Italian Adriatic Ferry Routes
Latest update: 20 October 2023
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The Italian Adriatic ferry routes refer to the ports that line the country's long coastline from Puglia in the south to the northern region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with Molise, Abruzzo, Marche, Emilia Romagna and Veneto in between.
Whilst Italy dominates the western side of the Adriatic as well as its northern coast, the eastern side consists of four countries: Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece to the south. From the Italian ports of Ancona, Bari, Brindisi, Cesenatico, Pesaro and Venice, it's possible to sail to all of those five countries. |
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Italian Adriatic Ferry Schedules
Ancona Ferry Schedules
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The city of Ancona is the capital of the central Italian region of Marche. It marks an interesting point on the Adriatic Coast with the areas to the north and south of it characterised by long and sometimes featureless stretches of sandy beach. By contrast, the area immediately to the south of Ancona is the attractive Conero Peninsula with beach resorts such as Sirolo, Numana and Marcelli.
It's possible to sail to three countries from Ancona; with Croatia and Albania in the Adriatic and Greece marking the starting point of the Ionian Sea. The three destinations in Croatia are Split, Stari Grad and Zadar, while the three in Greece are Corfu, Igoumenitsa and Patras. The port of Durazzo in Albania is also connected. |
Ancona, Marche
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Bari Ferry Schedules
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Another regional capital, Bari has grown into one of the largest cities in southern Italy and one of its most important travel hubs.
Aside from its ferry port, it has an international airport just twenty minutes from the city centre and the Italian motorway network just as close. By sea, it's possible to sail from Bari to four countries, including four different ports in Greece: Igoumenitsa and Patras as well as the islands of Cephalonia and Corfu. The destinations in Greece all lie to the south in the Ionian Sea, while to the north, Bari is connected to Dubrovnik in Croatia. Facing Bari directly to the east are the two Albania ports of Durazzo (Durres) and Valona (Vlore), as well as the similarly named Bar in Montenegro. |
Bari, Puglia
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Individual Ferry Routes from Bari
Brindisi Ferry Schedules
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Another of Italy's most historic ports: Brindisi, lies further south from Bari and at the edge of Puglia's famous Salento coastal region.
You know a place is old when it has a Roman name and it was the port of Brundisium that saw a major siege in 49 BC, part of Caesar's Civil War, a conflict which he of course won. Things are a little calmer in Brindisi by now and during the summer it's a favourite spot from which you can take a ferry across the sea to Greece. From Brindisi it's possible to take a ferry to two locations in Greece: the island of Corfu and the port of Igoumenitsa. A slightly less worn tourist trail is the one to the city of Valona in Albania. |
Brindisi, Puglia
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Cesenatico Ferry Schedules
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The seaside town of Cesenatico is better-known for its open-air ship museum than for its ferry routes. One of the most glorious sights in the Emilia Romagna region is flotilla of antique ships with their colourful sails unfurled along the Leonardo Da Vinci engineered canal that runs through the town to the sea.
However, aside from the seaside treats offered by the town itself, there is the possibility to explore pastures new, across the sea to Croatia. During the summer, crossings from Cesenatico are operated by Righetti Navi whose hydrofoils head east across the Adriatic to three Croatian ports: Rovinj, the closest with a journey time of three hours with Novalja and Losinj slightly further away. |
Cesenatico, Emilia Romagna
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Pesaro Ferry Schedules
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Another port in the Marche region to provide crossings across the Adriatic is the historic city of Pesaro. Situated an hour's drive, north-west along the coast from Ancona, Pesaro is a popular seaside town and capital of the Pesaro and Urbino province.
Pesaro offers a mixture between a well-established beach resort with excellent accommodation options, and an historic centre which is dominated by the Rocca Costanza degli Sforza castle and the smart Piazza del Popolo. The name of the castle references one of the important families that ruled here during the Renaissance. From Pesaro it's possible to reach Losinj and Novalja in Croatia. |
Pesaro, Marche
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Individual Ferry Routes from Pesaro
Venice Ferry Schedules
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The northernmost of the Italian ports from which you can sail to Greece is Venice. The city is beyond compare and there's really nothing quite like it anywhere in the world. That's because most people think that building a city on the sea is something of a bizarre idea but the Venetians just went ahead and did it. Nowadays it's admired for its aesthetic charms but it was once a powerful republic which ruled the waves and became rich in the process.
Venice's transport infrastructure is a little more complicated than that of most other cities, but it all just somehow seems to work. In addition to the ferry crossings to Corfu, Igoumenintsa and Patras, Venice is also a major port for commercial cruise liners. |
Venice, Veneto
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