37.75° N · 15.00° E · Etna
You go up by cable car and 4x4 to about 2,850 m and from there walk with an alpine guide to the edge of the summit craters, at more than 3,300 m. It takes about five or six hours, costs €130 with all the equipment and depends each day on what the volcano is doing.
Part of Etna
Who offers it
Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.
Step by step
At the Baita delle Guide, next to the Rifugio Sapienza, at 1,910 m. They give you boots, socks, jacket and helmet. There are departures at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30, depending on the day.
About 20 minutes by cable car up to 2,500 m and another 20 by 4x4 up to about 2,850 m.
Along a track and path of ash and lapilli to the edge of the craters, at more than 3,300 m, with fumaroles and the smell of sulphur.
The guide explains the activity of each crater and chooses where to view them from depending on the wind and gases.
On foot to the upper cable car station, at 2,500 m, and down by cable car.
Access to the summit is regulated and you can only go up with authorised guides. When the volcano is active or the weather is bad, the area is closed and the excursion is replaced by a lower one.
Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe, and its summit changes shape with every eruption. This excursion is the only way to look into the craters at the top, at more than 3,300 metres, where the ground is hot, fumaroles rise and the smell of sulphur fills everything. On a clear day you can see a good part of Sicily and the Ionian Sea.
It is run by the alpine and volcanology guides of the Gruppo Guide Alpine Etna Sud, based at the Baita delle Guide at the Rifugio Sapienza. They decide each day how far you can go up, depending on what the volcano is doing and the authorities' rules.
In November 2026 the guides warn that the summit craters are closed. If they are still closed on the day you book, you are moved to the Etna 3000 excursion, which stays lower down. Book knowing that this can happen and that the decision is almost always taken at the last minute.
Anyone who walks confidently in the mountains and can stand five or six hours at high altitude, in cold and wind. No mountaineering experience is needed: the guides provide the equipment and the path is ash and lapilli, with no climbing sections. Children from 7 years old pay a reduced rate, but only if they are used to walking a lot.
It is not for you if you are pregnant or have cardiovascular problems, asthma, severe hypertension or anxiety: the guides advise against it. Nor if altitude affects you badly: at 3,300 m it is harder to breathe.
The meeting point is on the esplanade of the Rifugio Sapienza, on the southern slope, above Nicolosi. By car you go up from Catania via Nicolosi and park on the esplanade itself. Without a car, there is a bus from Catania, but it has few departures a day and you should check that it gets you there in time for the 8:30 or 9:30 departure.
It runs when the summit is open and the weather allows. In winter the upper part is usually snowy and conditions change quickly; summer and early autumn offer more days when it is possible. Take the first departure: clouds tend to form over the summit from midday.
€130 per adult and €120 for ages 7 to 14, with return cable car, 4x4 on the way up, boots, socks, jacket, helmet and guide. You only add the journey to the Rifugio Sapienza and the food you bring.
In bad weather or volcanic risk the guides may cancel or interrupt the excursion. If it becomes Etna 3000, you still go up to the high zone by cable car and 4x4. If nothing goes up, next to the Rifugio Sapienza you have the Silvestri craters, extinct cones that can be walked round in a short time with no entry fee.
Who it's for
What to bring
More to do
Itineraries
Tips
The craters often close. If they are closed on the day you book, the guides move you to the Etna 3000 excursion.
In the afternoon clouds tend to form on the summit.
If you are coming from Catania or Taormina, sleeping in Nicolosi or near the Rifugio Sapienza saves you the early start.
At the top the wind changes where the fumaroles are. If the guide tells you to move aside, move aside.
Questions
Not to the crater zone: access is restricted and is done with authorised guides.
€130 per adult and €120 for ages 7 to 14, with cable car, 4x4, equipment and guide.
The guides advise against it for pregnant women and people with heart problems, asthma, severe hypertension or anxiety.
The guides may cancel or interrupt the excursion because of volcanic risk or bad weather.
In November 2026, no. If it is still closed on the day you book, the excursion becomes Etna 3000.
With the form on the guides' website, choosing the date and departure time, or by phone and WhatsApp.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/things-to-do/etna-summit-craters-guided
