Tropea: Lipari, Panarea, and Stromboli Boat Tour by Night

About This Experience

The boat leaves Tropea's commercial port at 9:30, and you need to be at the Tripodi boarding point 30 minutes earlier to check in. It reaches Marina Corta on Lipari around 12:15 for a stop of about two and a half hours. Lipari has plenty of restaurants for lunch, and the Basilica of San Bartolomeo, the castle and the Archaeological Museum are all within walking distance of the harbour.

If you would rather be on the water, an optional boat tour costing €10 runs along Lipari's wilder west coast to Vinci beach and Valle Muria and across to Vulcano's Grotta del Cavallo and Piscine di Venere. For a swim at Canneto beach you need to take local transport. The boat leaves Lipari at 2:45 pm and reaches San Pietro on Panarea at about 3:30 pm.

On Panarea you can walk uphill through the village to the small church of San Pietro for a view over the islets. Cala Junco and the Bronze Age village at Capo Milazzese are about 45 minutes away on foot, so take a taxi if you want to see them. The boat leaves at 5:15 pm and arrives at Scari on Stromboli at about 5:45 pm.

Stromboli gets about an hour and a half by the timetable: time for the black sand beaches, the village of San Vincenzo and an early dinner. At 7:20 pm the boat sails round Strombolicchio and stops for about 30 minutes under the Sciara del Fuoco. Whether the volcano puts on a show depends on its activity that night and on the sea. Arrival back in Tropea is estimated at 10:15 pm.

Highlights

• About two and a half hours on Lipari for the castle, San Bartolomeo and lunch
• San Pietro on Panarea and the walk up to its hilltop church
• About an hour and a half at Scari, with the black beaches and San Vincenzo village
• A full circuit of Strombolicchio on the way to the volcano
• About 30 minutes under the Sciara del Fuoco after sunset, sea permitting
• Optional €10 boat tour on Lipari to Valle Muria and Vulcano's Piscine di Venere

What's Included

• ✓ Boat tour from Tropea to Lipari, Panarea and Stromboli
• ✓ Guide on board
• ✓ Free time ashore at Marina Corta on Lipari
• ✓ Free time ashore at San Pietro on Panarea and Scari on Stromboli
• ✓ A circuit of Strombolicchio and a stop of about 30 minutes off the Sciara del Fuoco, sea permitting

Not Included

• Aeolian Islands landing tax, paid at the port
• Food and drink
• Entry tickets to sights such as Lipari's museum
• Optional €10 boat tour on Lipari
• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Gratuities

What to Bring

• Passport or ID card
• Comfortable shoes
• Comfortable clothes and a warm layer for the evening
• Swimwear and a towel if you plan to swim on Panarea or Stromboli
• Cash for the landing tax, the optional boat tour and meals

Good to Know & Caveats

• Check in at Tropea port at least 30 minutes before the 9:30 departure.
• The landing tax is not included and is paid at the port on the day.
• Commentary is mainly in Italian, with shorter summaries in English.
• Stromboli's activity varies and explosions are never guaranteed; the Sciara del Fuoco stop depends on the sea.
• Landings depend on sea conditions, and an island stop can occasionally be dropped.
• It is a long day, with an estimated return to Tropea at 10:15 pm.

Meeting Point

Tripodi Navigazione boarding point, Porto Commerciale, 89861 Tropea; check in at least 30 minutes before the 9:30 departure.