Boating around the Aeolian islands

Visiting the islands by sea is the best experience if you love water. There are many different options depending on how much time you want to spend and your budget: a private boat with a skipper shared group boats, and rent your private boat for the day/half day. Our Reception is always available to support the booking or update you with the info for you to evaluate at the best. Please find below a quick overview of the options:

Around Salina:

The tour of Salina takes approx. 3 hours. Several group boats offer daily tours in the waters around Salina. Since there are many available options, there is no rush to book such a service in advance, and our suggestion would be to schedule it one to two days before, or once you arrive in Salina. This way you can select a day that not only fits in with the rest of your plans but on which the sea conditions are also suitable.

There is also the option of taking a private tour with your skipper, which gives you total flexibility in time. As these tours are often in high demand, we would suggest booking them at least 2/3 days in advance. Skippers offer different-sized boats which do the tour, and different durations (usually 3 or 4 hours). The prices start at 200 euros.

Finally, you can consider renting your boat to explore the sea – just like a real captain. Prices start approx from 100 euros per day.

Around the Aeolian islands:

The sea is the best way to explore the islands; the blue and calm water is often warm due to the surrounding volcanos, and it is very pleasant to swim in. To organize tours to the other islands you have different options:

- Group tours: Different companies have a weekly calendar to visit the islands. The schedule changes very often as it depends on water conditions and the level of demand. Our reception is always updated with the latest news and can suggest dates and book for you. We never suggest booking before your arrival, as the plans are not reliable and for longer excursions, you want to assure you pick a day with suitable weather and sea conditions. 

- Private tours with your skipper to the other islands can be beautiful but a bit more expensive (starting from 400 euros) - it def offers a more personalized experience which you can book ahead.

- Hydrofoils aren’t ideal to explore the Aeolian Archipelago, but they are a great way to reach the other islands during the day. The rides vary from 15 min to 35 min. The timetable is always available at our Reception and you can also review it online at www.libertylines.it.

- Finally, also, in this case, you can consider renting your boat. To have enough time to reach the islands, we suggest a min of 1 full day.

Most common tours around the islands

Filicudi & Alicudi: these islands are very isolated, so this trip includes a lot of snorkels around nature and the blue sea. Often dolphins are in the water. It is also a full-day excursion leaving in the morning and coming back around 6 pm.

Group trips and private tours are available, as private you can also decide to focus only on one of the two islands.

Alternatively, you can consider taking the hydrofoil to reach one of the two islands, one in the morning and one to come back in the afternoon – they are very few rides per day but we can direct you further in case this sounds interesting to you.

Night @ Stromboli:

One of the most famous experiences is the night excursion to the Stromboli volcano – in this case, and considering the recent development of the volcano there are diff options:

Group tours Panarea & Stromboli

The explosion is beautiful and there are group tours to visit the Stromboli during the night. These tours usually leave in the afternoon from Salina, bring you first to Panarea (which is on the way), and then get to Stromboli, where the boat will stop in from of the “Sciara” and serve you an easy dinner while waiting for the dark sky to come - to enjoy a full show. The price is usually around 70 euros per person.

Group tours Ginostra by night

These tours, leaving later in the afternoon (around 5 pm) take you to Ginostra (the other side of the Island of Stromboli) where you can enjoy the beautiful view of the volcano and the explosions during sunset time while having an Aperitivo on their terrace. The price is also around 60 euros per person.

Usually, it departs from Santa Marina Port (15-20 min by taxi or bus).

Private experience

There is a private option that will give you more privacy and make the experience even more special. You will have the flexibility of departure and arrival time as you can easily decide with the skipper what you would like to do. We suggest a departure in the afternoon around 3 pm, while the return should be after sunset time, in this way you will be able to enjoy the volcano eruption with a magical night atmosphere. The price starts from 450 euros.

If you would like to also add a stop in Panarea Island (which is located between Salina and Stromboli) we suggest anticipating the departure around 1 pm – in this case, the price starts from 500 euros.

Hike the Volcano

Unfortunately, this year will not be yet possible to hike the volcano fully. In the past years, they have organized half hikes, but it is very much dependent on the Vulcano activities so we can guarantee only the last minute.

Lipari & Vulcano

These islands are the closest to Salina, they are bigger than the other islands and connections via hydrofoils are almost every hour. If you are keen to visit one or both of them our suggestion is to catch the hydrofoil and reach the island, there at the port, you can rent a scooter or a car and use it to explore.

Alternatively, there are group tours, and you can also consider a private skipper.

Happy Boating!