Maritime connections Livorno – Olbia and vice versa
Among the ferry lines to Sardinia, the Livorno – Olbia is very popular with those who need to reach the second largest island in the Mediterranean starting from central or northern Italy, or travel on the route in the opposite direction. The Livorno port, overlooking the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea, is the main one in Tuscany and it is 165 nautical miles from the important north-eastern Sardinian port of Olbia. There are two shipping companies active on the route: Grimaldi Lines and Moby. The duration of the crossing is seven and a half hours in daytime navigation and about nine hours at night.
Livorno Olbia Grimaldi Lines ferries
The Grimaldi Lines ferries on the Livorno ➜ Olbia (at the link you can view timetables and prices, and tickets can be purchased) travel the route all year round daily with two departures a day: one at 10:30 and another at 22: 30 (in low season on Saturdays and Sundays there is only one departure, at 21:30). The days and times of the Olbia ➜ Livorno departures are the same.
Thanks to the fast check-in procedure, it is sufficient to show the purchased travel ticket (together with the identity documents of the passengers, including minors) directly alongside, thus avoiding the queue at the ticket office. You must show up for boarding at least an hour and a half before departure without a vehicle, and two hours before if you are traveling with a vehicle. When calculating the advance to arrive, the size of the lines that form in high season at the boarding points must be considered.
In Livorno the terminal is the Darsena Toscana Est, while in Olbia it is the Isola Bianca quay.
The ships used are twins: Cruise Sardegna and Cruise Europa, 225 meters long and 30 meters wide, can reach a speed of 28 knots and carry 2850 passengers. There are 413 cabins with two, three or four bunk beds, with or without portholes, 68 suites with three, four or five beds with double beds, 432 armchairs and 115 business armchairs. There are also deck seats.
As services, on board we find restaurants, cafes, video game room, children’s area, shop, spa, gym, outdoor swimming pool, ballroom and conference room.
Livorno Olbia Moby ferries
The ferries used by Moby also sail on the route throughout the year, with an increase in the number of trips in the high season, both day and night. In the low season there is a single departure at 22:00 from both Livorno and Olbia. The prices of Livorno Olbia Livorno ferries can be consulted by clicking on this last link.
The acceptance procedure involves electronic check-in in the square in front of the ship. You must show up for boarding at least half an hour before departure without a vehicle or within an hour and a half if you are traveling with a vehicle. The documentation to be shown is as follows: the ticket purchased, digital or papery one (the bar code is important) and the identity documents of each passenger, including minors.
Boarding takes place at the Livorno maritime station in Via Guido Donegani, and at the Isola Bianca quay in the Olbia port.
The ships used are of the Fast Cruise Ferry category: these are the twins Moby Aki and Moby Wonder and the Sharden. The first two units have a length of 175 meters and a width of more than 27 meters, reach 29 knots and carry up to 2220 passengers and 720 vehicles. Armchairs, 320 cabins, internal or external, with two or four beds, or quadruple suites with a double bed are available. Among the services on board there are restaurants, pizzeria, bar, ice cream parlor, lounge, children’s play area, video game room, shop, outdoor swimming pool and solarium.
From the fleet of the subsidiary Tirrenia, the Sharden fast cruise ferry is 214 meters long and about 26 meters wide, reaches a maximum speed of 29 knots and has a carrying capacity of 2908 passengers and 850 cars. The accommodations are the cabins, double or quadruple, internal or external, with a total capacity of 1212 guests, the 952 seats and the deck passage (744 seats). Among the services we find restaurants, bars, lounges, cinemas, shops, children’s areas and video games room.
Starting from summer 2023, the largest and most ecological ferry in the world will be operational on the route: launched at the Chinese shipyard Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Limited, the Fast Cruise Ferry Moby Fantasy is 237 meters long, 32 meters wide, and can carry up to 2500 passengers and 1300 cars; there are 13 decks, 533 cabins and a 5 deck garage.
The maximum speed is 25 knots, although 27 knots were reached during sea trials. Some features make it possible to reduce emissions, as well as the double engine, one of which is powered by liquefied natural gas LNG. The sister ship Moby Legacy is also in the pipeline. As in the old days, the company decided to decorate the sides, rather than with cartoon characters, with the blue whale.
