Messina Cruise Port: Getting Ashore, Getting Into Town and What to Do in a Day

Ships call at the cruise terminal on the Settembre quay, in front of the historic and commercial center, so the main sights are a few minutes’ walk from the gangway.

At a glance

• Pier: Settembre quay, where the cruise terminal stands
• Cruise area: Marconi, Settembre, Colapesce and Vespri quays, about 2,600 feet (over 800 meters) long in total
• Walk to the main sights: a few minutes
• Tram stop: Municipio, about 650 feet (200 meters) from the terminal entrance
• Messina Centrale railway station: about 700 meters from the terminal
• Cars: not allowed in the port areas

Where do cruise ships dock in Messina?

Ships tie up along the cruise area of the port, which takes in the Marconi, Settembre, Colapesce and Vespri quays. Together they run about 2,600 feet (over 800 meters). The terminal itself sits on the Settembre quay, facing the historic center, and the cruise wharves connect directly to the railway and bus stations. Cars can’t enter the port areas, so plan on walking or taking public transport from the gangway.

Messina Cruise Terminal Srl manages the whole terminal structure. A contract for building and running a new cruise terminal was signed on September 18, 2024 with the port authority, the AdSP dello Stretto. Messina is Italy’s sixth cruise port, with 785,000 passengers forecast for 2025, a 27% increase over the previous year.

How do you get from the cruise port up to Messina?

For anything beyond the historic center, the tram and the train are the options the port lists.

• On foot: a few minutes from the terminal to the main tourist sites · for anyone who wants the historic center only
• Tram, Repubblica to Municipio: about 4 minutes · the Municipio stop is about 650 feet (200 meters) from the terminal entrance · for passengers coming from the Repubblica stop
• Tram, Brasile to Municipio: about 12 minutes · for passengers starting at the Brasile stop
• Train: Messina Centrale station is about 700 meters from the terminal · for passengers continuing by rail

The Municipio stop is about 650 feet (200 meters) from the terminal entrance, so the way back is easy to time.

What can you do in Messina on a cruise stop?

Fort San Salvatore

The fort stands beneath the Stele della Madonnina and is the bastion of the port of Messina. Messina has 6 self-guided walking routes through its monuments, and the Fort is part of a longer itinerary that also includes the Cathedral and the Church of the Santissima Annunciazione dei Catalani. Short call: yes.

Cathedral (Duomo)

The Duomo is a thousand years old. Its bell tower holds the largest astronomical clock in the world. The terminal is in front of the historic center and the port officially describes the main sights as a few minutes on foot, so the Cathedral fits a short stop. Short call: yes.

Museo Regionale Accascina

The museum is at Viale della Libertà, 465, and the Museo Regionale Interdisciplinare shares that address, in a former late-19th-century spinning mill. The Accascina is open Tuesday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. On the first Sunday of the month the Museo Regionale Interdisciplinare has free admission. Check the day of your call before you plan around it, since a Sunday gives only a morning. No travel time from the port is published, so treat it as a longer outing. Short call: no.

Forte Cavalli

The fort dominates the southern part of Messina and offers sweeping views. Short call: no.

When is Messina busiest with cruise ships?

The terminal is organized to handle peaks of up to 12,000 passengers per day.