Ischia has no airport, no bridge and no tunnel, which is a large part of why it still feels like itself. You arrive by boat or you do not arrive at all. The crossing is short, cheap and frequent, and it is also the thing most people get wrong first time, usually by turning up at the wrong Naples pier.
Flying into Naples and getting to the boat
Capodichino sits practically inside the city, close enough that you land over apartment blocks with washing on the balconies. The port is about seven kilometres away.
The Alibus is the airport shuttle and the sensible choice. Around five euros, every fifteen to thirty minutes, from early morning until close to midnight, calling at Napoli Centrale and then both port piers. Buy at the newsagent or the machine in arrivals rather than on board, and allow forty to fifty minutes, because Naples traffic does not always behave.
A taxi is faster and still reasonable. The city uses fixed airport fares, and the one to Molo Beverello sits at around twenty-four euros, luggage and supplements included. Say tariffa predeterminata before you get in. The driver cannot refuse it.
From Rome, the fast train to Napoli Centrale takes a little over an hour, and the Alibus runs to the port from there.
Whatever you arrive on, give yourself three hours between landing and your sailing. Two feels clever until the baggage belt takes thirty-five minutes.
The two Naples ports, and why the difference matters
Naples sends boats to Ischia from two piers, and they are not the same place.
Molo Beverello is the hydrofoil pier, in front of the Maschio Angioino. Hydrofoils are fast, frequent, foot passengers only. Naples to Ischia Porto runs about fifty minutes, fares generally in the twenty to twenty-five euro band depending on operator and arrival port. Alilauro, SNAV and Caremar all work it.
Calata Porta di Massa is the car ferry pier. Slower, larger, cheaper: about an hour and twenty minutes to Ischia Porto, closer to an hour and three quarters if the sailing calls at Procida. Foot fares often start around fourteen euros. Caremar and Medmar run most of it.
The piers are roughly a kilometre apart, which is a miserable walk with a suitcase, and the Alibus links them. That kilometre is the whole trap. People book a Porta di Massa ferry, get dropped at Beverello because that is the name they recognise, and lose the sailing. Read your ticket, note the pier, repeat it to the driver.
My own preference: the hydrofoil travelling light, the big ferry with luggage, because the extra half hour buys you the approach on deck rather than through a salt-blurred window.
Pozzuoli, the quiet way in
Pozzuoli sits west of Naples and is the departure most visitors never consider. The crossing is about an hour, or an hour and a quarter with a Procida stop, and generally the cheapest way over. Caremar and Medmar both sail it, cars included.
If you are driving down from the north, it lets you skirt Naples entirely instead of grinding through the city to the port gates, and if you are already in the Campi Flegrei it is closer. It is on the Cumana line too, though foot passengers usually do better from Beverello.
The three ports on Ischia, and which one you want
Boats land at three places, and choosing correctly saves you a bus ride at the end of a long day.
Ischia Porto is the main harbour, a near-perfect circle of water that was a volcanic crater until it was cut open to the sea in the nineteenth century. Almost everything docks here. Take it for Ischia town and Ischia Ponte under the Castello Aragonese, and for the sheer number of sailings, which matters on the day you leave. If your hotel is near none of the three, land here anyway.
Casamicciola Terme is a few minutes further along the north coast, the right landing for Casamicciola itself or nearby Lacco Ameno.
Forio is on the west coast: aim for it if you are staying in Forio, near Citara and the Poseidon gardens, or heading towards Sant’Angelo. Fewer boats call here, so check before building a plan around it.
Arriving from Sorrento, Capri, Procida or the Amalfi Coast
In summer the island is reachable without going through Naples at all, though these routes are seasonal and thin, so verify them for your dates.
- Sorrento. Alilauro sails roughly April to the end of October, usually a morning departure and, in the busiest months, an afternoon one. Under an hour direct, seventy to eighty minutes via Procida, around twenty-five euros.
- Capri. Mid-April into October, about fifty minutes across open water with Vesuvius on one side and Procida on the other. A lovely crossing.
- Procida. Year-round with Caremar, plus extra fast sailings into Casamicciola in summer. Short enough for a day out.
- Amalfi Coast. Alicost runs seasonal services out of Positano and Amalfi, but in practice you change at Capri rather than find one boat the whole way. Outside high summer, route yourself through Naples.
Should you bring a car? Almost certainly not
Cars travel only from Calata Porta di Massa or Pozzuoli, never from Beverello. But before booking anything, know that Ischia restricts vehicle landings. From around Easter until the end of summer, the island bars the arrival and circulation of cars, motorcycles and mopeds registered to Campania residents who are not part of the island’s own resident population. The dates and the wording change year to year, so confirm with the operator when you book rather than trusting any guide, including this one.
Even when permitted, I would not. The roads through Forio and Barano are narrow and walled, parking is scarce and expensive, and a hire car mostly becomes a thing you worry about.
The EAV buses cover the island properly. Two circular lines, CS counter-clockwise and CD clockwise, both start at Ischia Porto and loop the island in roughly seventy minutes, every fifteen to twenty minutes from early morning to around midnight. A single is about 1.70 euros, a hundred-minute ticket a little over two, and there are day and weekly passes. Buy at the port kiosk or a tabaccheria, since buying on board costs extra. They are packed in August and the drivers take the coast road with a confidence you feel in your stomach, but they go everywhere, up to Serrara Fontana included. Beyond that: taxis, the open-sided micro-taxis, and a scooter if you are comfortable on one.
Booking, and the Sunday afternoon crush
Outside July and August you can usually walk up and buy a ticket for the next boat. In high summer, book. Weekend sailings fill, and the return leg on Sunday afternoon and early evening is the reliably ugly one, because that is when everyone who spent the weekend on the island goes home at once. With a Sunday evening flight, build in a real buffer or take a morning boat. Car passage should always be booked ahead.
When the sea says no
Some days the boats do not run. Hydrofoils go first, since they cannot handle rough water, and in a proper winter storm between November and March the ferries stop too. The operator will move you to the next sailing or refund the ticket, but weather counts as force majeure, so nobody owes you a hotel room or compensation beyond the fare.
The defence is simple: never plan to leave the island on the same morning as an international flight. Sleep in Naples the night before if the timing is tight. Ischia is a pleasant place to be stuck, but airports are unmoved by that argument.
Work out the boat, then forget it and go find the thermal water, the rabbit and the volcanic wine, all of it set out in my complete guide to Ischia.
Read also: Where to Stay in Ischia | The Best Time to Visit Ischia | The Complete Guide to Ischia
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the ferry from Naples to Ischia take?
A hydrofoil from Molo Beverello reaches Ischia Porto in about fifty minutes. A car ferry from Calata Porta di Massa takes about an hour and twenty minutes, or an hour and three quarters if it calls at Procida. From Pozzuoli, allow an hour.
What is the difference between Molo Beverello and Calata Porta di Massa?
Beverello handles the fast hydrofoils, foot passengers only. Porta di Massa handles the slower, cheaper car ferries. They sit about a kilometre apart on the waterfront. Check which pier is printed on your ticket before you get in a taxi.
How do I get from Naples airport to the ferry port?
The Alibus shuttle costs around five euros and takes forty to fifty minutes to the port via Napoli Centrale. A taxi uses a fixed fare of about twenty-four euros to Molo Beverello: ask for the tariffa predeterminata before you set off.
Which port on Ischia should I arrive at?
Ischia Porto for Ischia town and Ischia Ponte, and for the widest choice of sailings. Casamicciola Terme for Casamicciola and Lacco Ameno. Forio for Forio, Citara and the southwest. If unsure, choose Ischia Porto.
Do I need a car on Ischia?
No, and you may not be allowed to bring one in high season, since the island restricts vehicle landings from around Easter to the end of summer for certain Campania-registered vehicles. Verify the rules with the operator before booking. The EAV buses cover the island on two circular lines for under two euros a ride.
