Ligurian Sea Ferry Routes
Latest update: 20 October 2023
The Ligurian Sea ferry routes refer to the timetables for five ports in central and north-western Italy. Part of the Mediterranean Sea, the Ligurian Sea stretches from the coast of Tuscany to the Liguria region and ends at the southern coast of France.
Genoa is the largest port in the region with both ferries and cruise liners docking in the city. Further west, along the Riviera di Ponente is the city of Savona, while heading in the opposite direction we find three ports in Tuscany: Livorno, Piombino and San Vincenzo. Between them, the five ports serve destinations in Sardinia, the Tuscan Archipelago, Corsica, Sicily, Spain and Africa. |
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Genoa Ferry sCHEDULES
The modern-day capital of Liguria, Genoa was once one of the most powerful maritime republics in the world with trade flowing through its port from all corners of the known world.
These days its maritime traffic is of a different kind with huge cruise liners docking in its port, and ferries crossing to holiday destinations to the south. Those destinations include the ports of Olbia and Porto Torres in Sardinia, the Sicilian capital of Palermo and the island of Corsica. It's also possible to sail from Genoa to Spain, Morocco and Tunisia. |
Livorno Ferry sCHEDULES
The city of Livorno is situated in the region of Tuscany and faces out on to the Ligurian Sea. From its bustling port it's possible to reach five destinations in Sardinia, Sicily, Corsica and the Tuscan Archipelago island group which lies to its south.
Two ports in Sardinia are connected to Livorno, with both Golfo Aranci and Olbia occupying the same inlet on the island's north-west coast and requiring a similar seven hour journey time. Livorno is the only port which provides all year round access to the island of Capraia, while there are also routes to Palermo and the port of Bastia in Corsica available throughout the year. |
Piombino Ferry sCHEDULES
The port of Piombino provides one of the busiest routes in Italy and is connected to a total of eight different destinations.
Piombino is situated on the coast of Tuscany, with the island of Elba just thirteen kilometres to its south-west. The Piombino to Cavo crossing is the fastest route into Elba with a journey time of as little as 15 minutes, but it's the crossing to the island's capital of Portoferraio that's the busiest with as many as 50 sailings per day in each direction. Two more of Elba's ports are reachable from Piombino: Marina di Campo and Rio Marina. There are also routes from Piombino further east across the Tyrrhenian Sea to the ports of Olbia in Sardinia and Bastia on the east coast of Corsica. |
Individual Ferry Routes from Piombino
San Vincenzo Ferry Schedules
A small number of crossings are available from the seaside resort of San Vincenzo on the Tuscan mainland. Available only during the summer, the services are provided by Aquavision by hydrofoil.
Four destinations are connected to San Vincenzo: two on the island of Elba along with two more islands in the Tuscan Archipelago. San Vincenzo is situated a short distance to the north of Piombino and directly faces the island of Capraia, albeit a distance of 57 kilometres west with a two hour journey time. It's a shorter hop of an hour and 15 minutes to Porto Azzurro on the east coast of Elba while the island of Giglio is reachable in just over three hours. |
Individual Ferry Routes from San Vincenzo
Savona Ferry sCHEDULES
The port of Savona is situated on Liguria's pretty coastal area the Riviera di Ponente, with Genoa to the north-east and the French border around a hundred kilometres in the opposite direction.
Facing south on to the Ligurian Sea, there are three destinations connected to Savona: two in Corsica and one in Sardinia. The shortest route from Savona is the one to Bastia on the north-east coast of Corsica which is reached in around five hours, while the port of L'Ile Rousse on the island's Mediterranean Coast requires an additional two hours to reach. The route to Golfo Aranci in Sardinia is the longest with a fourteen hour journey. |