Aeolian Islands Ferry Timetables
Latest update: 9 February 2024
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The Aeolian Islands ferry timetables are the most complex set of timetables in Italy and an effective visit to the UNESCO World Heritage listed island group requires a degree of pre-planning.
There are seven islands in the archipelago and for the most part, you can reach each island directly from any of the others. The most popular route into the island group is from the Sicilian mainland port of Milazzo, with more than 20 different sailing times available at the peak of summer, via either ferry or hydrofoil. The ferries are operated by a company called Siremar and the hydrofoils by the Liberty Lines company with crossings available all year round. |
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Aeolian Islands Ferry Tickets and Schedules
Reaching the Aeolian Islands
It's also possible to sail to the Aeolian Islands from other ports in Sicily, as well as from further north on the Italian mainland. Aside from Milazzo, connections are also available from the Sicilian cities of Messina and Palermo, while the neighbouring region of Calabria offers sailings from two ports: Reggio Calabria and Vibo Marina. The longest journeys into the Aeolian Islands are from the Campania region ports of Naples and Salerno.
Journey Times
The shortest journey time from the Sicilian mainland is from Milazzo to Vulcano which takes as little as 40 minutes via hydrofoil to cover the 33 kilometres between the two ports. The longest journey time is the 18 hour ferry journey from Naples to Milazzo which covers the much greater distance of just over 300 kilometres.
Boat Types and Ferry Companies
Hydrofoils are operated by Liberty Lines and it's important to note the difference between them and the ferries which are operated by Siremar. Generally-speaking, there's a choice between the two types of craft for each route with the hydrofoils being the faster but slightly more expensive option. The hydrofoils are for foot passengers only whereas the ferries carry cars as well as foot passengers. It should be noted however, that for many of the islands, it's not possible to take your car across.
Prices
The cheapest adult one-way ticket for a crossing from Milazzo is €17.30 for the ferry crossing to Vulcano. The hydrofoil offers the better value for that route with the €20 ticket providing the same crossing in just 40 minutes compared to the hour and 5 minutes of the ferry.
Timetables
As there are seven different islands and eight other ports from which you can sail in and out of the Aeolian Islands, the timetables are too complex to display on a single page. Therefore, for a full breakdown of sailing times, prices, distances and other useful information, please refer to the appropriate ferry schedules link for each island or port which are listed further down the page. You'll also find an individual link to each route with more detailed information.
Ticket Booking
If you just want to jump straight into booking a ticket for any of the Aeolian Islands ferry or hydrofoil routes, just use the ticket booking engine below. Please note, charges are applicable when booking your ticket online which may not be the case when you buy your tickets directly from the ticket office at the port. The booking engine can also be used simply to check the latest times and you can reach that stage without having to go as far as purchasing a ticket if you don't wish to.
It's also possible to sail to the Aeolian Islands from other ports in Sicily, as well as from further north on the Italian mainland. Aside from Milazzo, connections are also available from the Sicilian cities of Messina and Palermo, while the neighbouring region of Calabria offers sailings from two ports: Reggio Calabria and Vibo Marina. The longest journeys into the Aeolian Islands are from the Campania region ports of Naples and Salerno.
Journey Times
The shortest journey time from the Sicilian mainland is from Milazzo to Vulcano which takes as little as 40 minutes via hydrofoil to cover the 33 kilometres between the two ports. The longest journey time is the 18 hour ferry journey from Naples to Milazzo which covers the much greater distance of just over 300 kilometres.
Boat Types and Ferry Companies
Hydrofoils are operated by Liberty Lines and it's important to note the difference between them and the ferries which are operated by Siremar. Generally-speaking, there's a choice between the two types of craft for each route with the hydrofoils being the faster but slightly more expensive option. The hydrofoils are for foot passengers only whereas the ferries carry cars as well as foot passengers. It should be noted however, that for many of the islands, it's not possible to take your car across.
Prices
The cheapest adult one-way ticket for a crossing from Milazzo is €17.30 for the ferry crossing to Vulcano. The hydrofoil offers the better value for that route with the €20 ticket providing the same crossing in just 40 minutes compared to the hour and 5 minutes of the ferry.
Timetables
As there are seven different islands and eight other ports from which you can sail in and out of the Aeolian Islands, the timetables are too complex to display on a single page. Therefore, for a full breakdown of sailing times, prices, distances and other useful information, please refer to the appropriate ferry schedules link for each island or port which are listed further down the page. You'll also find an individual link to each route with more detailed information.
Ticket Booking
If you just want to jump straight into booking a ticket for any of the Aeolian Islands ferry or hydrofoil routes, just use the ticket booking engine below. Please note, charges are applicable when booking your ticket online which may not be the case when you buy your tickets directly from the ticket office at the port. The booking engine can also be used simply to check the latest times and you can reach that stage without having to go as far as purchasing a ticket if you don't wish to.
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Alicudi is the most remote of the seven Aeolian Islands, around 60 kilometres west of Lipari. The most popular route to Alicudi from the Sicilian mainland is via the port of Milazzo with up to four hydrofoil crossings available per day during the summer.
It's also possible to reach Alicudi from each of the other six Aeolian Islands, although sometimes a direct crossing might not be available and it may be necessary to travel via one of the more central islands such as Lipari, Salina or Vulcano. Aside from the Sicilian mainland port of Milazzo, direct connections to Alicudi are also possible from Palermo and Messina. |
Alicudi
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Filicudi is often mentioned in the same sentence as its near neighbour Alicudi as they share a number of similarities from their geographical location to their size of population and very names.
However, Filicudi is slightly closer to the central group of islands which are situated to the east, with Salina around 20 kilometres away. From Filicudi to Milazzo takes just over two hours by hydrofoil or around double that by ferry. Given the slight detachment from the main group of islands, Filicudi receives fewer visitors than the likes of Lipari or Salina, and is in fact one of the most peaceful places in Italy. |
Filicudi
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For many people, Lipari is the main island of the archipelago; it has the largest population in the Aeolian Islands and is an important travel hub. It's possible to sail directly to more than a dozen other locations from Lipari including Naples and Palermo.
Situated 36 kilometres from Milazzo, the sea crossing takes as little as 45 minutes by hydrofoil or an hour and 40 minutes by ferry. Of the seven islands, Lipari is the one with the best choice of accommodation and is perhaps the best place to base oneself for a period of exploration around the archipelago. It's also possible to bring a car across to Lipari at certain times of the year. |
Lipari
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Panarea is situated to the north-east of the main group of islands, just over 20 kilometres away from Lipari and a similar distance to Stromboli which is the island furthest to the north.
Although only a very small island, Panarea is one of the most famous and is known for its VIP party atmosphere which brings locals across from the Sicilian mainland at the weekends. From Milazzo it takes an hour and 20 minutes by hydrofoil with a one-way adult ticket costing around €18. You can sail to five of the other Aeolian Islands directly from Panarea, with Alicudi being the only exception. |
Panarea
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Arguably the second island of the archipelago, Salina is situated at the top of the central group of three, with Filicudi to its west and Panarea to the east.
There are two ports in Salina from which you can take ferry or hydrofoil crossings: the most popular of the two is Santa Marina on the east coast while the port of Rinella on the south coast of the island also offers a number of connections. The fastest hydrofoil crossing from Salina to Milazzo takes just under an hour and a half and costs €17.55 one-way for an adult. |
Salina
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Individual Timetables from Salina
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Fiery Stromboli draws gasps from visitors with nightly displays of lava emanating from its volcano. It marks the north-eastern boundary of the island group and as such, is just as easy to visit from Calabria as it is from Sicily.
From the small port of Vibo Marina on the Tyrrhenian Coast of Calabria it takes an hour and 20 minutes by hydrofoil which is around 25 minutes faster than from Milazzo. Connections from Vibo Marina are restricted to the summer months however and on selected days of the week whereas the Milazzo sailings are available all year round. |
Stromboli
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Vulcano is the closest island to the Sicilian mainland: situated 33 kilometres from the port of Milazzo. It's known for its mud baths and volcanic activity, with hiking routes available up to the crater.
Many people choose Vulcano as their first or even only destination in the Aeolian Islands as it's the easiest one to reach. The journey time by hydrofoil is just 45 minutes with a single adult ticket costing €15. At the height of summer there are as many as 14 hydrofoil crossings per day as well as five ferries from Milazzo. It's possible to sail directly to each of the other islands from Vulcano without exception as well as Palermo, Messina and Naples. |
Vulcano
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Routes to the Aeolian Islands from the Sicilian Mainland
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Compared to the port of Milazzo, a smaller number of sailings into the Aeolian Islands are available from the city of Messina via the Liberty Lines hydrofoils. The crossings are available all year round and number as many as five per day during the peak of summer.
The distance of 61 kilometres as the crow flies between Messina and Lipari rises to 77 km by sea as it's first necessary to navigate the Messina Strait before turning west to the Aeolian Islands. This extra distance makes for a longer sea crossing than from Milazzo, about 40 minutes more in the case of the hydrofoils, roughly the same amount of time by road between the two cities. |
Messina
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Individual Timetables from Messina
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The Sicilian mainland port of Milazzo is synonymous with crossings to the Aeolian Islands and their most popular departure point.
The Milazzo to Lipari route runs up to 22 times per day during the summer with 16 hydrofoil crossings and half a dozen by ferry. By hydrofoil it takes 50 minutes to reach Lipari with an adult one-way ticket costing around €21. Given its proximity to the islands, Milazzo is often used as a base from which to explore the archipelago with a larger number of accommodation options available than on most of the islands. This is especially the case with the likes of Alicudi and Filicudi. |
Milazzo
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Individual Timetables from Milazzo
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The Sicilian capital of Palermo is another city on the island region's mainland from which it's possible to sail to the Aeolian Islands.
Given the greater distance to the archipelago compared to Milazzo, there are fewer crossings available from Palermo but which in certain circumstances can prove the most convenient. Hydrofoil services are offered by Liberty Lines once a day during the summer. From Palermo, the hydrofoil makes stops at each island; first at Alicudi which is just under two hours away. The daily crossing leaves Palermo at 13:50 and reaches its final stop of Stromboli at 19:15 with a stop at Milazzo 15 minutes earlier. |
Palermo
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Individual Timetables from Palermo
