We took the ferry to Elba, leaving from Piombino. We booked the Moby Ferry on line at http://www.mobylines.com. We probably could have waited and bought tickets from one of the many ticket offices near the port, but as this was our first time we thought it best to book ahead.
In glorious sunshine we took our place at the dock to wait for our huge ferry to arrive. We could see it in the distance. As it got closer it did an about turn and the stern of the boat backed into the dock.
The cars from Elba drove off and it was our turn to drive on.
We took a seat in one of the bright lounge areas.
There are play areas for children.
The views from the boat are impressive. Soon Elba came into view.
We returned to our car and as soon as the doors opened we drove off.
The trip from the mainland takes about 1 hour.
This is our second ferry experience in Italy. We also took the ferry to Sicily last year. The process is very well organised and we were very happy that all went smoothly on both occasions.