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Day itinerary · 37.76° N · 15.00° E

A Saturday on Etna, from the 1892 cones to almost 3,000 metres, and lunch on a farm.

About 50 minutes from Catania: the cable car and 4x4 up to almost 3,000 m, the 1892 cones on foot and a long lunch at a farm stay in Sant'Alfio.

Leaving from
Direct flight to Catania fromBarcelona 2 h 15Alicante 2 h 30Valencia 2 h 30Madrid 2 h 45Sevilla 3 h 15Flight times are approximate.
See the planChoose a restaurant

Part of Etna

4x4 bus of the Etna cable carJi-Elle · CC BY-SA 3.0
Total time9 h
By car45 min each way
From CataniaAbout 50 min by car
Maximum altitudeClose to 3,000 m
BookingLunch, always
DaysSaturday and Sunday
Cost€90–135 pp

The plan

The day at a glance

Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.

  1. Leave Catania 45 min by car

    Via Nicolosi and the south Etna road to the Rifugio Sapienza esplanade

  2. 1
    Etna cable car and 4x4 ride up to 3,000 metres

    Funivia dell'Etna · Tour 3000 with off-road vehicle and guide · €82

    Activity company With Funivia dell'Etna From €82 per person
    Book
  3. 4 min on foot
  4. 2
    Silvestri Craters, next to the Rifugio Sapienza

    Across the road · free

  5. 45 min by car26,3 km
  6. 3
    Case Perrotta restaurant, Etna farm-stay cooking in Sant'Alfio

    Only Saturday and Sunday at midday, by reservation · Sunday menu published at €38

    Via Andronico, 2, 95010 Sant'Alfio · +39 095 968928

    Restaurant €€€
    Book
  7. Back home

    In Catania around 16:45

Approximate cost About €120–140 per person

Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.

The route

Etna cable car and 4x4 ride up to 3,000 metres

Etna's southern slope in a day, with no long hikes: you go up by cable car and 4x4 to close to 3,000 m, walk round the cones of the 1892 eruption beside the Rifugio Sapienza and go down to eat at an organic farm stay in Sant'Alfio, with views of the sea and the volcano. Everything starts early, because the summit is usually covered in cloud from midday.

Getting there from Spain

By plane to Catania, with direct flights from several Spanish cities, and by hire car from the airport. Sleep the night before in Catania: the plan leaves from the city and the esplanade of the Rifugio Sapienza is about 50 minutes away via Nicolosi. Without a car there is an AST bus in the morning to the Rifugio, but then you do not get to lunch at Case Perrotta.

The day, hour by hour

8:00 · Leave Catania. Go up via Nicolosi and the Etna Sud road to the esplanade of the Rifugio Sapienza, at 1,910 m. Park there: you have everything on foot.

9:00 · Cable car and Tour 3000. The Funivia dell'Etna climbs to 2,500 m over black lava flows. With the Tour 3000 you continue by 4x4, or snowcat in winter, to close to 3,000 m and walk a while with an alpine or volcanological guide among extinct cones. It costs €82 with everything; the return cable car alone, €54. Up top they hire boots and windcheaters. Allow about two and a half hours.

11:45 · Crateri Silvestri. On the other side of the road, two cones from the 1892 eruption that you walk round on lapilli paths in about 45 minutes. They are free and need no guide.

13:15 · Lunch at Case Perrotta. Go down towards the east slope to Sant'Alfio, about 800 m. The organic farm stay is open at lunchtime on Saturday and Sunday, from 13:00 to 14:30, and only with a booking. Catania and Etna cooking with produce from the farm: house fried dishes, maccheroni with ragù and aubergine, a mixed grill served on a roof tile and cannolicchi of ricotta. The published Sunday menus cost €38 without drinks.

15:45 · Return. In Catania at about 16:45. If you have time to spare, buy oil or preserves at the farm shop before leaving.

With children or in bad weather

With children the plan works: the Tour 3000 suits all ages and the Crateri Silvestri are the easiest volcanic outing. Case Perrotta has a children's menu on Sundays. If the summit is in cloud or closed because of wind, stay with the cable car alone or with the Crateri Silvestri; on a Saturday, swap the morning for the Circumetnea train.

Time2 h 30
4x4 bus of the Etna cable carJi-Elle · CC BY-SA 3.0

Change the route

With young children, if it rains or if you fancy something else: another stop that fits the same day.

Summit craters of Etna
If you are fit and the summit is open: summit craters with a guide, €130, all day; eat afterwards at the Rifugio: Etna summit craters with a volcanology guideTrekking · 5–6 h · 8 km · From €130 · Very demanding
The facade of Rifugio Sapienza, with the hotel, restaurant, pizzeria and bar signs
If it is a weekday and Case Perrotta is not open at midday: restaurant, pizzeria and bar at the Rifugio itself, on the esplanade; book by WhatsApp: Rifugio Sapienza, hotel at 1,910 metres beside the Etna cable carMountain hotel with 20 rooms at 1,910 m on the south slope, on the esplanade of the cable car and the guides: sleeping here means being up there before anyone else.
Circumetnea train at Randazzo station
If the summit is in cloud or closed by wind and it is Saturday: the train around the volcano via Bronte and Randazzo: Circumetnea train around the volcanoNarrow-gauge train around Etna through Bronte and Randazzo to Riposto, with a bus from Catania; Monday to Saturday, no booking.

Where to eat

Where to eat?

Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.

A plate of pasta with basil and a bottle of Etna wine on a terrace table© Cave OxEtna cooking and north-slope wines

Cave Ox, restaurant, pizzeria and wine cellar in Solicchiata

Restaurant · Solicchiata, Castiglione di Sicilia · €€€€

What to order: the fusilloni with Bronte pistachio, the Etna bistecca by weight or a pizza from the wood-fired oven, with an Etna red from its cellar.

Map

The stops, in order

With where to park at each one.

What to do Eat 88 €Stay Services

Getting there

By car or without one?

By car

The way to do the whole plan: 48 minutes from Catania to the Rifugio Sapienza and about 40 to Sant'Alfio. Have the car prepared in winter.

Without a car

The AST bus leaves from Piazza Giovanni XXIII at 8:15 and arrives at 10:15; it returns at about 16:30. It gives you the cable car and the Crateri Silvestri; eat at the Rifugio.

When to go

When to go to Etna

Saturday or Sunday, when Case Perrotta is open at lunchtime. Best from April to June and in September and October; in winter there is snow up top and the 4x4 goes up as a snowcat.

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Best timeGood timeLow season

Tips

Worth knowing first

  1. 1
    Go up early

    Clouds usually cover the summit from midday.

  2. 2
    Bring a coat

    At 3,000 m it is cold and windy even if it is summer below.

  3. 3
    Book lunch

    Case Perrotta does not give a table without a booking.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does the day cost?

Between €120 and €135 per person with the Tour 3000 and the Sunday menu, without petrol. With the cable car only, between €90 and €105.

Can it be done on a weekday?

Yes, but Case Perrotta is open at lunchtime only at weekends: eat at the Rifugio Sapienza restaurant.

Do you need to be fit?

No. The Tour 3000 takes you up by 4x4 and the walks are short, although at high altitude.

How do I get there from Spain?

By plane to Catania and a hire car; the Rifugio Sapienza is about 50 minutes from the city.

More plans like this

Other days of walking and good food

The Pisquerra landform, in the Bardena Blanca
The Bardenas by 4x4 and lunch in TudelaGuided 4x4 3 h + Ribera vegetables €€€
A green TurisNat off-road vehicle fording a stream in the sierra
Cazorla: 4x4, olive oil and castleGuided 4x4 route · 4 h 30 + Tasting menu €€€€
The Bomfim 1896 dining room, with picture windows towards the quinta
Pinhão: Bomfim 1896 and a tastingTrain along the Douro + Douro cooking in a wood-fired oven €€€ + Tasting at the quinta
A museum room with a full-size chip stand and giant cones
Bruges with children: chips, a boat and swansFrietmuseum · €7 children + Boat 30 min · €9 children + Brasserie De Halve Maan €€

geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/itineraries/etna-south-cable-car-day-case-perrotta-from-catania
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.

9 h plan · €120–135 pp with the Tour 3000 and the Sunday menu; €90–105 with the cable car only
From Catania · 45 min
See the plan

Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/itineraries/etna-south-cable-car-day-case-perrotta-from-catania