Portoferraio is Elba's main town, where Napoleon lived in exile in 1814-15. The walled old town and his town house are close to the harbor. Beaches and villages need a bus, taxi or tour.
Where Portoferraio lies
PortoferraioAvignonBarcelonaRomeGenoaMarseilleRavennaSavonaVallettaAjaccioAlicanteAlmeríaAmalfi and PositanoBastiaBilbaoCadizCagliariCannesCartagenaCataniaGibraltarIbizaLa SpeziaLivornoMahón, MenorcaMalagaMessinaMonacoNaplesOlbiaPalermoPalma de MallorcaPortofino / Santa Margherita LigurePulaRovinjSaint-TropezSalernoSèteŠibenikSorrentoTarragonaToulonValenciaVillefranche-sur-Mer and NiceZadarWhere your ship docks
Small ships can dock in Portoferraio's harbor; larger ships anchor and tender (not verified for individual ships). Check your ship's daily program.
Shuttle. Not verified.
Getting to the sights
| The way | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Walk to Old town and Napoleon's town house | Short (not verified) | Free |
| Island bus to Beaches and villages | Varies | Cheap (Wikivoyage); not verified |
| Rental car or scooter to Around the island | Flexible | Wikivoyage lists a small car at about 37-45 euros a day (approximate) |
Walk to Old town and Napoleon's town house
- From the landing, walk to the old Darsena harbor and up into the walled town.
Steep streets and steps.
Island bus to Beaches and villages
- Buses leave from Portoferraio and run around the island; stops every few hundred metres on coastal routes (Wikivoyage).
Rental car or scooter to Around the island
- Rent in the Portoferraio marina.
Narrow mountain roads.
What to see
Villa dei Mulini (Napoleon's town residence)
Napoleon's house and garden above the sea.
- How
- Walk uphill in the old town.
- Time
- 1 hour
- Tickets
- Not verified.
Villa San Martino (Napoleon's country house)
His summer villa in the hills.
- How
- Taxi or bus.
- Time
- 1.5 hours with travel
- Tickets
- Not verified.
Medici fortresses (Forte Stella, Forte Falcone)
16th-century walls with harbor views.
- How
- Walk uphill.
- Time
- 1 hour
- Tickets
- Not verified.
Elba beaches
Clear water; Fetovaia is reachable by bus (Wikivoyage).
- How
- Bus or taxi.
- Time
- Half day
- Tickets
- Free.
Your day, hour by hour
Planned for a typical call. Check your ship's all-aboard time and be back an hour early. The ship will not wait.
- 8:30 Ashore; walk to the Darsena harbor.
- 9:00 Villa dei Mulini and Forte Stella.
- 11:00 Taxi or bus to Villa San Martino, or to a beach.
- 13:30 Back in Portoferraio; seafood lunch.
- 15:00 Stroll the harbor; be back on board 1 hour before all-aboard (more if tendering).
What goes wrong, and how to avoid it
Beware
- Hilly old town with steps.
- Island buses may be infrequent outside summer.
- Possible tender in rough seas.
- Italy has frequent announced transport strikes (trains, buses, ferries), often on Fridays. Check the Italian Ministry of Transport strike list (scioperi.mit.gov.it) the week before your port day.
Do this
- Check Napoleon museum opening days before you go; Italian state museums often close one day a week (not verified for these).
Fees, money and access
Rules & fees
- No cruise visitor caps or fees found.
Accessibility
Harbor front is flat; the old town and fortresses are steep.
Money
Euro (EUR). Visa and Mastercard work in most shops, restaurants and museums; tap-to-pay is common. Carry 20-40 euros in cash for small cafes, toilets, markets and some buses. Use a bank ATM (inside or at a bank) and always choose to be charged in euros, not dollars, when a card machine or ATM asks.
More of the Western Mediterranean
Sources & what we could not confirm · 2 sources · checked 2026-11
- Whether cruise ships dock or tender, and where.
- Napoleon residences hours and prices.
- Bus fares and schedules.
- Fortress hours and prices.
- An independent check in November 2026 could not confirm this: {'to': "Old town and Napoleon's town house", 'mode': 'Walk', 'time': 'Short (not verified)', 'cost': 'Free'}
- An independent check in November 2026 could not confirm this: No cruise visitor caps or fees found.
- An independent check in November 2026 could not confirm this: Small ships can dock in Portoferraio's harbor; larger ships anchor and tender (not verified for individual ships). Check your ship's daily program.