Aeolian Islands: Lipari, Vulcano, Salina and Stromboli

1. Jour 1 : Catania to Milazzo, and the hydrofoil to Lipari

   Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) to Milazzo by road, then hydrofoil to Lipari

   • Environ 2 h de route
   • Welcome dinner
   • Nuit : Lipari
   Détail du jour 1

   Fly into Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) and plan to land by about 1 pm; the exact meeting time is set with your final itinerary, as it depends on the afternoon hydrofoil. If a delayed flight makes you miss the last crossing, we book and pay for a night in Milazzo or Catania and you join on the first morning hydrofoil. Your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in arrivals, and our driver takes the motorway north past Etna and Taormina's coast and along the Messina shore to Milazzo, about an hour and three quarters. Milazzo is the main port for the islands, a town on a narrow peninsula below a large castle. Here we board a public hydrofoil with seats reserved for the group, about an hour across, usually calling at Vulcano before Lipari, and the islands come up out of the sea one by one. We walk or ride the short way from the harbour to a small hotel in Lipari town, check in and meet for a short briefing on the week. Then a welcome dinner of island dishes, close to the harbour of Marina Corta.

   Compris

   • Pick-up at Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA)
   • Private transfer to Milazzo port
   • Hydrofoil from Milazzo to Lipari with reserved seats
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner on Lipari

   Temps libre : A short free hour on Lipari before dinner

   Activité : A travel day. Pack one soft bag you can lift onto the hydrofoil; there are steps at the harbours.

   

2. Jour 2 : Lipari: the castle, the museum and the island drive

   Lipari town, then around the island by minibus to Canneto, the old pumice quarries and Quattrocchi

   • Environ 1 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Lipari
   Détail du jour 2

   We start at opening on the castle rock above Lipari town, a natural fortress walled by the Spanish in the 16th century and lived on for about six thousand years. Inside the walls is the Aeolian archaeological museum, named after the archaeologist Luigi Bernabo Brea, and a local guide takes us through the pieces that matter: Neolithic obsidian from the island's own lava, which was traded across the Mediterranean, Greek painted vases, and a remarkable collection of theatre masks in clay. We walk down through the cathedral and the lanes to Marina Corta for lunch by the water. In the afternoon a minibus takes us round the island: the long white beach at Canneto, the old pumice quarries at Porticello, where the slopes are pale as snow, and the Quattrocchi viewpoint, where the sea stacks of Vulcano line up below the cliffs. Back by about 5 pm. The evening is free in Lipari town; Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the street for a walk and a granita.

   Compris

   • Lipari castle and the Aeolian archaeological museum at opening, with a licensed local guide
   • Lipari cathedral and the old town on foot
   • Lunch at Marina Corta
   • Island drive: Canneto, the Porticello pumice quarries and the Quattrocchi viewpoint

   Option plus facile : See the main museum pavilion only and wait in the shade of the castle square, then rejoin for lunch.

   Option plus active : Walk up from Marina Corta to the castle by the steep stairway instead of the road.

   Temps libre : Evening free in Lipari town

   Activité : About 3 hours on foot in the morning on stairs and stone paving; the afternoon is mostly by minibus with short walks.

3. Jour 3 : Vulcano: the crater walk and the fumaroles

   Lipari to Vulcano by hydrofoil, the Gran Cratere and Porto di Levante, then back to Lipari

   • En traversier
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Lipari
   Détail du jour 3

   A short hydrofoil hop, about ten to twenty minutes, takes us to Vulcano, the island that gave volcanoes their name; the smell of sulphur reaches you at the quay. We start up the Gran Cratere della Fossa by about 8:30, before the slope heats up, with a local guide. The path climbs about 300 m on sand and ash, about an hour up, to the rim at roughly 390 m: a wide crater, yellow fumaroles steaming at the edge, and below you Lipari, Salina and, on a clear day, the other islands in a line. Access depends on the gas monitoring and the authorities' rules on the day; if the path is shut we walk to the fumaroles at the bay instead. Down by late morning for lunch near Porto di Levante, then time for the mud pool when it is open, or a swim off the black sand at Spiaggia delle Acque Calde, where gas bubbles up through warm water. We take a mid-afternoon hydrofoil back to Lipari; the rest of the day is free.

   Compris

   • Hydrofoil from Lipari to Vulcano and back
   • Guided walk up the Gran Cratere della Fossa to the rim, with the crater fee
   • Lunch near Porto di Levante
   • Time at the fumaroles and the black-sand bay

   Activités en option

   • The mud pool at Porto di Levante, when it is open (extra, price shown at booking)

   Option plus facile : Skip the climb: walk the flat lanes to the fumaroles and the beach with your guide, and meet the group for lunch.

   Option plus active : Walk the full circuit of the crater rim, about 45 minutes more, if the guide judges the gas levels low enough.

   Temps libre : Late afternoon and evening free in Lipari

   Activité : The crater path has no shade and loose footing: bring a hat, 1 litre of water and shoes with grip. Old clothes for the mud pool, as the smell stays.

4. Jour 4 : To Salina: capers, Malvasia and Lingua

   Lipari to Santa Marina Salina by hydrofoil, then a caper farm, a Malvasia winery and Lingua

   • Environ 45 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Salina
   Détail du jour 4

   After breakfast we take the hydrofoil to Salina, about twenty to thirty minutes, landing at Santa Marina Salina, where we stay two nights. Salina is the greenest of the islands, two old volcanoes joined by a saddle of vineyards, and wetter than its neighbours. Our minibus takes us up to a caper farm, where the bushes grow out of dry-stone terraces: you see how the buds are picked by hand before they open and cured in sea salt, and taste capers and caper berries the way the islanders use them. Then on to a winery for Malvasia delle Lipari, the sweet amber wine made here from grapes dried in the sun, with a tasting and a long lunch among the vines. Mid-afternoon we drop down to Lingua and its small salt lake, once salt pans, for a granita at the waterfront, with Lipari across the channel. Back in Santa Marina by about 5 pm; the evening is free on its single main street.

   Compris

   • Hydrofoil from Lipari to Salina
   • Caper farm visit and tasting
   • Malvasia winery visit, tasting and lunch
   • Granita at Lingua and the salt lake

   Option plus active : Walk the coastal lane from Santa Marina to Lingua, about 3 km and flat, instead of riding.

   Temps libre : Evening free in Santa Marina Salina

   Activité : An easy day: short walks on farm terraces and village lanes.

   

5. Jour 5 : Salina: the Fossa delle Felci and Pollara at sunset

   Santa Marina Salina to Valdichiesa and the Fossa delle Felci, then Malfa and Pollara

   • Environ 1 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Salina
   Détail du jour 5

   The active choice today is the hike up the Fossa delle Felci, at 962 m the highest point in the Aeolian Islands. We start by about 8:30 from the sanctuary of the Madonna del Terzito at Valdichiesa, in the saddle between the island's two volcanoes, and climb about 650 m through chestnut woods and ferns, about two hours up. From the top the whole archipelago is spread out, with Etna on the horizon on a clear day. If you would rather not hike, the minibus takes you to Malfa for a slow morning above its harbour, and both groups meet for lunch in the village after the descent. The afternoon is free for a rest or a swim. In the early evening we drive to Pollara, a crescent of cliffs that is the half-collapsed rim of an old crater, where the film Il Postino was shot, and watch the sun go down over Filicudi and Alicudi. Dinner is your choice in Malfa or Santa Marina.

   Compris

   • Guided hike from Valdichiesa to the Fossa delle Felci summit (962 m)
   • The sanctuary of the Madonna del Terzito
   • Lunch in Malfa
   • Sunset at the Pollara cliffs

   Option plus facile : Skip the hike: a slow morning in Malfa with the guide's suggestions, then lunch with the group.

   Option plus active : Walk down from the Pollara viewpoint to the bay by the old path, when it is open.

   Temps libre : Afternoon free; dinner on your own

   Activité : The hike is about 650 m up and down on rocky paths, 3.5 to 4 hours with stops. Bring 1.5 litres of water and a layer for the top.

6. Jour 6 : To Stromboli, and the evening climb

   Salina to Stromboli by hydrofoil, then the guided climb to about 400 m or the boat under the Sciara del Fuoco

   • En traversier
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : Stromboli
   Détail du jour 6

   A late-morning hydrofoil carries us east past Panarea to Stromboli, about an hour to an hour and a half. The island is a single volcanic cone, 924 m high, that has been erupting every few minutes for as long as records go back. There are no ordinary cars: our bags go up from the quay at Scari by electric cart, and we walk to a small hotel in the village. The afternoon is free for lunch, the church of San Vincenzo and a rest. In the late afternoon those who want to climb meet an authorised volcano guide, as the rules require. The summit has been closed since the eruptions of 2019, and the path climbs to about 400 m, timed so we arrive as the light goes; from there you watch the bursts of lava above the crater terrace. The descent is by head torch, back by about 10 pm. Those who skip the climb take a boat at dusk to the foot of the Sciara del Fuoco, the slope where the lava runs to the sea.

   Compris

   • Hydrofoil from Salina to Stromboli
   • Luggage carried from the quay to the hotel
   • Guided evening climb to about 400 m with an authorised volcano guide, helmet and head torch
   • Or: boat at dusk to the Sciara del Fuoco to watch the eruptions from the sea

   Option plus facile : Take the boat to the Sciara del Fuoco instead of climbing; it sees the eruptions from the water.

   Temps libre : Lunch and the afternoon free in Stromboli village

   Activité : The climb is about 3 to 3.5 hours in all, about 400 m up on sand and rock, partly in the dark. Long trousers, closed shoes with grip, a warm layer and 1.5 litres of water. How high we go, and whether we go, is set by the authorities and the guide on the day.

   

7. Jour 7 : Stromboli by boat, and a farewell dinner

   Stromboli: around the island by boat to Strombolicchio and Ginostra, then the village

   • En bateau
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Stromboli
   Détail du jour 7

   A slow morning after the climb: breakfast late, then the black-sand beach at Ficogrande below the village, or a walk to the observatory viewpoint at Punta Labronzo. Late in the morning we board a local boat for a trip around the island. We pass the sea stack of Strombolicchio, the remnant of an older volcano with a lighthouse on top, run under the Sciara del Fuoco by daylight, where the black slope drops into the sea, and stop at Ginostra, a hamlet on the far side reached only by sea, with a tiny harbour and a handful of houses. There is a swim stop when the sea allows, and lunch is on board or in Ginostra. Back in the village by mid-afternoon, with time free. If last night's climb was cancelled by weather or by the authorities, this evening is the second chance. Otherwise we meet for a farewell dinner, ideally at a terrace where the eruptions show above the roofs after dark.

   Compris

   • Boat trip around Stromboli: Strombolicchio, the Sciara del Fuoco by day and Ginostra, with a swim stop
   • Lunch on the boat trip
   • Farewell dinner on Stromboli
   • Backup evening for the climb if day 6 was cancelled

   Option plus facile : Stay on the boat at Ginostra rather than walking up its stepped lanes.

   Option plus active : Walk up to the Punta Labronzo observatory and back before the boat, about 4 km.

   Temps libre : Morning and mid-afternoon free in Stromboli village

   Activité : An easy day. Swimwear and a towel for the boat; the black sand is hot by midday.

8. Jour 8 : Back to Milazzo and Catania

   Stromboli to Milazzo by hydrofoil, then by road to Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA)

   • Environ 2 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   Détail du jour 8

   Our bags go down to the quay by cart, and we take the morning hydrofoil back to Milazzo; the timetable sets the hour, usually between about 7:30 and 9 am, the only start on the trip before 8 am. The crossing takes about two to two and three quarter hours, calling at some of the other islands on the way, so you see Panarea, Salina, Lipari and Vulcano slide past once more. At Milazzo our driver is waiting, and we drive about an hour and three quarters back down the coast to Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA), with Etna ahead. Your guide sees you to the terminal and checks your flight before saying goodbye. Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm. Because the sea can stop hydrofoils, we strongly suggest not booking a long-haul connection the same day: a night in Catania or Taormina, which we can book, takes the risk away. If the sea is too rough to sail, we stay on Stromboli and the guide arranges the next crossing.

   Compris

   • Hydrofoil from Stromboli to Milazzo with reserved seats
   • Private transfer from Milazzo to Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA)

   Activités en option

   • An extra night in Catania or Taormina (extra, price shown at booking)

   Activité : Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm, or stay a night in Catania before a long-haul flight.

   

Faune et météo : May and June bring warm days of about 22 to 28 C, green slopes and flowering capers on Salina; the sea is still cool in May. September and October are warm with the sea at its warmest and the grape harvest on Salina. Wind can stop hydrofoils in any month, most often in spring and autumn. We do not run in July and August, when hotels and ferries are at their busiest and the climbs are hot.

• Lipari3 nuits
• Salina2 nuits
• Stromboli2 nuits