Summer Monday to Saturday sailings until Sunday 18 October, then the winter timetable from Monday 19 October (to 25 March 2027); read 15 October 2026. Request-only sailings are left out, except on winter Sundays, when every sailing is request-only · Representative sailings only — check the operator for today's full timetable
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~10 min
Operator
Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac)
Map – Iona Ferry (Fionnphort)
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (16+), single | £2.40 |
| Adult (16+), return | £4.80 |
| Child (5-15), single | £1.20 |
| Child (5-15), return | £2.40 |
| Infant (0-4) | Free |
| Adult with SPT Concession, single | £1.20 |
| Pedal cycle | Free |
| Car with permit, single (vehicle only, driver pays separately) | £8.65 |
| Car with permit, return (vehicle only) | £17.30 |
| Blue Badge car with permit, single | £6.49 |
| Motorcycle with permit, single | £4.35 |
| Small van up to 6 m (max 3,500 kg) with permit, single | £11.05 |
Fares come from CalMac's fares list (valid from 27 March 2026, document dated 12/25) and the fares table on its route page. Only foot passenger single and return tickets can be bought online, because a vehicle needs a permit first; once you hold the permit, CalMac asks you to contact it to buy the vehicle ticket, and its list shows vehicle fares as bought at the port or on board. Vehicle fares are for the vehicle only. Bicycles go free; a party of six or more bikes has to warn the port office beforehand. The route page carries one fares table, headed summer, so winter fares are not confirmed. Having a fare for a vehicle does not mean a visitor can take one: see the permit rules in the about text. All fares in pounds sterling (GBP).
Iona is reached by a ten-minute crossing from Fionnphort, at the western end of the Ross of Mull, run by CalMac; the route page lists MV Loch Buie. Both slipways are unattended. Only foot passenger tickets can be bought online, and CalMac says a specific sailing cannot be reserved, though it advises buying in advance. A single costs £2.40 for an adult and £1.20 for a child, with bicycles free.
The vehicle rule is the thing to understand before travelling. Argyll and Bute Council says Iona is subject to a Prohibition of Vehicles order, first introduced in 1978, and that since complaints and road damage increased it is being strictly enforced. CalMac's own pages say every vehicle needs a permit before it travels. The council's application form asks the applicant to pick an exemption category: Iona Resident, Iona Homeowner (Non-Resident), Blue Badge, Adapted Vehicle (Blue Badge), Agriculture/Forestry, Emergency Services, Funeral, Good Vehicle (Delivering Goods), Local Authority, Social Care, Specialist Equipment for Disabled, Statutory Undertakers and Council Authorised. None of those is a general visitor category, although the form also offers a 'Pre-Approval Code' registration type. CalMac points applicants to the council on 01631 569160, and the council asks for 48 hours' notice. It also describes two car parks, a free one of about 140 spaces close to the Columba Centre and a pay one at Fionnphort pier, about 70 spaces at £1 an hour, and says Iona is easy to get around on foot, with the Abbey a 10-minute walk from the pier.
The timetable has more conditions than most. In summer CalMac prints some sailings and then writes 'and frequently until' for the middle of the day without giving the times, so the lists on this page are samples. From 19 October, the winter timetable has seven unconditional sailings each way Monday to Saturday between 08:35 and 16:30. The evening 18:00 and 18:15 sailings run only if requested by 16:00 that day, the early boat from Iona must be requested the day before, and every Sunday sailing is request-only. Ask on 0800 066 5000. There is no service on 25 December or 1 January. A separate timetable, headed SV Frisa, covers 13 to 16 March 2027.
- Arrive at the slipway a few minutes before departure; vehicle queues build quickly in summer.
- Check the operator's notices before travelling — tides, weather and maintenance affect sailings.
- Confirm accepted payment methods: several crossings are contactless-only.
Frequently asked questions
CalMac gives the crossing time as 10 minutes, and its timetables show arrivals 10 minutes after departures, for example 08:35 from Fionnphort arriving at Iona at 08:45. Check-in closes 10 minutes before departure.
Not without a permit. Argyll and Bute Council runs a Prohibition of Vehicles order. Its permit form lists exemption categories such as Iona Resident, Iona Homeowner (Non-Resident) and Blue Badge, with no general visitor category, plus a 'Pre-Approval Code' registration type. Applications need 48 hours' notice, and CalMac gives 01631 569160 for the council. The council describes car parks near Fionnphort and says Iona is easy to get around on foot.
On CalMac's fares list valid from 27 March 2026 an adult single is £2.40 (return £4.80), a child aged 5-15 is £1.20 single, and infants under 5 and pedal cycles are free. Groups of six or more bicycles must tell the port office in advance.
You cannot reserve a particular sailing. CalMac advises buying your ticket in advance, and foot passenger singles and returns are sold online. If you turn up without one it may still carry you, so speak to the crew.
Only on request. In CalMac's winter timetable (from 19 October 2026) every Sunday sailing is marked as running only if you ask for it by 16:00 on the previous working day, on 0800 066 5000. The printed Sunday times are 08:35, 12:30, 14:45 and 18:00 from Fionnphort.
From 19 October the 'and frequently until' middle-of-day pattern is replaced by printed times, with seven sailings each way Monday to Saturday before 17:00. The 18:00 from Fionnphort and 18:15 from Iona must be requested by 16:00 that day, and the early boat from Iona must be requested the day before.
CalMac's winter timetable says there is no service on 25 December or 1 January. On 26 December and 2 January the only sailings are two each way, and they run only if requested, on 24 December and 31 December respectively.
CalMac's service status page showed 'Service normal' for Fionnphort to Iona when it was read on 15 October 2026. Check calmac.co.uk/service-status or text code 13 before you travel.