Sicily · Aeolian archipelago
Yacht Charter Aeolian Islands
Crewed charters to the seven islands from Portorosa and Capo d'Orlando — Stromboli, Panarea, Salina and Lipari.
There is one archipelago in the Mediterranean where a volcano erupts on a twenty-minute cycle every night of the year, and you can be anchored off it. The Aeolians are seven islands inside a circle small enough that a week covers all of them properly, which is rare — and sixteen of our yachts are based on the Sicilian coast two to three hours south of them.
Seven islands, and they are not interchangeable
Lipari is the largest and the only one with a town in the ordinary sense — a proper harbour, a good archaeological museum built on obsidian and pottery, and somewhere to reprovision. Salina next door is the green one, terraced with capers and Malvasia vines, and the island most people are surprised by.
Panarea is the small, smart one: whitewashed, expensive in August, and worth the anchorage off Basiluzzo for the snorkelling over sunken Roman remains. Vulcano has the sulphur mud baths and the smell that comes with them. Filicudi and Alicudi are the far pair, thinly inhabited, and the reason to have a week rather than four days.
Stromboli is the one people come for. The Sciara del Fuoco — the black scar down the north-west face where the ejecta runs into the sea — is best seen from the water after dark, which is a thing a chartered boat can do and a ferry cannot.
The week most parties actually sail
Out of Portorosa or Capo d'Orlando, Vulcano and Lipari are two to three hours and make the first night. Salina follows, then Panarea with a stop at Basiluzzo, then the run up to Stromboli timed so that you are off the Sciara at dusk.
The return has two versions. If the weather holds, west to Filicudi and Alicudi and back down — the quiet half of the archipelago, and the one that makes a repeat visit. If it does not, back down the inside through Salina and Lipari, which is no hardship.
Almost every night is spent at anchor. There are berths on Lipari, Salina and Vulcano, they are few, and in August they are gone. Anchoring here is normal rather than a compromise: the bays are deep, clear and mostly empty by the time the day boats have left.
What to know before you commit
This is exposed water. The islands are volcanic cones with steep sides and few sheltered corners, and a Tyrrhenian blow can shut the crossing between two of them for a day. A week here needs one spare day in it, and a skipper who will use that day rather than push.
The Stromboli night approach depends on the sea state, not on the volcano, which is reliably active. Anyone who guarantees you the show has not sailed here. What can be promised is that if the sea allows it in your week, you will be taken.
The boats based here are catamarans and sailing yachts, some with crew and the smaller ones with a skipper available on request. We would take the skipper regardless — the anchorages are tight, the hydrofoil traffic is constant and local knowledge changes the week.
Practical notes
- Portorosa and Capo d'Orlando are the two bases — sixteen yachts between them, all sailing yachts and catamarans
- Vulcano and Lipari are two to three hours from either base; the whole archipelago fits comfortably inside a week
- Berths exist on Lipari, Salina and Vulcano and are scarce in August — most nights are spent at anchor
- The Sciara del Fuoco is seen from the water after dark, sea state permitting; the summit climb is on foot with a licensed guide
- Catania and Palermo airports are both around ninety minutes to two hours from the bases by road
Reached from: Portorosa, Capo d'Orlando and Tropea
Where to dine
A table by the water
Cusiritati
PanareaThe island's gastronomic benchmark — catch of the day, sea-urchin pasta, harbour views.
Trattoria Da Pina
Filicudi PortoAuthentic Aeolian cooking, roast octopus and swordfish pasta in a family setting.
Porto Bello
Santa Marina SalinaSeafront terrace; Salina specialities — caper pesto, macaroni with cuttlefish ink.
La Canna
FilicudiMichelin-listed — red prawns, sarde a beccafico, local passito Malvasia.
Punta Lena
StromboliBeneath the volcano; essential cooking — perfect on the eve of the climb.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Stromboli summit climb
Guided night trek to the crater (mandatory guide) — three hours return. Spectacle guaranteed.
Basiluzzo snorkelling
An uninhabited islet between Panarea and Stromboli — underwater archaeology, crystal water.
Vulcano mud baths
Naturally warm sulphur pools — therapeutic, with an unmistakable aroma.
Aeolian Museum, Lipari
One of the most complete prehistoric museums in the Mediterranean — obsidian and ceramics.
Lingua lagoon, Salina
A brackish pool cut off from the sea — migratory birds and views to Lipari and Vulcano.
The fleet
Yachts available for the Aeolian Islands
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Itineraries
Yacht charter itineraries in the Aeolian Islands
What a week here actually looks like, day by day.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about the Aeolian Islands
- How long does it take to reach the Aeolians from the base?
- Two to three hours to Vulcano or Lipari from Portorosa or Capo d'Orlando, depending on the boat and the sea. It is the first leg of the week rather than a day out.
- Can the Aeolian Islands be done in a long weekend?
- Vulcano, Lipari and Salina, yes. Stromboli and the western islands, no — and Stromboli after dark is the reason most people come. Three days sees a third of the archipelago and the wrong third.
- Is the Stromboli eruption guaranteed?
- The volcano is active more or less continuously, so the honest variable is not the eruption but the sea. If the state of the sea lets us anchor off the Sciara del Fuoco in your week, your skipper will take you. Nobody can promise the weather.
- Are the yachts crewed?
- Some are, and on the smaller catamarans and monohulls a skipper is available on request. In this archipelago we recommend one whatever the boat: the anchorages are deep and tight, and knowing which bay to leave when the wind backs is the difference between a good week and a rough one.
- What does a charter in the Aeolian Islands cost?
- Rates depend on the yacht, the week and whether you take a crew, so we quote on enquiry. Send us your dates and how many of you there are and we will come back with a proposal.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter in the Aeolian Islands
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.