"Ferry or private boat?" We get this one a lot, usually from someone with a week in the Argentario who wants to see Giglio or Giannutri without wasting a day. The honest answer is that it depends on what you're after: walking around a town, or spending time in the water. Those are two different things, done with different boats.
Sabina and Ale have been running these routes since they were kids, Massi has navigated them for years. Here are the facts, without pushing our own boat at all costs: in some cases the ferry is the right call, and we'll tell you when.
The ferry: when it makes sense
The ferry to Giglio Island leaves from Porto Santo Stefano. It's the cheapest way across, and for Giglio it works well: frequent crossings in season, a low fare, and you're at Giglio Porto in about an hour. If your plan is to walk around the harbour, go up to Giglio Castello, eat in town and maybe stop at a beach you can reach on foot like Campese, the ferry takes you there and back with no fuss.
Giannutri is a different story. Crossings are few, not every day of the week, and you have to check them each time because the timetables change with the season (trust the operator's up to date schedule, not what you read on a blog). The ferry docks at Cala Spalmatoio, the only landing point, and Giannutri is a protected area of the Park: you walk only on two marked trails, the rest is closed. For a visit on foot, fine. For the sea, less so: from the pier you won't see the coves and seabeds that make Giannutri what it is.
One thing to keep in mind: with the ferry, the operator sets the times. You leave when it leaves, you come back when there's a crossing. If it's a beautiful day and you'd like one more hour in the water, you can't.
The private boat: when it makes sense
With a private boat you build the day yourself. You leave Cala Galera at the hour you like, and once you're moving Giglio is about 45 minutes away, Giannutri around half an hour. You go where the ferry doesn't: the coves on the west side of Giglio, the inlets of Giannutri that only open up from the water, the swimming stops between one island and the next.
At Giannutri, the clearest case, a private boat lets you stop at the good spots for snorkelling, where the water is among the clearest in the Tyrrhenian, without ever going ashore where access is regulated. Snorkelling gear, the SUP and the floats are already on board, and between swims there's espresso and aperitivo.
Then there's the practical side: no queue to board, no return time imposed on you. If the sea picks up or the wind shifts, we move the route and look for the sheltered side of the island, something you can't do from the ferry.
How to choose, in two lines
- You want to visit the town of Giglio on foot, spend little, and you don't care about stopping in the coves: ferry.
- You want the sea, the coves, the snorkelling, and at Giannutri you want to see the seabeds: private boat.
It isn't a contest. Some people take the ferry to Giglio one day and a boat to Giannutri another: it's probably the best way to see both islands for what they really are, each with the boat that does it justice.
On board with us: Blue Vibes leaves from Marina di Cala Galera (docks M1 and H1) in Porto Ercole with three private RIBs: Libera, Poupi and Mako. Giglio is about 45 minutes away by sea, Giannutri around half an hour. You choose between a half day (about four hours) and a full day, with snorkelling, SUP, seabob, espresso and aperitivo on board. The price is per boat, fuel excluded, and the pick-up is included. Message us on WhatsApp for availability and a quote.
One last thing about timetables
Ferry times change between high and low season, and for Giannutri in particular the crossings stay limited to a few days. Before you plan the day, always check the up to date schedule directly with the ferry operator. If you come out with us, you set the time in the morning, based on the weather and how much you feel like staying in the water.
