livorno, Elba, Civitavecchia, Fiumicino, Naples and Villa San Giovanni.
You can choose to arrive in Northern Sardinia (ports of Olbia, Porto Torres, Golfo Aranci), Southern Sardinia (Cagliari) or Eastern Sardinia (Arbatax).
At the bottom of this page is a map which shows you the main ferry routes.
The primary companies operating on these routes are Grandi Navi Veloci , Mobylines, Saremar , Tirrenia and Corsica Ferries. You can find out more about routes and timetables and book a ferry online by clicking on the relevant links above
Sardinian Ferries
There are also ferry connections to the nearby French island of Corsica between the Corsican port of Bonifacio and the Sardinian port of Santa Teresa di Gallura.
The Sardinian small island of San Pietro (also known as Carloforte Island) is connected to the Sardinian ports of Sant Antioco and Portovesme on the South West coast. Similarly La Maddalena island is connected to Palau port in Sardinia. These inter island ferry connections are operated by Saremar that is part of the Tirrenia Fleet.
Once you are on the island of Sardinia it is possible to travel around on the Sardinian Railways , but by far the best way to explore this beautiful island is to hire a car.
Sardinian Ferry Crossings
When you are approaching the Island of Sardinia by boat, you cannot fail to be impressed by the colours of its rocks which range from black to basalt, silver to granite and red to the rich red/brown porphyry.
The longest journey is from Naples to Cagliari which takes approximately 16 hours. From Civitavecchia (Port of Rome) to Arbatx, Cagliari or Olbia the crossing takes up to 7 hours and you can book an overnight cabin for this crossing. It is also possible to make the crossing with cars, vans or camper vans.
Tirrenia is the main Italian Ferry Company which connects to all Sardinian ports with most Tirrenia ferries having been recently refurbished.
The Grandi Navi Veloci (Grimaldi) is a very modern ferry line that travels all year from Genoa to Porto Torres or Olbia. The Grimaldi fleet offers very elegant cruise ships.
Mobyline connects the Sardinian northern ports of Olbia, Porto Torres and Golfo Aranci with Livorno, Genoa and Civitavecchia. Its fleet includes the Moby Wonder and Moby Freedom.
We have also written articles on car hire in Sardinia, trains in Sardinia and buses in Sardinia to help you find your way around this beautiful island.
