Despite being able to reach Porto Ercole by public transport (by train to Orbetello Scalo and from there by bus to Porto Ercole), the only convenient and advisable means is the car, either one’s own or a rental. However, once you arrive by car in Porto Ercole, you’ll need to park somewhere and, in summer, consider the access restrictions of the various Limited Traffic Zones. Therefore, in Porto Ercole in summer, it’s absolutely necessary to have accommodation that allows you to park your car, or you must avoid the overcrowded summer days and visit Porto Ercole off-season (which is the best solution).
It would be useless to talk about how to get to Porto Ercole without considering the 3 fundamental issues related to mobility: parking, ZTL (Limited Traffic Zones), and then how to get around to visit the surroundings. In particular, it is a serious mistake to plan a vacation in Porto Ercole and book lodging without first carefully considering the mobility and parking aspects. So if you’re not familiar with the place, read all the following chapters carefully.
Practical information on transport and mobility in Porto Ercole:
I have known Porto Ercole for over 30 years: the tips you read here do not come from internet research, but from my direct personal experience.
how to get to Porto Ercole
As mentioned before, the only convenient way to reach Porto Ercole is by car, either one’s own or rented. For those arriving by plane, it is better to land at Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and rent a car from there. By train, you can reach Orbetello Scalo in about 2 hours or slightly less from Rome or Pisa, or about 4 hours from Florence or Genoa. It’s beautiful but much more difficult and expensive to arrive by boat: you must have or rent a yacht, or book one of the rare luxury cruises that also call at Porto Ercole.
Let’s see in more detail all the possibilities:
by car
The city from which most visitors usually depart to reach Porto Ercole is Rome: it’s approximately 150 km, of which about half up to Civitavecchia is on the toll highway, while the rest is on the state road Aurelia. The toll on the A12 Rome-Civitavecchia, for some strange reason, is collected several times at different toll gates; nevertheless, the total amount is about 4.5€ (for now, but highway costs in Italy are constantly increasing).
Here is the map:
On weekends during the nice season, you have to account for heavy traffic: from Rome to Argentario on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, and from Argentario to Rome on Sunday afternoons. Especially on weekends from mid-July to mid-August, there is often an exasperating line starting directly from the dam on the Orbetello lagoon: these are vacationers leaving Feniglia beach to head home. Even the Grosseto-Siena-Florence is very crowded in that case. The traffic is so intense and heavy that I highly recommend the idea of having dinner at Argentario and returning after dinner.
In the last stretch from Capalbio to Monte Argentario, there are also frequent checks by the Carabinieri, which I greatly appreciate.
From Florence, it’s about 200 km (see map) which, if there is no traffic, can be done in two and a half / three hours, or much more in case of traffic on peak holidays or summer days.
From Pisa, it’s still about 200 km, though without traffic, it can also be done in less than two and a half hours since part of the journey is on the highway (count around 8-9€ of toll).
car rental
For tourists who need to rent a car, I recommend not to go overboard with size: in Porto Ercole, parking spaces are often narrow, and it’s not easy to park large station wagons or minivans. Therefore, consider carefully what type of car to rent.
During the nice season, I would suggest considering renting a convertible, but it’s a matter of personal taste, and during the central hours of summer days, the intense sun can be hard to bear when driving a convertible: the best times are in the morning and evening. Keep in mind that the Argentario landscape is worth it.
In any case, as always when renting a car for any trip, calculate well the size of your suitcases and how to fit them in the car’s trunk: book car types where you are sure you can comfortably fit your suitcases. Especially when during a stop (even just a quick stop at a service station), if you leave the car closed with suitcases inside, it’s always best that nothing is visible from outside: all suitcases (and backpacks, bags, and anything else you bring along) must not be visible from outside. Returning to what was said above, keep in mind that convertibles always have very limited trunks.
See prices and offers on discovercars.com:
And for comparison consider also prices and offers on rentalcars.com and autoeurope.
Searching and booking through these sites is better than through the rental companies’ websites:
The great strength of AutoEurope, besides low rates and good conditions, is the way it presents offers: it shows a price table comparing each category.
Rentalcars.com is a website part of the Booking.com group that offers excellent car rental rates worldwide. It presents offers clearly and completely, the site is very user-friendly, and above all, very reliable.
These three are the absolute best: they quickly compare offers from all providers, report data and conditions much more clearly and comprehensively than the rental companies’ sites, and since they are international brokers handling millions of bookings every year, they sometimes can even offer better prices and conditions than the rental companies. They also offer much cheaper additional policies than the standard ones.
They are also very reliable: not only have I used them several times for my personal rentals, but above all, several hundred Italian travelers have used them following my advice, and so far, there has never been a problem.
by train
For those who prefer to arrive by train, the station to get off at is “Orbetello – Monte Argentario”, and then from the station, you need to take a bus to Orbetello and from there another to Porto Ercole. Sometimes there are connections where you don’t need to change buses at Orbetello but continue with the same vehicle.
The best connections are with the main station of Rome Termini: there are usually regional trains every 2 hours, which take about 2 hours to arrive in Orbetello, costing around 10€ per person. The Frecciabianca takes 1h23m and costs about 12€ per person.
see schedules and prices on the site trenitalia
Here is an example of schedules and prices from Rome:
When boarding the train in Rome, consider that the best side (most panoramic) is the left one.
Also, from Genoa, there are frequent connections, but given the distance, the cost is about 30€ and it takes 4 to 5 and a half hours.
Here is an example of prices and schedules from Genoa:
From Genoa, I highly recommend sitting on the right side if possible: in some sections, the view of the Tyrrhenian coast is really beautiful. But before reaching Pisa, take a look at the left side: the splendid “Piazza dei Miracoli” (the famous cathedral square with the leaning tower) will suddenly appear.
Instead, from Florence, the connections, despite being relatively frequent, are too slow, in my opinion.
Here is an example of prices and schedules from Florence:
However, as said, you should verify prices and schedules on the site trenitalia.
bus from the station
Then, after getting off the train at the station, you need to take the bus to Porto Ercole, which would not be a big problem if the connections were frequent: however, there are few buses, and you have to study the schedules carefully, considering that it’s not unlikely for the train to be late.
The bus service is managed by Autolinee Toscane, and the line connecting the railway station with Porto Ercole is Line 0o2 (Orbetello-Porto Ercole).
The updated schedules can be downloaded from this page:
at-bus.it/it/linee-e-orari/grosseto-extraurbano-0o2
WARNING: there are far fewer runs in winter. Check the winter schedule carefully.
For more information: tel. 800 142 424 or email info@at-bus.it
If you don’t want to wait, you can take a taxi or a chauffeur-driven service (see below), but given the costs and inconvenience of connections, renting a car is better at that point.
by plane
For foreign tourists arriving in Italy by plane, the closest airport is Rome Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci Airport, code FCO): from there, you rent a car and in less than 2 hours (it’s only 140km, see map), reach Porto Ercole, as the road from the airport to Rome immediately joins the Rome – Civitavecchia highway (then from Civitavecchia to Argentario, continue on the Aurelia). Instead, the secondary airport of Rome (Ciampino, CIA) is decidedly less convenient.
Alternatives to the Rome airport are the airports of Florence (FLR) or Pisa (PSA). Between the two, it’s better to land in Pisa.
by boat
Arriving at Porto Ercole from the sea is undoubtedly the most unique way, but also the least common for tourists: few own or rent a sufficiently large boat (or are lucky enough to have a friend inviting them on theirs), and the cruises that call at Porto Ercole are really few.
In particular, the few cruises making a stop in Porto Ercole are all expensive luxury cruises.
Among them:
- Emerald Cruises (Emerald Sakara, Emerald Azzurra)
These luxury superyachts (about 110m, up to 100 passengers, with pool, spa, high-level suites) make a call at Porto Ercole as part of exclusive itineraries along the Tyrrhenian coast. Typically, these are cruises conducted from May to October. Being luxury cruises, prices are around 3,000-5,000€ per week per person.
- Seadream
Seadream occasionally organizes stops in Porto Ercole for some of its luxury cruises, typically in summer and autumn. Prices are around 3,000€ per week per person.
- Silversea (Silver Dawn)
Ships like the Silver Dawn (Silversea company) have made several stops at Porto Ercole in recent years. Luxury offers with prices always around 2,000–5,000€ per person, depending on the cabin and itinerary (usually in spring-autumn).
I will soon publish more details on both cruises and yacht rentals.
If you are interested in such cruises, contact me for personalized travel consultancy.
how to get around
Once again, I repeat that the reason it’s essential to have a car to visit Porto Ercole and the Argentario is that without a car, you are severely disadvantaged: the town is a small jewel that can naturally only be visited on foot, but then after a walk at the port and after seeing the old town and the fortresses, to do anything else you need a car. However, on the other hand, if you have your car, you need to know where to park it and how the ZTLs work.
To get around without a car, there are only buses and taxis/NCC:
public transport
As mentioned earlier in the chapter on buses to/from Orbetello FS station, the buses to/from Porto Ercole are managed by the Autolinee Toscane.
From Porto Ercole, by bus, you can go only to these three destinations:
- Orbetello
- Orbetello railway station
- Feniglia beach (in summer)
The timetables for the various stops can be found in the town: the two main stops are in the square with the benches in the center of the town and in Piazza Ricasoli (the one in front of the old town entrance).
Here is a photo of routes and schedules taken a short time ago:
Check if the timetables are still current on the site of the Autolinee Toscane.
To buy tickets in Porto Ercole, the only two sale points are these:
- Tabaccheria n.17
V.le Caravaggio 31
- Tabaccheria n.1
Via Italia 17
map
Among the two, I recommend the one on via Italia 17: they are much kinder.
scooter rental
As mentioned multiple times to move comfortably in Porto Ercole and its surroundings, it’s better to have your vehicle, and earlier, advice was given on possible car rentals. However, tourists arriving without their cars can also rent a scooter
A scooter is much easier to park than a car, however, it still must be parked somewhere: you can’t just put it in your pocket. And in summer, in public parking, the few spaces planned for motorcycles and scooters are practically always full. It’s relatively easy to park it in Feniglia or Orbetello.
Maybe you won’t find accommodation with a parking space, but you might find an apartment or house with some space at the entrance to park a scooter. Evaluate carefully if it can be a comfortable solution for you (not everyone likes to move by scooter).
I will soon report the local rental agencies (the challenge for me too is understanding which ones are reliable).
taxis and NCC
In many years at the Argentario, I have never taken a taxi or Chauffeur-driven Service, not even once, so I can’t give much advice on it.
I can only provide a list of contacts that I found online:
- Taxi NCC Argentour di Mauro Fuso
Via dei Molini, 28/B, Porto Ercole (GR)
Phone: +39 335 5365374, 347 3104218 (also WhatsApp)
- Gianluca Turchetti Taxi NCC
Based in Porto Ercole
Phone: +39 350 1212067
- Taxi Costa D’Argento di Giorgio Bartolini
Phone: +39 347 2554303
- Tuscia Driver Service Orbetello
Via Etruria 95, Orbetello
Phone: +39 393 8705390, +39 350 1803615 (also WhatsApp)
- Taxi Monte Argentario
Via Orbetellana, Porto Ercole
Phone: +39 333 3832220
- N.C.C. Costa d’Argento
(Private taxi/Chauffeur-driven service)
Phone: +39 331 1226005
website: nccmonteargentario.com
I can’t provide information on prices, but I suggest you ask how much various routes cost when you call, so you avoid surprises. They should all be able to speak at least some English.
how and where to park
As repeatedly mentioned, planning in advance where and how to park in Porto Ercole is a fundamental aspect of your trip to plan very carefully in advance.
Attention:
Very succinctly: if your accommodation does not provide a guaranteed and reserved parking spot, then you must rely on the few public parking spaces, where on the busiest summer days (weekends in July and all of the first half of August) it is very difficult to find a spot.
Refer to my guide on how and where to park in Porto Ercole:
ZTL port and town access
Besides parking in summer, the other “major obstacle” to using the car is the two ZTLs (Limited Traffic Zones) in Porto Ercole: the one blocking access to the port and especially the recently established one blocking access to the entire town on weekends in June, on most days in July and every day in August.
Therefore, pay attention:
⚠️
on all weekends in July and every day in August.
Tourists renting an apartment or booking a room with a private parking spot (there are few, see my page on where to stay in Porto Ercole) must request the tag (associated with their car’s license plate) that allows them to pass through the electronic toll gates without receiving a fine from whoever rents them the apartment or room. Check in advance if it is really possible to obtain it.
On days of maximum summer crowding, I understand and agree with the need to limit car access in a small village with extremely limited space for cars: there is no point in letting all cars in only to create unnecessary traffic jams and generate stress and exhaustion in drivers circling in search of a free parking spot they will never find because it doesn’t exist. Good, right. However, this ZTL needed to be better advertised and explained: not only have many regular tourists received hefty surprise fines, but in the first days it was established, even many locals were fined for restrictions they didn’t even know existed.
Thus, carefully read my insight on the ZTLs in Porto Ercole:
final tips
From what has been said on this page, namely that owning or renting a car is undoubtedly the most convenient means of arriving at Porto Ercole and then being able to move around to enjoy the holiday, but that you must plan well in advance where to park the car and in summer consider that the ZTLs prohibit access to the port and on some days even to the whole town, two important final tips follow.
The first is about accommodation:
Obviously, the very few accommodations that include a guaranteed parking spot are much more expensive than others, especially in summer. They must be booked well in advance.
But considering that in summer, the town is not only less accessible but also overcrowded to the point that one doesn’t enjoy the holiday, my final advice is:
Particularly avoid the first half of August if possible: with too many people concentrated in a small village, you end up not enjoying the holiday; it’s just stress. Instead, on beautiful days of the mid-season, Porto Ercole is a splendid destination for your travels to discover the incomparable beauty of Italy, especially during the week when really no one is there, and you have the town all to yourself.
Of course, in spring and autumn, you need to choose beautiful sunny days, which unfortunately a foreign tourist who must book the trip in advance cannot do, but even that can be remedied: just make cancellable or amendable hotel reservations up to a few days before and prepare an alternative itinerary between Tuscany and Lazio, which abound in cultural destinations also visitable in bad weather.
If you wish, you can contact me for personalized travel advice:
For more information and advice, I refer you to my guide to discovering Porto Ercole:
Providing all the useful tips and information to best organize your trip.
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I am an engineer passionate about travel, history, culture, and technology. I publish a series of websites on various topics: religion, travel, conscious buying advice, dangers of Artificial Intelligence, and reflections on the future of human society. Explore all my websites.