The Sicily to Malta ferry, from Pozzallo across the channel

Less than a hundred kilometres of sea separate Sicily from Malta, and a fast boat crosses them several times a day. It’s the only way to reach Malta without flying, and it makes sense if you’re combining the two islands. What you shouldn’t trust is half of what you read online about Catania, so I’m working from the operator’s own timetable.

Pozzallo is the port that matters

The company linking the islands is Virtu Ferries, and its published timetable for late September 2026 connects Malta with Pozzallo, on Sicily’s south coast. Every crossing takes 1 h 45 min. Virtu gives 50 nautical miles, 92.6 km, between Malta and Pozzallo, and twice that to Catania.

The two boats on that timetable are the Jean de la Valette and the Saint John Paul II. There are very early departures from Malta, at 05:00 and 07:30, and returns from Pozzallo in the afternoon and evening. Not every one runs daily, so the table is a three-day sample, not a fixed calendar.

What about the ferry from Catania?

This is where most plans go wrong. There’s no sailing from Catania on Virtu’s timetable. What the company offers is a coach between Catania port and Pozzallo port, sold as a supplement to your ticket. From July to September 2026 it’s €15 per adult and €8 per child each way. From October 2026 to April 2027 it rises to €20 per adult, €12 per child or infant and €10 per caged pet.

If you’ve flown into Catania, that changes the maths. You add the coach, the road time and the crossing. If Malta is the only goal, a direct flight from the UK still wins for me, and I list the airports in flights to Malta.

Documents and check-in

This boat has one rule worth reading twice. Virtu accepts only passports and identity cards as travel documents, and residence cards and driving licences are not valid. For a British traveller that means the passport, even if you’ve spent a fortnight showing your licence at Sicilian car hire desks. Minors have their own rules depending on the nationality of their documents, and under-12s can’t travel alone.

Once you’re in Malta you’re still inside Schengen, so the 90 days in any 180 that gov.uk describes apply across Italy and Malta together, not separately. Worth checking if this is part of a long tour.

Foot passengers must check in an hour before departure, vehicles an hour and a half. There’s no left luggage at the port. On board, big bags go on trolleys or in an area the crew points out, and you can take one small piece to your seat.

With a car, bike or pet

Cars travel, and you can’t stay in the garage during the crossing. If you’re thinking of taking an Italian hire car across, ask the company first. For a British driver with their own car the good news is that Malta drives on the left, and the basics are in driving in Malta.

Bicycles are free if you add them when booking, and pets travel under the company’s own pet policy. Anyone needing assistance on board can tell the crew or flag it when booking.

When is this ferry worth it?

For me, in two cases. First, if you’re touring Sicily and want to add a few days in Malta without going back to an airport. Second, if you’re staying in Malta for a while and fancy a day in Sicily. The company markets exactly that, and the 07:30 out and 19:30 back make it possible.

What I wouldn’t do is treat it as a route from Britain. There’s no ferry from the UK or mainland Europe to Malta, and the detour through Italy only pays off if Sicily is part of the plan. All the alternatives are in how to get to Malta.

Booking

You can buy at the port, but Virtu recommends booking ahead, especially in high season. I couldn’t read fares from a fixed page because they come from a date search, so I won’t quote prices. With returns landing at 21:15 or 23:15, I’d have the first night booked near the Grand Harbour, and I compare areas in where to stay in Malta.