From Milazzo: Panarea & Stromboli Cruise Excursion

About This Experience

Check in at the Navisal ticket office on Via dei Mille in Milazzo, where you swap your voucher for boarding instructions and pay the Aeolian landing tax. In high summer boarding is at 11:15 and the boat sails at 11:45; from 15 September both move half an hour earlier, to 10:45 and 11:15. The operator asks you to be at the office at least an hour before the sailing, so plan for parking near the port.

The boat leaves past Milazzo Castle on its headland and heads for Panarea. Before docking it slows off Cala Junco and the Capo Milazzese promontory, where the remains of a Bronze Age village of 22 oval stone huts sit above the cove, then follows the coast past Cala degli Zimmari and Drauto Bay. At the port of San Pietro you have about two hours to two and a quarter hours of free time to walk the white lanes, eat or find a swim.

From Panarea the route threads the islets left over from an old volcanic caldera, among them Dattilo, Lisca Bianca, Bottaro and Basiluzzo, before crossing to Stromboli. At San Vincenzo-Scari you get roughly two and a quarter to two and a half hours ashore. Black pebble and sand beaches run from beside the port, and a road climbs through the village to the church of San Vincenzo, whose square looks out to Strombolicchio.

After reboarding, the boat circles Strombolicchio and then stops briefly off the Sciara del Fuoco as the light goes, so you can watch the volcano if it is active that evening. Arrival back in Milazzo is expected between about 21:30 and 22:30, depending on sunset. Commentary is played as a recorded audio guide in Italian, English, French and German, with crew on hand for passenger assistance.

Highlights

• Cala Junco and the Bronze Age village on Capo Milazzese, seen from the sea before docking
• About two hours of free time in San Pietro on Panarea
• A slow pass through the islets of Basiluzzo, Lisca Bianca, Dattilo and Bottaro
• Over two hours at Scari, with black beaches right beside the port
• Strombolicchio and its lighthouse rock from the water
• A short stop beneath the Sciara del Fuoco as the sun sets, sea permitting

What's Included

• ✓ Return boat trip from Milazzo to Panarea and Stromboli
• ✓ Free stops ashore at San Pietro (Panarea) and San Vincenzo-Scari (Stromboli)
• ✓ Recorded audio commentary in Italian, English, French and German
• ✓ Passenger assistance from the crew
• ✓ A visit by sea to Strombolicchio
• ✓ A short stop off the Sciara del Fuoco at sunset, sea permitting

Not Included

• Aeolian landing tax (€5 from June to September, €2.50 from October to May), paid at the Navisal ticket office
• Food and drinks
• Transport and parking at the port of Milazzo
• Gratuities

What to Bring

• Passport or ID card
• Comfortable shoes
• Swimwear and a towel
• Sunscreen and sunglasses
• A charged smartphone
• A warm layer for the evening crossing
• Cash for the landing tax

Good to Know & Caveats

• Validate your ticket at the Navisal office at least one hour before departure; from 15 September boarding is at 10:45 and departure at 11:15.
• The return time shifts with sunset, between about 21:30 and 22:30.
• The Sciara del Fuoco stop is short and depends on sea conditions; volcanic activity varies and explosions are never guaranteed.
• Landings are subject to local ordinances, and departures, stops and visits may change for weather, sea or operational reasons.
• The trip runs rain or shine unless the weather or sea is unfavourable.
• Bikes, alcohol, drugs, fireworks and explosive substances are not allowed on board.

Meeting Point

Navisal ticket office, Via dei Mille 39, Milazzo, where you validate your ticket at least one hour before departure.