Last updated: 26 October 2026 · By Steve Joury, cargo trip advisor at CargoHolidays
Freighter travel from Genoa puts you on the Mediterranean in style: Italy’s great historic port handles container ships, ro-ro vessels and ferries sailing across the Med and on to the Atlantic. It’s reachable from the UK by train in a day. Here’s how to plan a voyage.
Key facts at a glance
Genoa has been a great maritime city for a thousand years, and today its port handles containers, ro-ro cargo and ferries. For passengers, freighter travel from Genoa is a gentle introduction to life at sea: warm weather, short legs between historic ports and calm seas for much of the year.
Italian ro-ro operators have a long tradition of carrying passengers on cargo routes. See our Grimaldi freighter cruises page for one of the best known.
| Destination | Type de navire | Durée habituelle |
|---|---|---|
| Spain (Barcelona, Valencia) | Ro-ro / ro-pax | 1–2 days |
| Sardinia, Sicily, Corsica | Ferry / ro-pax | Overnight |
| Tunisia, Morocco | Ro-pax | 1–2 days |
| Greece and Turkey | Container / ro-ro | 3 à 7 jours |
| Afrique de l'Ouest | Ro-ro | 10–20 days |
| Americas and Asia | Conteneur | 2–5 weeks |
For a full overview of Med voyages, read Trajets de cargos en Méditerranée.
Ferry and ro-pax ships use the passenger terminals near the city, while container and ro-ro cargo ships use terminals further west such as Sampierdarena and the Pra’ container terminal. Your agent will confirm where to go. If you’re travelling with a vehicle, read travel by cargo ship with your car.
Spring and autumn are ideal: warm, calm seas and fewer holiday crowds on ferry routes. Summer is busy and hot, and winter brings occasional Mistral winds and rougher seas. Whatever the season, freighter travel from Genoa gives you easy access to the whole western Mediterranean.
Yes. Container and ro-ro ships leave Genoa and nearby Italian ports, and some carry passengers.
Take Eurostar to Paris, then trains via Turin or Milan to Genoa.
Container and ro-ro ships use western terminals such as Pra’ and Sampierdarena; ferries use terminals near the city.
Yes, ferries and some ro-ro ships carry vehicles with passengers.
Yes. Legs are short, seas are usually calmer and ports are close together.
Sail from Italy
Tell us your route and we’ll find cargo or ro-ro ships with passenger cabins from Genoa and nearby ports.
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