Pescara Guide

Pescara Ferry Port

The city of Pescara overlooks the subtropical climes of the Adriatic Sea on the long eastern shores of central Italy. Its unbroken stretch of sandy coastline is a popular retreat in the warm summer months, particularly during July when the internationally renowned Pescara Jazz festival takes place in the city. Each section of the beach, known as stabilimenti in the local tongue, commands its own colour scheme that is proudly flaunted by the bath houses that line the promenade. A short distance from the city is the broadleaf forests and soaring mountains of the Majella National Park, a region of astounding beauty that is home to rare species of Apennine wolves and Marsican brown bears. It’s a highly desirable location for hikers who want to take in the sweeping views of the emerald hillsides and the unsullied mountain air. The port itself is built around the mouth of the long Aterno-Pescara river, a waterway that bisects the city into districts spanned by Italy’s longest cycle bridge. Aside from the cruise terminal, the harbour is home to a large staging area that facilitates overseas trade and a designated fishing spot for locals. The passenger facilities here are fairly limited, though Wi-Fi can be accessed from the nearby marina. Although the capital of Rome lies 130-miles away on the opposite coast, the journey to Pescara is straightforward due to the E80 motorway that traverses the width of the country and arrives almost directly into the harbour. A number of buses stop just outside the marina to take passengers deeper into the city, including a transfer service that makes the short trip to the centrally located Abruzzo International Airport. Two services currently sail eastwards from the port to Hvar Island off the coast of Croatia, both routes operated by SNAV ferries. Ships leave a number of times each week to the ports of Hvar and Strari Grad on the ragged northern coastline of the island, a short jaunt that whisks passengers across the glittering Mediterranean.