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Voykit pocket guide · Italy

Ancona

Give Ancona one night as a ferry or rail stop, or a half-day for the cathedral and Roman amphitheatre; two nights only if you add Conero beaches.

Ancona is the capital of the Marche and the Adriatic's main ferry port, with car ferries to Croatia, Greece, Albania and Montenegro. The medieval centre sits on the Guasco hill above the harbour, so the cathedral, the Roman amphitheatre and the archaeology museum are a short but steep walk apart. Most travellers use it as a transit point; the city itself rewards half a day to a full day, plus a beach afternoon at Passetto or Portonovo.

RomeAgrigentoAlcamo MarinaAlcamoAlgheroAmalfiAostaArcoArezzoAssisiAstiAvezzanoBalestrateBariAncona200 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Italy
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–early Oct
Avoid
Jul–Aug (heat and crowded ferries), late Nov–Feb (cold, wet, many seasonal places shut)
Stay
1 night

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
EUR
Money
Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
Daily spend
Budget €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €80–130 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
Emergency
All emergencies 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
Plugs
Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
Tipping
Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
Water
Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
Toilets
Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Coffee at the bar€1.20–1.80
Piadina or pizza slice€4–8
Pasta or fish main in a trattoria€10–18
Beer: draught / supermarket can€4–6 / €1–2
City bus ticket€2
Archaeology museum entry€5, €2 reduced
eSIM or data SIM, about a week€10–20

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

AOI · Marche Airport (Falconara)
About 12 km north of the city; Raffaello bus to Ancona, about €5.50, or train from Castelferretti station (check times)

Typical fares

Raffaello bus, airport → Ancona
about €5.50, buy on board
City bus, single ride
about €2, buy on board
Train Ancona → Senigallia
about €3–5, 30–45 min (check)

Get around

Conerobus runs city buses; bus 1/4 links the train station and the centre a few times an hour, and continues to Passetto. Buy tickets on board for about €2 (card or coins, no change). The centre is walkable but hilly; use the lift or bus for the climb to the cathedral. Taxis serve the airport, station and ferry terminal — check the meter is running.

See and do

Known for

  • Ancona Cathedral on the Guasco hill
  • Trajan's Arch and the harbour
  • Roman amphitheatre
  • Ferries to Croatia, Greece and Albania
  • Mount Conero and Passetto beaches

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Portonovo and Mount Conero beachesBus from Ancona towards Portonovo, then walk to the covesAbout 1–1.5 h
PassettoConerobus bus 1/4 from the train stationAbout 30–40 min
SenigalliaTrain along the coast from Ancona CentraleAbout 30–45 min
Cupramontana (Verdicchio hills)Train to Jesi or Castelplanio, then bus or taxiAbout 1.5–2 h

Sleep

Centro / Piazza del Plebiscito
Best base: cathedral, amphitheatre, museums and restaurants on foot; streets are steep.
Near Ancona Centrale station
Practical for early trains and the ferry check-in; about 2 km from the port, bus 1/4 to the centre.
Port / Mole Vanvitelliana area
For ferry departures and the waterfront; quieter at night, fewer places to eat.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Excuse me / SorryScusiSKOO-zee
Thank youGrazieGRAH-tsyeh
How much is it?Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah
The bill, pleaseIl conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh
Where is the ferry terminal?Dov'è il terminal dei traghetti?doh-VEH eel ter-mee-NAHL day trah-GET-tee
Can I pay by card?Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
  • Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
  • Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
  • Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
  • Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
  • Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
  • Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly

Scams and watch-outs

  • At Ancona Centrale, "Platform 2 Ovest" is not the same as "Platform 2" — read the signs.
  • International ferries: check in at the maritime terminal ticket office first, then follow boarding instructions; boarding usually starts 2–3 h before departure.
  • The ferry ticket office is about 1.4 km from the dock; in summer a shuttle loops every 15–20 min, otherwise walk 15–20 min.
  • Some taxi drivers do not start the meter — agree the fare or insist on it.
  • Mount Conero beaches and Portonovo need a bus plus walking; no beach access from Parco del Cardeto.

The Marche is one of Italy's safer regions and Ancona is calm even at night; the real risks are steep streets, unlit beach steps, summer heat and taxis that skip the meter.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Ancona yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Ancona Cathedral on the Guasco hill
  • Trajan's Arch and the harbour
  • Roman amphitheatre
  • Ferries to Croatia, Greece and Albania
  • Mount Conero and Passetto beaches

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Ancona

A questo indirizzo, per favore

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Ancona has no large embassies; most countries use their embassy in Rome, with consulates in Milan or Florence (check).

Ferry check-in is at the maritime terminal ticket office, not the dock.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/ancona). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.