HOW LONG
AEOLIAN DAY TRIP
It is possible to visit the Aeolian Islands on a private day trip from Sicily’s mainland and precisely from the north coast of Sicily: Milazzo, Capo d’Orlando and Portorosa, 1h30 from Taormina and 2hours drive from Palermo.
We can provide you with a wide range of boat options, from delightful wooden craft boats to motorboats and luxury yachts.
AEOLIAN WEEKEND
As you can imagine these islands are a local weekenders’ escape. Italians who own a house in one of the islands usually go there on weekends in early and late summer, while they spend longer vacation in August.
If you are planning a weekend then our recommendation is to spend 3 nights in one of the islands staying at a boutique property and taking one or two day trips to the other islands. We’ll customize your 72hours escape including stunning blue cobalt waters, active volcanoes to climb at sunset, fresh seafood and Malvasia wine.
AEOLIAN EXTENSION
Continue your tour of Sicily with an amazing Aeolian Islands extension. Spend 2 nights in Salina and 2 nights in Vulcano. Discover the laid-back essence of Salina and taste the best granita of all the Aeolian islands. Take a boat trip to Panarea & Stromboli, for a glance to the two most iconic islands of the archipelago, and a breathtaking guided hike at sunset to Vulcano’s Gran Cratere.
AEOLIAN VACATION
One week or two or – supreme privilege – a month. Then options are endless, from an island-hopping adventure on a deluxe catamaran, to renting a stunning villa on the remote island of Filicudi. Get in touch with us to tailor your dream trip to the Aeolian Islands.
WHICH ISLAND
Each of the seven Aeolian Islands has its own distinct landscape and character. Each island is unique and everyone has his own favorite. This is a short introduction to help you choose your island.
Get in touch with us, schedule a phone call to talk together about this wonderful and unique destination and find out what is your island and your dream vacation to the Aeolian Islands.
SALINA
Everyone refers to Salina as the greenest of the Aeolian Islands and certainly it is, but there’s much more. Salina is a laid-back lovely island with probably the best food scene and the best offer of whitewashed boutique hotels of the archipelago. If you’re looking for a leisurely vacation and planning to base yourself on one island and visit some of the others on day trips, then Salina is a great choice to stay on.
LIPARI
Called ‘Meligunis’ – sweet in Greek – Lipari boasts dramatic cliffs, pristine beaches and the scenic pumice caves. If you come with us you won’t miss a sunset tasting of Malvasia wine on the terrace of a gorgeous winery. Malvasia delle Lipari is the ‘nectar of the gods’, a DOC wine coming from vineyards perched on terraces overhanging the sea.
VULCANO
The ancients believed that Vulcano was the chimney of the fire god Vulcan’s workshop and the moment you set foot on it, it becomes clear that this is indeed a setting fit for a god. Unspoilt nature, black sand, smoky fumaroles, therapeutic mud baths and hot springs. You shouldn’t miss to kayak to grottos and thermal caves with turquoise water and natural pools and embark on a easy guided hike to the Gran Cratere at sunset. A lunar landscape of smoking holes and yellow sulphur awaits you on top. And what a view! all the Aeolian Islands in a row rising out of the blue of the sea.
STROMBOLI
Besides being an active volcano offering the unique show of the fire streams falling down its side like fire waterfalls into the blue sea, Stromboli is a love nest and has been the setting for one of the most beautiful and scandalous love stories of the 50s. It was 1949 when Ingrid Bergman, the director Roberto Rossellini and the troupe disembarked in Stromboli to film the movie Stromboli, Terra di Dio. In a remote and wild Stromboli where women dressed in black, their tempestuous and scandalous affair broke out.
PANAREA
You are unlikely to be alone, here people want to see and be seen. The smallest of the Aeolian Islands is packed with beauty, white-washed houses, glamour and wildness. Panarea is famed to be the jet-set island but if you are after its more authentic soul just take one of thepaths that go out of the centre. As the sun sets, treat yourselves to a bit of partying with local cult restaurants, aperitifs, boat parties and summer nightlife.
FILICUDI
This is unique. Filicudi is a rocky unspoilt island, peppered with whitewashed houses prickly pears and flowering capers growing out of every crag and where life has a rythm of his own. Many of its inhabitants have over the years emigrated, to Australia mostly, but many dreamers have become its citizens, they came here by chance, usually on vacation and said fine I’ll stop here.
Dreamers are welcome here, in the evening there are parties in private houses, you can go to the “Saloon” in the village of Pecorini for a beer and then to the restaurant or sometimes they organize dinner in a home restaurant on a magical terrace overlooking the sea.
ALICUDI
The westernmost of the Aeolian islands is pristine and remote. There are no hotels except a few simple b&b and that makes it perfect for a day trip. Slow down and enjoy a wonderful hike in this lovely island where the streets are donkey paths and taste the most delicious fish just caught by fisherman Silvio.
WHEN TO GO
The best time to visit the Aeolian Islands is May to October, wonderful weather and plenty of sun.
Within this though, the very best time varies depending on your interests.
MAY & OCTOBER
The weather might be a bit mixed but warm enough for a swim and cool enough for hiking. You’ll experience the islands like a local. No tourists, just few travelers and seasonal residents. If you catch the hydrofoil early in the morning you’ll find yourself among commuter teachers and children from the smaller islands going to school to Lipari.
JUNE & JULY
is the perfect time for a family vacation, an islands hopping by a deluxe catamar or a romantic getaway to lively islands in a nice balance between not too many crowds and the pleasure of bars and restaurants frequented by regulars and like-minded travelers.
AUGUST
August is party time. It’s the best time for a vacation with friends and to experience the energy of summer. You party on the boats at anchor, you return from the sea burned by the sun for a mulberry granita, get ready for dinner and party again. Of course each island has its own style even in August and while in Panarea you go dancing at Raya, in Filicudi parties are in private homes.
In any case in August it’s fun.
HOW TO GET THERE
Although there are several options for getting to the Aeolian Islands, these are the best ways we have set up for you.
Wether we’ll pick you up upon arrival at Catania airport or at the last stage of a journey around Sicily, you’ll be privately transferred to Milazzo harbour. We’ll arrange from here a private speedboat transfer to your island or provide you with the tickets for regular hydrofoils departing almost every hour.
Alternatively kick off your adventure with a heli transfer (25 min to 40 minutes depending on the island) from the helipad halfway between Catania and Taormina and start right away with the best views of these volcanic islands scattered in blue cobalt waters.