B&B Diana Brown
Why we like it: Twelve-room bed and breakfast on an alley in the centre of Lipari, five minutes' walk from the harbour, with breakfast on a panoramic terrace.
From €60
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Duration3 nights, Friday to Monday
From Catania1 h 45 by car to Milazzo · 1 h hydrofoil to Lipari
CarNot needed on the islands
Stromboli climb€30 with Magmatrek, March to October
Best timeMay, June, September and October
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to leave Catania early on Friday and return at midday on Monday, from May to October. Two nights on Lipari, the island with the most boats, to see the castle, go out at sunset and cross to Salina; the third on Stromboli, because the explosions are seen at night and without sleeping there you depend on the last boat. No car on the islands.
Friday
- 106:15From Catania to Milazzo
By car, about 100 minutes. 8:30 hydrofoil to Lipari.
- 210:00Lipari castle and museum
Leave your bag at the B&B, which has left luggage, and climb to the castle precinct. The museum is open from 9:00 to 19:30.
- 313:00Lunch at Filippino
At the foot of the castle since 1910. Zuppetta di mare and fish of the day on the terrace.
- 419:00Sunset at the sea stacks
Da Massimo boat from Marina Corta to Pietralunga and Pietra Menalda, with a toast. €30, until 21:00.
Saturday
- 109:45Hydrofoil to Salina
About 35 minutes to Santa Marina. A stroll along the high street and the port.
- 213:00Lunch at 'nni Lausta
A terrace with a garden in Santa Marina; open from April to October. Book.
- 316:25Back to Lipari
A free afternoon: a swim at Canneto, 2 km by bus, or a stroll around Marina Corta.
Sunday
- 108:45Hydrofoil to Stromboli
With a stop at Panarea. Leave your bag at La Sirenetta and go down to Ficogrande beach.
- 2AfternoonClimb Stromboli
With Magmatrek, from their office beside Piazza San Vincenzo, about three hours before sunset. €30, about 5 h, up to 400 m. Trekking footwear and a torch.
Monday
- 111:00Hydrofoil to Milazzo
And car or coach to Catania. You arrive in the early afternoon.
The Aeolians cannot be seen in a day: each island is different and each change of island means time at a port and on a hydrofoil. With three nights you choose well. Two on Lipari, the base with the most boats, to climb to the castle, go out on a boat at sunset and cross to Salina for lunch. And the third on Stromboli, to climb with a guide at nightfall and see the volcano's explosions.
How do you get there from Catania?
From Spain, fly to Catania, with direct flights from several cities. From there to the port of Milazzo, on the north coast, it is about 130 km: an hour and three-quarters by car, or two hours on the Giuntabus coach from the airport, for €13. Leave the car in Milazzo: in 2026 non-residents cannot land it on Lipari from June to September or on Stromboli from May to October, and you will not need it.
From Milazzo, Liberty Lines hydrofoils run to Lipari, Salina and Stromboli several times a day, along with Siremar ferries. To Lipari takes around an hour. Timetables change with the season and the sea: check them at libertylines.it, buy tickets in advance in summer and do not leave the last hydrofoil to Milazzo for the day of your flight.
Where to stay?
| Accommodation | Island | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| B&B Diana Brown | Lipari, in the centre | Five minutes from the port, with breakfast on the terrace |
| La Sirenetta Park Hotel | Stromboli, Ficogrande beach | Above the black beach, with a seawater pool |
| Hotel Signum | Salina, in Malfa | For a treat: spa and a starred restaurant |
The plan sleeps two nights at the B&B Diana Brown, in an alley of Lipari's old town, and the third at La Sirenetta, the hotel born after Rossellini's filming on Stromboli. If you prefer calm and good food, swap Lipari for Hotel Signum, on Salina.
Where to eat
Three tables on three islands. Filippino, on Lipari, is the classic: open every day for over a century, in the Michelin guide. 'nni Lausta, in Santa Marina Salina, is signature Aeolian cooking with its own garden. And if you swap Salina for Vulcano, Trattoria da Pina di Maniaci, in Gelso, serves fish from the archipelago over the sea since 1958; it is 15 km from the port and you must book well ahead.
What if you change a day?
Salina by boat. Instead of the hydrofoil, the Da Massimo boat goes round Salina with a swim at Pollara and a lunch stop at Lingua, from 10:00 to 17:00, for €50.
Vulcano. The boat tour of Vulcano leaves Lipari at 10:00 and returns at 17:00, for €35, with a stop at the port of the fumaroles.
Without sleeping on Stromboli. Da Massimo leaves Lipari at 12:00, stops at Panarea and leaves you with the Magmatrek guides; you return to Lipari around 23:00. It costs €80 with the guide, but it is a very long day.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Aeolian Islands, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Aeolian Islands
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Where to stay
Where to stay in Aeolian Islands
Hotel Signum
Why we like it: Boutique hotel of the Caruso family in Malfa, Salina: a small restored Aeolian borgo with a geothermal-water spa and Martina Caruso's Michelin-starred restaurant.
La Sirenetta Park Hotel
Why we like it: White hotel on the black beach of Ficogrande, on Stromboli, born after Rossellini and Bergman's 1949 film shoot: garden, seawater pool and the La Tartana bar.
Where to eat
Where to eat in Aeolian Islands
Filippino
What to order: the zuppetta di mare di nonno Filippino, which the Michelin guide recommends, the totani ripieni all'eoliana and, for dessert, the Corinth grape mousse with Malvasia
Open every day at lunchtime and in the evening. Book in summer, especially the terrace.
Nni Lausta
What to order: the ceviche of the day or the cuttlefish battuto with citron, the home-made tagliolini with lemon pesto and tuna bottarga, the Aeolian-style rabbit with vino cotto and almonds, and the ricotta cannolo
Open every day from 1 April to 31 October. Booking is recommended.
Trattoria da Pina di Maniaci
What to order: raw seafood to start, pasta with sardines or alla Norma, and the fish of the day fried or grilled; if they have it, the pesce alla cipollata, the house speciality
Far from the harbour, about 15 km across the island. Book well in advance.
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book Magmatrek a week ahead
In summer the groups fill up.
- 2Check the sea every night
In strong wind hydrofoils and boats are cancelled: have a museum plan.
- 3Travel light
You change island twice and walk from the port to the accommodation.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many nights do you need in the Aeolians?
Three is the minimum to see three islands without rushing; with four to six you go more gently.
Is it worth sleeping on Stromboli?
Yes: the explosions are seen at night, and if you do not sleep there you depend on the last boat.
Do you need a car?
No. Leave it in Milazzo; the islands are covered on foot, by bus, taxi or hydrofoil.
When should you go?
From May to October. The Stromboli climb with Magmatrek runs from 15 March to 31 October.