Italy · Aeolian Islands
Yacht Charter Panarea
The smallest of the seven, the one without cars, and the anchorage the whole archipelago converges on in August.
Panarea is three square kilometres and the oldest of the seven volcanoes, worn down to a low green island with white cube houses and no cars on it. In August it holds the most concentrated fleet in the Tyrrhenian; in June it holds almost nobody, and the difference is entirely a matter of dates rather than of the island.
The islets, which are the real reason
East of the island sit Basiluzzo, Dattilo, Lisca Bianca and Bottaro — volcanic stacks in shallow water, with gas still bubbling up through the seabed between them. You anchor among them and swim through the bubbles.
Cala Junco, on the south-east corner, is a natural amphitheatre of rock with a Bronze Age village on the headland above it, and it is the anchorage people remember.
Getting the timing right
Panarea in August is a scene and the anchorage is crowded from lunchtime. Arriving at eight in the morning or staying for the evening after the day boats leave gives you a different island for the same fuel.
There are no cars. Everything moves by electric buggy or on foot, which is most of what keeps it feeling unlike the rest of the archipelago.
Practical notes
- Sailed from Portorosa or Capo d'Orlando, where sixteen of this fleet's yachts sit
- No cars on the island — buggies and foot, and the harbour is small
- The islets east of Panarea have gas bubbling through the seabed; the anchorage among them is the point of coming
- August is a scene and the bay is full from lunchtime; June and September are the same island, quieter
Reached from: Portorosa and Capo d'Orlando
Where to dine
A table by the water
Hycesia
PanareaBehind the harbour, doing the fish properly for people who walked up from a tender.
Da Pina
PanareaA courtyard kitchen that has fed the island since before it was fashionable.
Cala Junco
PanareaNo restaurant at all — the reason it is on this list is that lunch aboard, anchored there, beats anything ashore.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The eastern islets
Basiluzzo, Dattilo, Lisca Bianca and Bottaro: volcanic stacks in shallow water with gas bubbling up through the seabed between them.
Cala Junco
A natural amphitheatre of rock on the south-east corner, with a Bronze Age village on the headland above it.
Punta Milazzese
The Bronze Age settlement itself, twenty-three huts on the headland, excavated and left open.
Stromboli at dusk
An hour north-east, and the reason many weeks put Panarea immediately before it.
The fleet
Yachts available for Panarea
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Panarea
- Why is Panarea so busy in August?
- Because it is small, fashionable and central to the archipelago, so everything converges. The fix is the hour rather than the month: at eight in the morning and after seven in the evening it is a different island.
- What is there to do on Panarea?
- Very little ashore, deliberately. The islets to the east are the reason to come — volcanic stacks in shallow water with gas bubbling up between them, and Cala Junco under a Bronze Age village.
- What does a yacht charter to Panarea cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter at Panarea
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.