Ferries in Sicily: A Complete Guide

Sicily is a wonderful place where to go on holiday! And there are many guides on Sicily to help you plan an enjoyable trip. This guide of ferries in Sicily is a resource to help you plan your trip more easily. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, consequently there are many ferries servicing the island.

Sicily has 36 ferry routes that travel to various destinations. 7 of the ferries travel to mainland Italy and 27 to other Italian islands close to Sicily. There are also 2 that travel to international destinations, being Malta and Tunisia.

All the information on this page is as of May 2023 so costs and routes could change in the future. The handy thing is that you can book any of the ferries using one platform – Direct Ferries.

Ferries To and From the Italian Mainland

There are 7 ferries serving Sicily from mainland Italy, usually on a daily basis. They are travel from:

  1. Rome (Civitavecchia) to Palermo
  2. Genoa to Palermo
  3. Livorno to Palermo
  4. Naples to Palermo and Milazzo
  5. Salerno to Palermo and Messina
  6. Reggio Calabria to Messina
  7. Villa San Giovanni to Messina

You can get more information about the mainland ferries and international ferries to Sicily from: getting to Sicily.

International Ferries to Sicily

There are 2 international ferries that travel to and from Sicily:

  1. Valletta, Malta to Pozzallo
  2. Tunis, Tunisia to Palermo

Ferries to Other Italian Islands

Some destinations are serviced by more than 1 ferry company and ferry model and some have fast ferries. So although the route is the same some journeys times vary. In fact you will notice that some routes have a range for the trip duration for this reason.   

DepartureArrivalTrip Duration
MarsalaFavignana, Aegadian Islands30m
MarsalaLevanzo, Aegadian Islands50m
MarsalaMarettimo, Aegadian Islands1h 30m
MessinaLipari, Aeolian Islands2h 25m – 3h 15m
MessinaPanarea, Aeolian Islands2h 25m – 2h 40m
MessinaRinella, Aeolian Islands3h 05m – 4h 55m
MessinaSalina, Aeolian Islands2h 55m – 3h 05m
MessinaStromboli, Aeolian Islands1h 50m
MessinaVulcano, Aeolian Islands1h 30m – 2h 10m
MilazzoAlicudi, Aeolian Islands2h 40m – 6h 05m
MilazzoFilicudi, Aeolian Islands2h 10m – 2h 55m
MilazzoGinostra (Stromboli), Aeolian Islands1h 25m – 6h 05m
MilazzoLipari, Aeolian Islands1hr 5m – 3h 45m
MilazzoPanarea, Aeolian Islands1h 25m – 2h 40m
MilazzoRinella, Aeolian Islands1h 40m – 2h 25m
MilazzoSalina, Aeolian Islands1h 40m – 3h
MilazzoStromboli, Aeolian Islands2h – 7h 55m
MilazzoVulcano, Aeolian Islands50m – 1h 50m
PalermoAlicudi, Aeolian Islands2h
PalermoCagliari, Sardinia12h
PalermoFilicudi, Aeolian Islands2h 30m
PalermoLipari, Aeolian Islands3h 45m
PalermoMilazzo5h
PalermoRinella, Aeolian Islands3h
PalermoSalina, Aeolian Islands3h 15m
PalermoUstica Island1h 30m – 3h
PalermoVulcano, Aeolian Islands4h

Ferry Port Locations

Sicily ports map

Sicily and its neighbouring islands, the Aegadian and Aeolian, have numerous ferry ports catering to various destinations. These ports act as vital gateways, connecting people to different islands in the region.

With a wide network of ports, you can easily access beautiful destinations and enjoy island hopping adventures. The bustling ferry ports ensure convenient and accessible transportation options for exploring the stunning Sicilian and nearby island landscapes.

Ferry Costs and Booking

In general the shorter the duration of the trip, the less expensive it will be. However fast ferries usually are more expensive. This is for the convenience of providing a quicker journey that will save you time.

Hence for some routes listed below you will see a cost range. However this is not just because some routes offer fast ferries alongside the normal ones. Some ferries are cheaper because of the day they travel and also the ferry companies charge differently.

The rates below are quoted on a per person basis. You can also drive a car onto most of them, but you will need to pay extra for the car. The cost is usually around €300 extra in this case.  

As I mentioned before, you can book any of these ferries using Direct Ferries.

TripCost with Return
Marsala to Favignana€22
Marsala to Levanzo€21
Marsala to Marettimo€33
Messina to Lipari€57
Messina to Panarea€59
Messina to Rinella€63
Messina to Salina€63
Messina to Stromboli€57
Messina to Vulcano€61
Milazzo to Alicudi€54-€72
Milazzo to Filicudi€48-€59
Milazzo to Ginostra (Stromboli)€47-57
Milazzo to Lipari€35-€100
Milazzo to Panarea€39-€44
Milazzo to Rinella€40-€48
Milazzo to Salina€40-€44
Milazzo to Stromboli€45-€51
Milazzo to Vulcano€38-€41
Palermo to Alicudi€68
Palermo to Cagliari, Sardinia€92
Palermo to Filicudi€83
Palermo to Lipari€100
Palermo to Milazzo€110
Palermo to Rinella€92
Palermo to Salina€97
Palermo to Ustica Island€46-€61
Palermo to Vulcano€98
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