Once upon a time there was a fairly tale about a beautiful bridge that would connect the mainland of Italy with Sicily. If you ask the locals about it, you’ll get dozens of reasons as to why it hasn’t been built yet. Some will tell you that the project is an urban legend of sorts, others talk about funding, and you may even get some fantastical stories involving unscrupulous people, corruption, and conspiracy theories. Whatever the reason, however, there are several options other than flying if Sicily is going to be a part of your Italian vacation.
If you’re not going to fly, then no matter which option you choose (bus, train, or car) you’ll end up on a ferry somehow. We ended up renting a car the day after we arrived in Calabria and decided to drive to Sicily ourselves. Our route took us to the tip of the boot- our spot on the GPS “Villa San Giovanni” where we would board the ferry to “Messina, Sicily.” We’ve done this trek before many times so let me tell you what we’ve learned along the way.
Firstly, at this location the ferries run continuously so you do not need a reservation. There are some ports that only have one or two ferries a day and require a reservation, but this is not one of them. You can literally drive up and purchase your ticket along the route and get on the next available ferry as it pulls up.
When it comes to purchasing tickets, there are several options. When you are on the autostrada, you can pull in to the rest stop right before you get off at the exit and they have ferry tickets for sale- if you happen to be stopping for gas anyway, this is a perfectly good option. If not, as you are pulling up to the port there is a line to the right that allows you purchase tickets. Look for signs that say “Biglietteria” (that’s the word for ticket office) or follow the directions on the ferry site located at this link. If you plan on returning to the mainland, be sure to purchase a round-trip ticket because it is much cheaper than getting two one-way tickets.
Once you have you have your ticket, you’ll follow signs for “Imbarchi” (these are well marked) until you end up in a line of cars awaiting the next ferry. It is important here that you remain alert as the crew gives you directions to drive onto the boat. They are well versed in expediting the process and don’t take to kindly to anyone slowing it down. They loaded our boat in about 10 minutes and considering the amount of cars on each ferry, it never ceases to amaze me that they can do it so quickly. Here are some pictures of the process:
The process here works like a well oiled machine. I have read some of the reviews on travel sites and seen that many people have given the ferries poor reviews for one reason or another. In all the times I have taken it (both with and without a car) I have never had an issue. (And by the way, I should mention that without a car it’s super cheap!) If you are considering going back and forth, do your research- there are buses and trains that you can take that will navigate the ferries for you if you aren’t comfortable doing it on your own.
Have you taken a ferry in Italy? I’d love to hear about your experience!
