Caronte & Tourist

Who they are

Caronte & Tourist is the main private operator on one of Italy's most important ferry crossings: the Strait of Messina, the narrow channel between mainland Calabria and Sicily. The company was formed in 2003 by the merger of Caronte and Tourist Ferry Boat, two firms that pioneered private ferry services across the strait in the 1960s. It is owned by the founding Matacena and Franza families, with the UK fund Basalt Infrastructure Partners holding a minority stake since January 2019.

The group reports a fleet of 29 vessels, about 7 million passengers a year and 1,200 staff. Besides the strait, it runs the Messina–Salerno freight route (Cartour), the La Maddalena–Palau ferry in Sardinia (Maddalena Lines), and, since 2016, the Siremar ferries to Sicily's small islands.

Network and routes

The Strait of Messina is the core operation. Caronte & Tourist sails between Villa San Giovanni and Messina Rada San Francesco for passengers and vehicles, with a guaranteed departure at least every 40 minutes, day and night, all year. Freight vehicles also use a Villa San Giovanni–Messina Tremestieri line. There is no bridge or tunnel, so every car driving between the mainland and Sicily crosses by ferry. Bluferries, part of the Italian state railway group, also carries vehicles between Villa San Giovanni and Messina, and trains cross on separate railway ferries.

The Sicilian small islands are served through Siremar, run by the group company Caronte & Tourist Isole Minori. Siremar car ferries sail from Milazzo (and Naples) to the Aeolian Islands, from Trapani to the Egadi Islands and Pantelleria, from Porto Empedocle to Linosa and Lampedusa, and from Palermo to Ustica. See the Siremar guide for details.

Fleet and on board

The strait fleet consists of double-ended ro-ro shuttle ferries built for quick turnarounds: vehicles drive on at one end and off at the other. Passenger facilities are modest but adequate for a 20-minute crossing, with a lounge, a bar and open deck space.

The Siremar island ferries are larger ro-ro ships with more passenger space, suited to crossings that last from under an hour to a night at sea for Lampedusa.

Booking and tips

Strait of Messina tickets can be bought online, in the Caronte & Tourist app, at the ticket offices at both terminals, from authorised retailers and through the Telepass and UnipolMove toll devices. A foot passenger ticket costs €2.50. Because boats leave so often, cars usually queue and board the next available ferry. Allow extra time on summer weekends and at the start and end of the August holidays, when traffic peaks. The loyalty programme, Navigo Per Te, gives a 5% discount.

For the islands, book vehicle space well ahead for July and August. The Aeolian Islands are small and best explored without a car; many visitors leave theirs in Milazzo and use the fast passenger boats.