Grimaldi Lines

Who they are

Grimaldi Lines is the passenger-ferry arm of the Grimaldi Group, a Naples-based shipping group founded in 1947 and one of the largest in Europe. The group's core business is freight: it is a major operator of ro-ro ships and car carriers, and it also owns Finnlines in the Baltic and Minoan Lines in Greece. In 2021 it set up Trasmed, a Spanish company based in Valencia, after buying Trasmediterránea's Balearic routes and ships.

Where most Italian ferry companies concentrate on domestic island routes, Grimaldi Lines reaches further: Spain, Greece and Tunisia sit alongside Sardinia and Sicily in the network. The main passenger ships are large cruise-ferries carrying well over a thousand passengers alongside extensive vehicle decks, giving the crossings a genuine cruise-ferry atmosphere rather than a purely functional feel.

Network and main routes

Grimaldi's network pivots around a handful of Italian mainland ports, principally Civitavecchia (the port of Rome), Livorno, Naples, Salerno and Palermo, plus Brindisi and Ancona for Greece.

Sardinia is the backbone of the domestic network. Grimaldi sails Livorno–Olbia, Civitavecchia–Olbia (seasonal, in summer) and Civitavecchia–Porto Torres. It also runs the Italian state public-service routes Civitavecchia–Arbatax–Cagliari and Naples–Cagliari–Palermo, which it won again in September 2026 for another five years. These routes suit travellers driving from Rome or Tuscany who want to take their car to the island without a long detour north.

Sicily is served from several mainland ports, with Palermo acting as both a destination and a transit hub. Naples–Palermo (about 8.5 hours overnight), Salerno–Palermo and Livorno–Palermo (about 19.5 hours) are popular with both tourists and freight customers.

Spain is Grimaldi's main international route for leisure travellers: Civitavecchia–Barcelona takes around 20 to 21 hours and is popular with car-carrying travellers who want to cross the western Med rather than drive around France. There is also a Porto Torres–Barcelona sailing of about 13 hours.

Greece (Brindisi–Igoumenitsa, about 8 hours, and Ancona–Igoumenitsa together with Minoan Lines) and Tunisia (Tunis from Civitavecchia, Palermo and Salerno) round out the international network, though frequency on some of these routes varies by season.

Fleet and on board

Grimaldi's passenger ships are genuinely large cruise-ferries. The Cruise Roma, Cruise Barcelona and sister vessels are among the biggest ferries in the Mediterranean, offering a range of accommodation well beyond the basic open-seat experience: inside and outside cabins, suites, restaurant dining, self-service buffets, bars, a swimming pool on some vessels, and shops.

Deck-class travel (reclining seats) is available on most routes for budget travellers, but on overnight crossings of 12 hours or more a cabin adds genuine value. Cabins range from simple 4-berth inside cabins to en-suite doubles.

Vehicle loading is via bow or stern ramps, and the freight and passenger operations run in parallel, so expect to board alongside trucks and trailers on major routes.

Booking and tips

Book Grimaldi Lines routes well in advance for the summer peak, particularly if travelling with a car on the Spain or Sardinia routes. Vehicle spots on the Civitavecchia–Barcelona sailing fill up quickly in July and August. Foot-passenger tickets are more available last-minute, but popular sailings can sell out cabin categories early.

On Civitavecchia–Barcelona, the crossing is long enough that you spend most of a day and a night on board, so a cabin is worth budgeting for. Check the departure time for your date, as schedules vary by season.

Grimaldi Lines also sells Minoan Lines' Adriatic sailings through group ownership, so if you are combining a western Med crossing with a Greece trip, both are bookable through the same group.