Porto Empedocle to Linosa Ferry

The crossing from Porto Empedocle, the ferry port of Agrigento on Sicily's south coast, to Linosa reaches one of the most isolated inhabited islands in the Mediterranean. Linosa is a volcanic speck in the Pelagie archipelago, roughly 160 km south of Sicily and closer to Africa than to the Italian mainland, so this is a genuine long-haul island supply link rather than a short hop.

Ferry and hydrofoil options

Two operators share the route. Traghetti delle Isole (a Siremar-type conventional car ferry) runs the overnight service that carries vehicles, freight and passengers. It typically departs Porto Empedocle late at night, calls at Linosa in the early morning after around six hours at sea, then continues on to Lampedusa, the larger Pelagie island. Because Linosa is an intermediate stop on the Lampedusa run, sailings are frequent through the year but timed around that longer service.

Liberty Lines operates a fast hydrofoil (aliscafo) on the same route in the warmer months. The hydrofoil is passenger-only, carries no cars, and cuts the journey to roughly three hours when sea conditions allow, again usually continuing to Lampedusa.

Practical notes

• If you need to bring a car, van or scooter, only the conventional car ferry can take it – the hydrofoil cannot.
• Service is heavily seasonal: hydrofoil frequency and daytime sailings expand in summer, while winter relies mainly on the car ferry.
• This is an open-sea crossing in an exposed stretch of the Sicilian Channel; sailings are genuinely weather-sensitive and cancellations in strong wind are common, so allow buffer time either side.

Always confirm the exact departure day and time directly with the operator before travelling, as Pelagie schedules change with the season and can be disrupted by weather.