geocalia
Day itinerary · 38.47° N · 14.95° E
Drive to Milazzo, hydrofoil to Lipari, a mid-morning boat to Vulcano with a swim and its fumaroles, and a seafood lunch at Filippino, beside the castle.
Part of Aeolian Islands
The plan
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
From Catania to the port of Milazzo by motorway; park in Milazzo
Da Massimo, from Marina Corta · short trip to Vulcano, €20, back at 13:00
+39 090 601 9841
Museum from 9:00 to 19:30; castle precinct until 19:00 from May to October
Hydrofoil from Lipari to Milazzo; check the timetable for your date
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
The Aeolian Islands can be sampled in a day from Catania if you start early. You leave the car in Milazzo, cross by hydrofoil to Lipari and, from the small harbour, take a boat from the Da Massimo agency to Vulcano: sea stacks, a swim and a harbour that smells of sulphur. At midday, seafood at Filippino, open since 1910 at the foot of the castle, and in the afternoon the archaeological museum before the hydrofoil back.
Fly to Catania, with direct flights from several Spanish cities. From the airport or the city to the port of Milazzo, on Sicily's north coast, it is about 130 km, an hour and three-quarters by car on the motorway. Without a car, the Giuntabus coach links Catania airport with Milazzo in about two hours, for €13, with more departures from April to October.
From Milazzo, Liberty Lines hydrofoils run to Vulcano and Lipari several times a day all year round, along with Siremar ferries that carry cars. Allow an hour by hydrofoil to Lipari, with a stop at Vulcano. Timetables change with the season: check them at libertylines.it and buy your ticket in advance in summer. You do not need a car on the islands, and in summer almost none of them let you land one.
6:15 · Leave Catania. Motorway to Milazzo; park near the port.
8:30 · Hydrofoil to Lipari. You arrive in Lipari around 9:30. Walk to Marina Corta, the small harbour, about ten minutes away.
10:00 · Boat to Vulcano. Da Massimo runs a short trip: a swim at Spiaggia di Vinci on Lipari, past the sea stacks, the Scoglio della Mummia and the Grotta degli Angeli, and a stop at Vulcano's black-sand beach, from where you can reach the fumaroles and the village. You are back at 13:00. It costs €20. If you want the whole day on Vulcano, the full circuit of the island costs €35 and returns at 17:00.
13:30 · Lunch at Filippino. On Piazza Mazzini, beside the castle. Ask for a table on the terrace: the house zuppetta di mare, stuffed totani or the fish of the day.
15:30 · Lipari castle and museum. Climb up to the castle precinct, just above, and visit the Aeolian Archaeological Museum: the prehistory of the islands, the shipwrecks and the Greek theatre masks.
17:00 · Return. Hydrofoil to Milazzo and car to Catania; you arrive around 20:00.
Where to eat
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
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
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
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
Map
With where to park at each one.
Getting there
When to go
From May to October, when the excursion boats run and the sea is good for swimming. In July and August buy the hydrofoil in advance. In strong wind the hydrofoils are cancelled: check the forecast the day before.
Tips
In August the early boats fill up.
You can swim at both Lipari and Vulcano.
If you get into the waters at Vulcano, the sulphur stains and smells.
Questions
Yes, if you leave early: car or coach to Milazzo and a hydrofoil to Lipari or Vulcano.
About three hours: 1 h 45 by car to Milazzo and an hour by hydrofoil.
No. The whole plan is done on foot and by boat.
Hydrofoils and boats may be cancelled. Check the forecast and, if it is borderline, swap the boat for the museum.
More plans like this
geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/aeolian-islands/itineraries/vulcano-boat-and-lipari-day-trip-from-catania
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/aeolian-islands/itineraries/vulcano-boat-and-lipari-day-trip-from-catania
