Stromboli Boats from Tropea

Boarding at Tropea or Vibo Marina

The Tropea boats on this site come from three operators: Eolie Savadori, Tripodi Navigazione and Comerci Navigazione. They don’t share a quay. Savadori checks in at its desk at Porto Pescatori, the fishing harbour on Via Marina below the town. Tripodi boards at the Porto Commerciale. Comerci boards on Viale Raf Vallone in Tropea port, and an hour earlier at Vibo Marina, where its boat leaves at 8:20. Savadori’s three-island boat also drops passengers back at Vibo Marina.

Savadori and Tripodi ask you to be at the port at least 30 minutes before departure, and Comerci’s staff help with check-in on the quay. That is when you show your booking and pay the Aeolian landing tax, currently €5 in summer and €2.50 out of season. Savadori takes it in cash at check-in, Tripodi at the port, and Comerci before boarding; none includes it in the GetYourGuide price.

How long the crossing takes

Calabria is a long way from the islands by Aeolian standards. One sailing guide gives about 30 nautical miles from Tropea to Stromboli and 40 to Panarea, while a Tropea operator puts Stromboli at 60 to 70 km and about an hour and a half at sea. Savadori’s Stromboli-only boat bears that out: it leaves Tropea at 14:00 and lands around 15:30. Three-island boats go to Lipari first, and Tripodi’s 9:30 departure reaches Marina Corta around 12:15.

That sailing time is the main difference from leaving Lipari or Milazzo. From Lipari the crossing is short, and Tornado’s speedboat is back by 10 pm. From Tropea you spend more of the day on deck and return close to midnight.

Savadori, Tripodi or Comerci

Eolie Savadori’s Lipari, Panarea and Stromboli by night (our breakdown) is the most-reviewed Tropea tour on this site: $76, rated 4.5 from 764 reviews. You get about 2.5 hours on Lipari, 1.5 on Panarea with no swimming, then Stromboli from about 17:50 to 19:30 with beaches near the harbour. Commentary runs over the microphone in Italian, English and German. It is a large boat; one reviewer counted around 200 people on board.

Tripodi’s Lipari, Panarea and Stromboli by night (our breakdown) follows a similar plan for $74, rated 4.1 from 677 reviews. It leaves at 9:30 and is due back at 22:15. Several reviewers say most of the commentary was in Italian with short English summaries.

Tripodi’s Panarea and Stromboli at night (our breakdown) skips Lipari. For $74, rated 4.4 from 190 reviews, you get about 2.5 hours on Panarea and again on Stromboli, leaving Tropea at 10:30 and Stromboli at 19:20. On Panarea an optional €10 boat tour runs round the islets and Basiluzzo.

Comerci’s Lipari, Panarea and Stromboli night cruise (our breakdown) costs $79, rated 4.2 from 408 reviews. It gives the longest Stromboli stop of the three-island boats, about three hours, and leaves the island around 20:15. You are back around 22:30 at Tropea and 23:30 at Vibo Marina.

Savadori’s Stromboli by night (our breakdown) is the short option: $68, rated 4.4 from 255 reviews, an afternoon start and three to four hours on Stromboli alone before the 19:30 departure. It suits anyone who wants a swim, dinner in San Vincenzo and the Sciara without a full day at sea.

Day trip or night trip

The night boats time the Sciara del Fuoco stop for dusk, and how dark it is depends on the month. Sunset on Stromboli was about 20:27 in mid-June and 19:56 in mid-August, so with boats leaving the island around 19:20 to 19:30, summer stops often fall at twilight. Reviewers of the Stromboli-only trip make the same point. By the end of September sunset was 18:45, and by mid-October about 18:23, so the stop now happens in darkness.

Savadori’s Vulcano, Lipari and Stromboli day trip (our breakdown) is a different day: $76, rated 4.6 from 460 reviews, with Vulcano and Lipari first, Panarea seen only in passing and about 75 minutes on Stromboli. It is back in Tropea at 19:00, so you see the Sciara in daylight and glowing lava is unlikely.

Some Tropea “by day” listings elsewhere on GetYourGuide, such as t921685 and t414025, don’t land on Stromboli at all; they only sail past it. They are not on this site. Before booking any Tropea trip, check that the itinerary lists a landing at Scari or San Vincenzo.

A long day with a late return

Plan for 12 to 13 hours from Tropea on the three-island boats, and nearer 15 if you board Comerci’s boat at Vibo Marina. Arrange transport from the port before you leave, bring cash (card facilities can be limited), swimwear and a warm layer for the night crossing. Scari pier on Stromboli was damaged in January 2026 and repaired by 22 May 2026.

Boats must stay 2 nautical miles off the Sciara del Fuoco, so you watch from a distance and binoculars help. Activity varies from night to night, some evenings showing only glow and noise, and the captain may skip the stop in rough sea. None of these boats leaves time for a hike; see the Stromboli volcano hike page and the Stromboli by night page for other ways to see it. For the month-by-month picture, read the best time for a Stromboli boat tour.

Check dates for the Savadori Tropea night trip.