To get to Sicily by boat, you take the ferry from Malta to Sicily run by Virtu Ferries: a fast catamaran that links Malta with Pozzallo, a port in the province of Ragusa, in 1 hour 45 minutes, on foot or with your car. It leaves from Marsa, 5 minutes by bus from Valletta, 2 or 3 times a day each way on the October 2026 timetable, and the route runs all year.
As of 20 October 2026, Virtu shows no fare table, only a return offer at €63.60 per adult. Sicily in a day is possible, on your own or on a guided day trip run by Virtu (€139 or €159), and Ragusa Xpress also sails to Marina di Ragusa. We sell neither these crossings nor these day trips: times and prices were checked again on 20 October 2026 on the companies' websites.
- Route: Malta – Pozzallo, 92.6 km, 1 hour 45 minutes.
- Sailings: 2 or 3 a day each way (timetable from 20 October to 3 November 2026).
- Price: shown when you book; return offer at €63.60 per adult.
- Departure in Malta: Virtu terminal in Marsa (bus 130).
- Check-in: 1 hour before on foot, 1 hour 30 minutes before by car.
- ID: identity card or passport, not a driving licence.
- In a day: possible every day, with about 9 hours there.
- The other way: the same boats leave from Pozzallo.
Malta to Sicily ferry: timetable and crossing time
Every sailing takes 1 hour 45 minutes. Both boats on the route carry cars; the Saint John Paul II is a 110 m catamaran built by Incat. Timetable read on 20 October 2026, the same every week until 3 November:
| Day | Sailings from Malta | Sailings from Pozzallo |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 5am, 7.30am, 6pm | 2pm, 7.30pm, 9.30pm |
| Tuesday | 5am, 7.30am | 7.30pm, 9.30pm |
| Wednesday | 5am, 7.30am, 6pm | 8.30am, 7.30pm, 9.30pm |
| Thursday | 6.30am, 6pm | 7.30pm, 9.30pm |
| Friday | 5am, 7.30am, 6pm | 8.30am, 7.30pm, 9.30pm |
| Saturday | 5am, 7.30am | 7.30pm, 9.30pm |
| Sunday | 6.30am, 5pm | 6pm, 8.30pm |
The timetable changes with the dates: check the timetable on the Virtu Ferries website before you book. The company may change, delay or cancel a sailing; if it cancels one, it refunds the unused part of the ticket, without the port charges.
Price of the ferry from Malta to Sicily
Virtu does not publish a fare table: the price shows when you choose your sailings (outward, return, port charges, "ETS Supplement"), by four age groups: under 3, 4 to 13, 14 to 25, 26 and over. The price of a same-day return is not shown.
Example on 20 October 2026, leaving from Malta: a return offer, coming back on another day, at €63.60 per adult, €44.60 per child, €109 per car and €69 per motorbike, from 12 October to 30 November 2026, except from 2 to 6 November. It is only valid on some sailings: out on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, back on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. These tickets cannot be refunded, and the page does not say whether port charges are included.
Other tickets are refunded if you cancel more than 24 hours before, and are valid for 1 year. You can buy them at the terminal, but Virtu advises booking early in high season: see the current Virtu Ferries offers.
Where the Sicily ferry leaves from in Malta
Not from Valletta itself: the ferry leaves from the Virtu Passenger Terminal, on the Xatt l-Għassara tal-Għeneb quay, in Marsa. Check-in opens 2 hours before the sailing, and there is a car park near the terminal.
Bus 130 stops in front of it ("Hatab" stop), 5 minutes after Valletta, once an hour from 6.45am to 8.45pm; a ticket costs €2 until 12 June 2027. That is too late for the morning sailings (5am, 6.30am and 7.30am), and there are no more buses for the 9.15pm, 10.15pm and 11.15pm arrivals: take a taxi or your car instead.
The ferries to Gozo leave from other quays: see our guide how to get to Gozo from Malta.
On foot, by car or with a pet: check-in and luggage
- On foot: be at the terminal 1 hour before; check-in closes 30 minutes before the sailing.
- By car: 1 hour 30 minutes before. There is no luggage limit in the car, but nobody stays in the garage during the crossing. Hire car: ask your hire company first.
- Luggage on foot: 3 pieces at most (50 × 40 × 80 cm each), plus a small bag of 5 kg at most that you keep with you. No left luggage at the port.
- Bicycle: free if there is space left; mention it when you book.
- Pets: up to 3 travel free in your car; otherwise €15 (cage on the open deck, or a bag at your feet for a small pet) or €25 in an air-conditioned kennel, to be booked. Declare them when you book, with their passport and vaccination certificates.
- Club Class: optional (separate lounge, own check-in desk, priority disembarkation).
ID documents: Schengen and Virtu's rules
Malta and Italy are in the Schengen area. According to the EU's official website, you do not normally have to show your documents between the two countries, but it is always strongly recommended to carry your identity card or passport: you must show them if a country brings back border checks (travel documents for EU citizens, on Your Europe).
Virtu only accepts identity cards and passports (not driving licences or residence cards) and asks for their number when you book. Since 3 August 2026, the Italian paper identity card is no longer valid for travel, the company warns. No child under 12 may travel alone; from 12 to 17, a minor travelling alone shows a form from their parents, and a minor with a Maltese or Italian identity card may need an authorisation from both parents. Non-EU citizens: a valid passport and, if needed, a visa; a Schengen visa also covers Italy.
Other boats between Malta and Sicily
Ragusa Xpress links the Grand Harbour, next to the Valletta Waterfront and 10 minutes on foot from Valletta according to the company, with Marina di Ragusa, the port of Ragusa, in 2 hours. From 2 October 2026 to 4 January 2027, it leaves Malta on Wednesday (6.30am), Friday, Saturday and Sunday (6am), and sails back from Marina di Ragusa between 7pm and 9pm. Other times apply on some days, and there is no crossing on 9, 23, 25 and 30 December or on 1 January: Ragusa Xpress timetable.
According to MaltaToday (17 May 2025), its boat carries up to 430 passengers and 21 cars. The only price shown: a €10 child ticket on low-season returns. Pets travel free, subject to space.
Virtu has no direct boat to Catania on the timetable read on 20 October 2026, but it runs a coach from Pozzallo (see below). A route to Augusta (Ponte Ferries) failed in 2023, according to MaltaToday (11 January 2024). A catamaran trip around Malta is something else: see our page catamaran charter in Malta.
Malta to Sicily day trip: Sicily in one day
It is possible every day, but it is a long day. Example: leave Malta at 7.30am, arrive in Pozzallo at 9.15am, sail back at 7.30pm, arrive in Malta at 9.15pm; with check-in for the return, you are left with a little over 9 hours in Sicily. On your own, you can hire a car or take a car with driver in Pozzallo (see below).
Virtu Ferries guided day trips
Virtu sells guided day trips: fast ferry, coach and English-speaking guide, with a stop to taste Sicilian products on the Etna days. Winter programme (October 2026 to April 2027), read on 20 October 2026:
| Day trip | Days | Leaving and back in Malta | Adult price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ragusa Ibla, Modica and Scicli | Wednesday (Sunday from 11 January to 1 February and from 15 February to 6 March) | 7.30am – 9.15pm (Sunday: 6.30am – 9.15pm) | €139 |
| Etna (Silvestri craters) and Catania | Sunday until 10 January, then in March and April; Thursday from 11 January to 31 March | 6.30am – 10.15pm (Sunday); 6.30am or 6am – 11.15pm (Thursday) | €159 |
| Etna (Silvestri crater, 2,000 m) and Taormina | Thursday until 10 January, then in April | 6.30am – 11.15pm | €159 |
Lunch is not included on the Etna days; hotel–port transport: €15 extra per person. Child aged 4 to 13: €105 for Etna, free under 4. At least 10 participants are needed. If you arrive at the terminal 1 hour before, count about 15 to 18 hours until you are back.
In summer 2026, from May to September, Virtu offered Syracuse and Marzamemi (€139), Taormina and Etna, Catania and Etna (€159); the summer 2027 programme was not online on 20 October 2026: see the Virtu Ferries day trips to Sicily.
We do not sell days in Sicily. For a day without leaving the islands, see our Malta tours and day trips: Comino and the Blue Lagoon, Gozo by jeep, quad or buggy.
Arriving in Pozzallo, and after
According to Virtu, Pozzallo is a fishing village that is gradually becoming the main port of the province of Ragusa again. By road, Syracuse is 62 km away and Catania 112 km. Virtu's office at the port opens 2 hours before each sailing.
- To Catania: Virtu coach between the ports of Pozzallo and Catania, from October 2026 to April 2027, at €20 one way per adult and €12 per child; we could not read its times, so ask for them when you book.
- Car hire: through Virtu, delivered in Pozzallo, from €64 for one day (extra charge in July and August, €900 excess), with a physical credit card, your driving licence and your identity card or passport.
- Car with driver: one way for up to 4 people, for example €50 to Modica, €115 to Syracuse and €165 to Catania; the page does not say where the car leaves from.
From Sicily to Malta: the ferry the other way
The same Virtu boats leave Pozzallo every day (last column of the table), and Ragusa Xpress leaves Marina di Ragusa in the evening, 4 days a week. Virtu has a ticket office in Pozzallo (Largo dei Vespri Siciliani), as well as its office at the port, and another one at the port of Catania, where its coach arrives.
As of 20 October 2026, Virtu had two offers for coming from Sicily: a return at €59 per adult and €30 per child (out on Friday, back on Sunday at 5pm, until 29 November 2026), and "Saturday Night in Malta" at €49 per person (out on Saturday evening, back on Sunday at 6.30am, until April 2027). When you arrive in Marsa, the last bus 130 passes at 8.45pm; after that, take a taxi.
For the rest of your stay, read our guide things to do in Malta, or things to do in Valletta if you are only staying one day.
FAQ: ferry from Malta to Sicily
Is there a ferry between Malta and Sicily all year round?
Yes: Virtu Ferries says it runs just over 1,000 return trips a year between Malta and Pozzallo, and the times change with the dates.
How much is the ferry from Malta to Sicily?
Virtu has no fare table: the price shows when you book. As of 20 October 2026, its return offer (coming back on another day) cost €63.60 per adult and €109 per car, on some sailings until 30 November.
How long is the ferry from Malta to Sicily?
1 hour 45 minutes to Pozzallo with Virtu Ferries, on every sailing, and 2 hours to Marina di Ragusa with Ragusa Xpress.
Can you do a Malta to Sicily day trip?
Yes, every day, but it is long: about 9 hours there if you go on your own, 15 to 18 hours in all on a Virtu guided day trip (€139 or €159). The price of a same-day return on its own is not shown.
Where does the Sicily ferry leave from in Malta?
From the Virtu Passenger Terminal, in Marsa, served by bus 130 ("Hatab" stop). Ragusa Xpress leaves from the Grand Harbour, next to the Valletta Waterfront.
Is there a ferry from Sicily to Malta, and how much is it?
Yes, from Pozzallo every day (1 hour 45 minutes) and from Marina di Ragusa 4 evenings a week (2 hours). As of 20 October 2026, Virtu offered a return from Pozzallo at €59 per adult.
Can you take your car to Sicily?
Yes, both Virtu boats carry cars: be at the terminal 1 hour 30 minutes before. Hire car: ask your hire company first.
Do you need a passport to go from Malta to Sicily?
For an EU citizen, a valid identity card is enough, but a driving licence is not. Non-EU citizens: a passport, and a visa if needed.
Does the ferry go to Catania?
Not on the timetable read on 20 October 2026: Virtu goes to Pozzallo, then its coach goes on to the port of Catania (€20 one way per adult), 112 km away by road.
Does Malta Adventures sell the ferry or the day in Sicily?
No. For a day in Malta, see our Malta tours and day trips.
Comino and the Blue Lagoon, Gozo by jeep, quad or buggy, half-day or full-day
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