How to Get to Ischia Italy | From Naples to Ischia by Ferry!

The Italian island of Ischia is located in the Bay of Naples and while the island of Capri is flooded with tourists, Ischia has a calm and enjoyable amount of holiday-makers as it’s fairly unknown but is definitely the gem of the Naples islands.

If you want to visit this gorgeous island then here is how to get to Ischia from Naples (as that’s the easiest and most common route).

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How to Get to Ischia Italy

Basic Info About Ferry Ischia Naples

Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Price: At least €15 per person per way (see more below)

Departure: Naples 

Stops: 1 stop at Procida Island

Arrival: Ischia Port

For ferry times Naples to Ischia and ferries Naples to Ischia see here.

How To Buy Tickets for the Naples Ischia Ferry

You can go to Naples port and buy your ticket on the day but there was a huge queue of people doing the same thing so you run the risk of not getting a ticket because of the queue or the ferry selling out before you get there. If you leave early enough you should be okay but I did see many people queuing and then running for the ferry.

Tip: In Italian, tickets is ‘Biglietteria’.

To buy tickets in advance go online at Direct Ferries to search the journeys, duration and prices. Alternatively, you can buy your tickets from any agency/tourist office/kiosk/excursions office around Naples. But…

Important Note: You cannot use the email or e-ticket to get on the ferry. You MUST ‘check-in’ and get physical tickets at the port. 

How To Get Physical Tickets

Enter Naples Port main ticket building and if you are looking at the ferries turn left and go to the end. There will be two queues. Note which queue you need to be in. One queue is for buying tickets and one queue is for using a machine to validate e-tickets/emails/tickets bought online/tickets bought from tourist offices or elsewhere.

If you are not buying tickets and just getting the physical tickets for the journey, you can enter your information on the machine to self-validate your tickets. Note: There was no English available. 

Click the button to the left, enter your reference number from your email/ticket information (mine started with ‘ZZ’ but others started with ‘WB’), and click the tick. It will blink green and eventually print out the tickets. Then run for that ferry! 😉

Don’t panic like I did when it didn’t work first time, just enter the number again (and check it) and it should blink green to print out your physical tickets. Note: we had one ticket for 2 passengers. 

Price of Tickets for Ferry from Naples to Ischia

I bought our ferry tickets online via Direct Ferries. For two tickets to Ischia from Naples it cost £35 which included a booking fee £5. This is one of those kicking myself moments. When I got to the ferry port I noticed on the wall it said €12.90 per ticket so Direct Ferries definitely took a large cut from us. 🙁 

As I did not buy tickets from the port I can’t be sure this price was correct and wouldn’t also include a booking fee. It could also be dependant on demand and availability. Therefore I’d allow at least €15 per person per way for the ticket and if it’s less, happy days. My best advice is to shop around for the best price or go to the ferry port the day before travel. The company we travelled with for the ferry Naples to Ischia was Caremar.

You also have the option of getting the Naples to Ischia hydrofoil and vice versa which is faster and goes from ports like Forio but it costs more and charges you for luggage.

Naples Ferry Port

Getting to Ischia from Naples, you first have to get to the port. We used Google Maps to walk to the port and it guided us to ‘Calata Porta di Massa’ which was on the confirmation email. Google Maps has the correct navigation. 

At the port there are facilities within the main building, staff in kiosks and information boards. You will probably see your ferry and work out which queue to join but always ask the kiosk staff if you need direction. 

The Ferry from Napoli to Ischia & Journey

• We were due to catch the 10:45am ferry.
• We left Naples at 10:50am.
• Got to Procida at 11:54am.
• Got to Ischia at 12:32pm. 

As we were fairly late (although we did get there 30 minutes before), we were among the last on the ferry and therefore had no seats for the journey. We went to the top deck and stood next to the luggage area.

There were a lot of people on the ferry and it was packed but we were like sardines once we pulled away and cruised past Mt Vesuvius as we were stood on the left side and everyone piled over to take pictures. Then everyone hustled to the right hand side for views of the islands. As we docked into Procida, most of the people left the ferry so we then had seats.

Note: At time of writing, you must wear masks on board.

It was very windy, sunny with little shade on the way to the island of Ischia Italy but the views were stunning.

Note: This info is also relevant for how to get to Procida from Naples.

Ischia Port

We went to a lovely cafe just minutes from the port where we enjoyed an espresso, a beer and panini. So far, so good for Ischia people and food!

Around the port there are lots of taxis waiting if you need to get to your accommodation, the tourist office for more information about Ischia, various restaurants and bars, and many places to book your own rental cars/bikes.

If you need to get the public bus to another part of the island, the bus station is about 5 minutes from the ferry port. As you disembark the ferry, turn left and follow the marina around to the very end and turn right at the road. Here you will see lots of buses, go to the ticket office and get your tickets for onward travel in Ischia island. 

Ischia to Naples Ferries

For the journey back to Naples from Ischia, we took the ferry with Medmar company which was different to the ferry to Ischia from Naples we took. I booked with an agency while in Forio. The lady who helped was lovely and there was a friendly office dog there. I learned later, however, that they also took a booking fee (although not as much as online) but kicked myself again at the ferry port.

Tip: Book your tickets at the port either on the day or the day before if you feel anxious about doing it on the day. If you do book them on the day, leave room for a coffee incase you miss the intended ferry and if you make it, enjoy a coffee on the other side ;).

I finally learned my lesson getting the next Italian ferry from Salerno to the Amalfi Coast where I bought tickets at the port.

Price: €13.90 per person per way (but allow for €15 just in case)

Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Departure: Ischia Port

Arrival: Naples Port (no stops)

We left at 10:35am and arrived at 12:20pm.

Again, you MUST validate your tickets at the ticket office located at Ischia Port to get physical tickets before boarding.

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Compare Ferries Online Here:

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The ferry itself was smaller than the Caremar ferry and had a lot less passengers. I suppose this is due to many people only visiting Ischia as a day trip so the morning ferry back to Naples is actually relaxing as there’s hardly anyone doing it. There was no stopovers, everyone had a seat and not as windy as on the way. Sit on the right hand side for the best views of the castles, islands and Vesuvius.

Thanks for reading. Can you now confidently get to Naples from Ischia and vice versa? Let me know in the comments if you found this article useful 🙂

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