Strait of Messina
Can Strait of Messina tickets be reserved?
The Messina - Villa San Giovanni line provides a continuous service with departures 24 hours a day. Tickets cannot be booked, but are purchased only on the day of departure from authorised ticket offices.
Passengers who would prefer to buy their ticket prior to the day of departure will be able to purchase their travel pass directly on the official website through the Strait of Messina online booking system.
What are the departure times?
Connections to the “Strait of Messina” are constant, with departures every 40 minutes from S. Francesco harbour, and every 50 minutes from Messina Tremestieri.
Where can I buy the ticket?
Tickets can be purchased on the company's official website, in the C&T Terminal - Ticketing at the Villa San Giovanni motorway exit, at the ticket offices with operator, through Telepass, with the “Caronte & Tourist” App and by contacting the Call Center at 090.57.37. Following is a list of authorised ticket sales offices:
- “Rada San Francesco” Ticket Office - Messina (boarding area)
- Terminal Ticketing - Villa San Giovanni (close to the highway exit)
- Manned ticket office and ticket machines (Totem Ticketing)
- Online booking available on the site carontetourist.it
- “Telepass” toll booths - Telepass lanes are present in the ports of Messina and Villa San Giovanni
Are there any advantages to buying a round-trip ticket?
Currently on the Straits of Messina, with regards to the ferrying of passengers with accompanying motor vehicles, there is the possibility to buy both regular tickets (one-way and 90-day round-trip tickets), as well as discounted tickets (Super Return 3 day and single-day Daily round-trip tickets).
For more information, please see the dedicated section, “Schedules and Rates”.
Can I buy tickets a few days prior to the departure date?
The ticket must be purchased on the day you wish to make a round trip. The only tickets that can be purchased in advance are those online.
Can I buy tickets online?
As mentioned, as of 5th August 2013, tickets can also be purchased online, via the online booking platform available on the Company's website.
With the online booking system, you can purchase a ticket valid only for the ferrying of passengers with accompanying motor vehicles (automobile, motorbike or caravan) and/or Coaches.
Are there any advantages to buying tickets online?
Tickets purchased online do not give any precedence at the time of boarding, however they do provide a 5% discount on the travel price (discount applied directly at the time of purchase) unlike the tickets purchased at the remaining ticket offices.
Online tickets, moreover, are the only travel documents that can be purchased even prior to the day you intend to effectuate the outbound journey.
If I buy a ticket online, can I go straight to the boarding area without passing by the ticket office?
The purchase of an online ticket necessitates passing by the ticket office at the departure point in order to carry out the check-in operations, during which it is necessary to provide the operator with a copy of the online ticket or to communicate the PNR code on the front of the ticket itself.
Is it possible to buy tickets online for a commercial vehicle?
Tickets for the transit of a commercial vehicle cannot be purchased online.
Can I ask for a refund for an unused ticket?
To request a refund of a Straight of Messina ticket, you must send the original ticket in a sealed envelope, along with your bank details (IBAN plus the name of the credit card holder) to the following address: Caronte & Tourist S.p.A. - Via Ing. Giuseppe Franza, 82 - 98124, Messina.
Tickets can only be refunded due to their non-use.
The calculation of the reimbursement due (whereby partial) will be made by deducting from the total ticket cost, the one-way amount.
What are the departure docks?
In Messina: Rada San Francesco (“Messina Boccetta” motorway exit, follow the “Caronte & Tourist, imbarchi Messina - Villa S.G.” - “Caronte & Tourist, Messina - boarding for Villa SG” signs).
In Villa San Giovanni: Port of Villa San Giovanni (“Villa San Giovanni” motorway exit, follow the “Caronte & Tourist, imbarchi per la Sicilia” - “Caronte & Tourist, boarding for Sicily” signs).
How can animals be transported?
By virtue of the short journey time, pets must remain inside the vehicle given that they are not allowed access to the areas of the ship reserved for passengers.
What services are available on the ships?
All ships in the fleet are equipped with Self-service dining and Coffee Bar. On some ships, there are also shops.
What is the duration of the trip?
The journey time on the Strait of Messina is around 20 minutes on the Rada San Francesco - Villa San Giovanni route and 45 minutes to and from the port of Tremestieri.
How far away are the dockings of Rada San Francesco (Messina) and Villa San Giovanni?
The distance travelled between the Strait of Messina is 3.3 nautical miles.
Is it possible to board a LPG-powered vehicle?
LPG-powered vehicles can be boarded but the LPG needs to be turned off and gasoline power utilised throughout the ferrying, subject to prior communication with the onboard personnel.
Are there any price conventions active on the Strait of Messina?
No price conventions are available on the Strait line.
How and when can I request an invoice for a ticket?
As of 1st May 2013, pursuant to Article 22 of Presidential Decree 633 of 26/10/72 and subsequent amendments, invoices for tickets valid for the Messina-Villa San Giovanni line (One-way, Daily, Super and 90-day Return tickets) can only be requested at the time of purchasing the ticket and before the ticket is issued.
In any case, various company cards are also available to guarantee the facilitated invoicing service.
“Telepass” Electronic Toll Service
To whom is the service addressed?
The ferrying ticket payment service via the Telepass device is reserved for:
- Telepass Family customers
Those unable to access the service include:
- Customers with a pre-paid Telepass
- Europass clients
- Caronte & Tourist customers with Top Client cards
How is the service activated?
To gain access to the service does not require any authorisation, given that membership implicitly occurs with the first utilisation* of the device in the dedicated Telepass lane. Customers may, however, request the deactivation of the service at any time through the private area of the site www.telepass.com.
For customers with affiliations with Service Companies and Consortia, activation must be requested through your own partner company.
Does the service have an additional charge?
The Caronte & Tourist ticket payment service via the Telepass apparatus does not incur any additional charges in respect of the Telepass service, but contributes to reaching any spending limit that may be imposed by the Telepass contract. There are also no additional charges to the Caronte & Tourist rates.
How is the amount of my vehicle ticket determined?
For the Caronte & Tourist ferry booking service, the Telepass uses state-of-the-art technology that is able to correctly classify the incoming vehicle in the dedicated Telepass lane, applying the correct fixed fare. Tickets issued by the Telepass lane do not have to be validated at the ticket office, so the customer can go directly to the embarkation point.
Where are the Telepass lanes?
The Telepass lane at Villa San Giovanni is in front of the Caronte & Tourist ticket office at the motorway exit, as shown on the map below.
The Telepass lane in Messina, rather, is near the boarding area, in front of the ticket office.
Can I purchase any type of ticket?
For passengers boarding by car, coaches and commercial vans up to 4.50 metres, the following types of tickets can be purchased: One-way, Daily and Super. The amount will be calculated by subtraction depending on the day the return trip is effectuated. For example, a customer boarding with an automobile will purchase a DAILY ticket if planning to return by 4:00 am on the same day as departure. A return ticket will then be issued for the amount of € 1,50. The same principle will apply to the SUPER tariff, with the return ticket in this case having a cost of € 7.00.
For commercial vehicles embarking at Villa San Giovanni, a Round Trip ticket will automatically be issued. By way of exception, for those embarking in Messina, a One-way ticket will be issued. If the customer effectuates the return trip from Villa San Giovanni within 30 days of the one-way ticket to Messina, the system will automatically issue a return ticket. After 30 days, the system will automatically issue a Round Trip ticket.
Please be aware that to take advantage of the discounted rate, it is necessary to pass through the Telepass lane even on the return trip.
What should I do if the amount appearing on the tollbooth/ticket does not reflect the correct tariff?
If the amount does not correspond to that established by Caronte & Tourist, it will be necessary to go to the TelepassPoint or the pedestrian ticket office in Messina and request the issuance of a new ticket with the correct amount. At the same time, upon providing the original ticket issued in error, you can initiate the procedures for a refund for the incorrect ticket amount.
How can I find out what amounts I have paid with the Telepass?
You can see the transit amount on the tollbooth display on the Telepass lane and on the ticket that is issued from this booth.
It will be subsequently be possible to consult the details of the boardings invoiced in the private area of the site, www.telepass.com.
Is it possible to receive an invoice for boardings with Telepass?
Telepass Family customers will be able to receive an invoice upon requesting through the private area of the Telepass site, by calling 840.043.043 or by sending written communication through the site in the “customer service” area on the “contact us” link.
Deactivating the invoice request for the embarkations effectuated with Telepass will also result in the simultaneous deactivation of the Caronte & Tourist billing service.
I have a Caronte & Tourist Fidelity Card. How do I associate it with Telepass payments to continue availing of the discount?
If you are in possession of a Caronte & Tourist discount card, it is necessary to make an explicit request to associate the card number with the relative Telepass number. As such, any request for clarification should be addressed to the email, servizioclienti@carontetourist.it or the number +39.090.57.37.