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Aeolian Islands · The smoking island
The first island you reach coming from Milazzo, and the most distinctive to explore by boat: fumaroles rising from the crater, a sea that is warm from below in places, and a west coast that has no rival at sunset. We help you find the right boat to experience it.
Why choose it
Vulcano is best understood arriving from the sea. From a distance you recognise the fumaroles rising from the Gran Cratere, the smell of sulphur the air carries, the dark rock cut through by green scrub. It is a landscape no other island in the archipelago gives you.
The most surprising thing does not show on the surface. On the north side, between the harbour of Levante and the point, the seabed hides geothermal springs that warm the sea: the water is warm to the touch and you can watch the bubbles rise. You anchor a short way off and get in the water. Be careful not to confuse this with the mud baths: those, sulphurous, are on land, a few minutes' walk from the harbour, and you cannot reach them by boat.
With a full day it is worth the trip out to the west coast, the side that is hardest to reach from land and the most beautiful when the sun goes down: tall lava walls, isolated coves, and at the far end the tiny village of Gelso, with its lighthouse and a handful of houses by the sea. That is where the best day ends, with the sunset light behind you on the way back.
Worth knowing before you set sail
The Gran Cratere is still active, and the stretch of sea beneath it is subject to navigation limits that can tighten or loosen depending on the volcano's activity. There is no fixed distance valid forever, so you will not find a number here: before you go out, check the rules in force at that moment, or rely on a skipper or a local operator, who is required to know them. It is the most relaxed way to enjoy the day without worrying.
What to budget
In Vulcano most operators work on request and do not display a public price list, so a reliable reference price, like the one you find in Lipari, does not exist here. That is why we do not make up figures: we would rather help you find the right offer case by case.
Many visitors choose to rent from Lipari, a quarter of an hour away by hydrofoil, where the choice of boats is wider and prices are clearer, and still spend the day on this coast. Tell us how you picture it and we will suggest the most sensible solution, at no cost to you.
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Three stops that make a day sailing around the island.
On the north side the sea is warm from below and you can watch bubbles rise from the seabed. You stop at anchor and get in the water: it is the island's most distinctive experience.
Passages of lava rock, arches and small inlets with crystal-clear water, explored slowly by dinghy or by swimming. No roads, just sea and dark stone.
At the far south, the village of Gelso with its lighthouse and the Asino beach. The ideal spot to stop as the sun goes down, before heading back to the harbour.
Tunnels and pools carved into the rock, where the water inside seems lit from below. You can only enter from the sea, and only when the sea is calm. It is one of the Aeolian locations from Nolan's Odyssey: here is the full tour of the film's locations.
Questions about Vulcano
Yes. The area around the Gran Cratere is subject to limits that ban or restrict close navigation, and these limits change according to the volcano's level of activity. There is no fixed distance valid forever: before you go out, check the rules in force or ask the operator, who is required to know them.
No, the sulphurous mud baths are on land, a few minutes' walk from the harbour of Levante. By boat you instead reach the submarine thermal waters on the north side, where the seabed is warm to the touch and you can see bubbles rising: it is a different experience, and just as distinctive.
In Vulcano many operators give prices only on request and do not publish a price list, so there is no reliable reference price like there is in Lipari. Many visitors rent from Lipari, a quarter of an hour away by hydrofoil, where the choice is wider. Tell us about your day and we will help you find the right solution with a free quote.
The next step
Here prices are not written down anywhere, but we know where to look. Tell us the date, how many of you there are and what you would like to see: we will find you the right boat, no strings attached.
Get a free quote