Ferries to Elba
It is necessary to take one of the ferries of the BluNavy, Toremar or Moby shipping companies, or a Toremar hydrofoil to reach the island of Elba by sea. If you decide to travel with a fast vehicle, you can choose Portoferraio (the main one) or Cavo as the Elban port of destination. The port of Rio Marina, in fact, is served exclusively by ferries. Departures are invariably made from Piombino, in the province of Livorno (Tuscany).
Where to embark
The multi-purpose port of Piombino (Industrial Commercial Passenger, third in Italy for passenger traffic) is located between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, on the promontory located on the southern end of the Tuscan coast. The pier where to embark is that of Piazzale Premuda.
Boarding on Moby ferries takes place via electronic check-in with tickets previously purchased online or at the ticket office. You must arrive at least half an hour before and, if you are traveling with a vehicle, at least an hour and a half before departure.
To board the Toremar carriers it is necessary to show up, with the ticket, at least half an hour before the departure time. The check-in procedure is carried out at the ship’s ramp or before boarding the hydrofoil gangway.
To board the BluNavy ferries, you must go to the square in front of the pier with a ticket at least a quarter of an hour before departure and, if you have a vehicle, at least half an hour before. Check-in takes place alongside.
Punctuality is essential, as, in the event that the aforementioned deadlines are not respected, acceptance on board would not be guaranteed.
If you do not have a ticket, you must buy them at the ticket offices, which are, as regards Moby and Toremar, in Piazzale Premuda, while that of BluNavy is in Piazzale Salvador Allende. The advice is to buy the ticket for Elba online, so that you can go directly to the boarding area.
How to reach the port of Piombino
Let’s see how to reach the port of Piombino by car or train.
Arriving by car from the North
To get to Piombino by car from the north, in Milan you have to take the A1 motorway to Parma Ovest, where you need to continue on the A15 motorway, then take the A12 Genoa – Livorno motorway, exit at Rosignano Marittimo and continue on the freeway SS 1 Aurelia towards Venturina – Piombino – Elba Island.
Arriving by car from the South
To get to Piombino by car from the south, in Rome you have to take the A12 motorway towards Civitavecchia, then continue on the SS 1 Aurelia highway towards Grosseto, and then towards Venturina – Piombino – Elba Island.
Arrive by train
To arrive by train you have to get off at the Piombino Centrale railway station or, when possible, at the Piombino Marittima railway station (located right in front of the port), connected to the central one also by a special train. But most of the railway routes require a train change in Campiglia Marittima, from where, to get to their destination, the buses of the Tuscan Autolinee (line 02A) departing from the square in front of the train station can be very useful, which take twenty-seven minutes. to make the ten stops of the itinerary, which also touches the vicinity of the central Piombinese railway station. The train ticket already includes the bus ticket, which can, however, also be purchased separately and on board the bus.
Reach the port
Once in the city, it will be easy to reach the port, following the road signs if you are arriving by car. Instead, you have to take the bus or train to Piombino Marittima train station if you have arrived by train. The latter is located opposite the maritime station, where, depending on whether you have already purchased the ticket or not, you will need to follow different routes.
In the maritime station there are, as well as the ticket offices of the various companies, refreshment points, newsagents, toilets and parking (free for a maximum of two hours, and for a fee, both covered and uncovered, for longer stays).
