barefootbeach

Hi,
I really want to visit the Aeolian Islands...preferably four nights in Salina with a day trip to Panarea and Stromboli, but I'd have to be there the last week of September. Are things shut down by then....boats, restaurants, etc? Would it be better to be in Lipari for more to be open? Will the weather still be warm enough for the beach? Thanks for any insights you can give me!

bobthenavigator

No !

GAC

Late September is not too late to visit the Aeolians. Stay in Lipari town if you want more activities, hotel/restaurant choices and shops. The other islands will be quieter. Four days on Stromboli or Panarea might be too much for some. I'd choose either Lipari or Salina.

barefootbeach

Thanks bob & GAC....which island would you pick to stay on for four nights...Salina or Lipari? Is one more beautiful than the other?
We would just do a day trip to see Stromboli and hopefully Panarea.

humptynumpty

Best time to visit. Weather "should" be perfect and the crowds gone. The rain usually starts later in October.

Nights can be much cooler than the days.

GAC

You can easily do daytrips to the other islands from either Lipari or Salina. Lipari has more "going on" and a better selection of hotels and restaurants, plus a wonderful Cathedral and Archeological Museum. Salina is quieter, more rustic and with far fewer inhabitants and tourists. Lipari town is the only real "small town" in the Archipelago. Everything else are just hamlets. If you want more of a "small town feel", stay in Lipari. If you want more seclusion, stay on Salina or in the more remote parts of Lipari. Both islands are very beautiful, but Salina is more "lush".

A_Brit_In_Ischia

We've stayed on Lipari very early in the season, and had a lovely time with almost no one about - the restaurants etc were open and running, both there and on other islands.

But oddly enough, when we went to Vulcano, there loads of people around... must be the hot springs and mud that attracts them - like here on Ischia - and I'd imagine the same may very well happen into October?

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/aeolians

Salina had the best red prawns, by a mile, but if you intend to do some exploring then perhaps Lipari is better served by the hydrofoils and ferries... especially once any peak-season services are withdrawn?

Peter

barefootbeach

Thanks to all of you for your good advice. Salina seems to have several great hotels to stay at....I liked the looks of Capofaro Malvasia, Principe di Salinca, and Hotel Ravesi. Plus, I like the idea of "lushness" I haven't found one on Lipari that hit me, yet I think that may be a better choice given the lateness of the season and the desire to see Stromboli and Panarea too. Any ideas of where to stay in Lipari? I think I'd rather be a bit outside the main town for some tranquility...and a balcony or terrace with a killer view is a must.

aprillilacs

I've been to the Aeolian Islands twice in the last few years--both times in May, before the high season kicked into gear. Fabulous! Click on my name above for my trip report from last May, which will give you some details. We loved it so much that we are returning yet again, this time in September for 3 weeks. The first trip we based in Lipari and took day trips to Panarea, Stromboli, Salina, and Vulcano. Last year we based for a week each on Panarea and Salina. This year we're returning for a week each on Panarea, Lipari, and Salina. We're addicted!

Lipari is a great base that gives you the best access to the other islands because there are many private companies that run boats to the various places, as well as the Siremar and Ustica hydrofoils that ply between the islands. It has lots of good restaurants and a lively shopping area, as well as some historical sites. Late in the season it might actually be the best base. We stay at Diana Brown's B&B in Lipari center--not what you are looking for (in town, no killer view), but a bargain price and quite comfortable. We'll make an excursion from there to Stromboli so my husband can climb the volcano. I might even try it myself!

Panarea is simply wonderful. Small, compact, a totally walking island (except for the golf-cart taxis and the 3-wheel utility vehicles), with beautiful accommodations and also some good restaurants. We just love the ambiance there, which is why we're returning for another week. (Definitely wouldn't go in July or August, though, when it is reputed by the local shopowners to be a hysterical playground for the rich.)

Salina has several small-scale commercial centers spread out around the island. It's the biggest of the main islands--very nice. Easy to rent scooters or a jeep there or take the local buses to visit everywhere on the island. We based in Malfa last year--it was friendly, low-key, quieter than Lipari town. This year we're renting a place in Pollara, which is more isolated but beautiful. I wouldn't say that Salina is any "lusher" than any of the other islands, but if you mean lush in terms of the hotels, you might think about Hotel Raya on Panarea.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong in the Aeolian Islands, no matter where you end up.

GAC

When I mentioned that Salina is more "lush" I meant to say that it's greener than the other islands. Perhaps it's the wooded twin mountains on Salina that contribute to this perception on my part.

Lipari is the largest island in the Archipelago: 37.6 square kilometers, followed by Salina (26.8), Vulcano (21) and Stromboli (12.6). Panarea is the smallest (3.4)

barefootbeach

Thanks again GAC and aprilliacs....your trip reports are part of what sold me on the Aeolians.
However, now I got so frustrated yesterday trying to get information on how to get to Millazo by train from Palermo, I've decided to simplify our trip and not go. The trentitalia website kept telling me I couldn't get a train from Palermo to Messina, which I know is wrong, and then we'd need the train to Millazo. If we were going before Sept 15th, we could just go from Palermo. I thought of renting a car, driving to Millazo and parking the car for the five days, but that seems like a big waste of money.

As a bit of background for this trip, we'll have spent two weeks in Corsica and one in Sardinia before we hit Sicily. I think to ease our travel burden, we'll just spend the time exploring Sicily,
unless someone has an easier suggestion on how to get from Palermo to the islands.

GAC

I think your problem is the spelling: "Milazzo", not "Millazo". Here's how:

1. Trenitalia train from Palermo Centrale to Milazzo;
2. Taxi (15 Euros), or local bus from Milazzo train station to Milazzo hydrofoil dock
3. Hydrofoil or car ferry from Milazzo dock to Lipari (or Salina).

www.ferroviedellostato.it

www.usticalines.it

www.siremar.it

http://www.aziendasicilianatrasporti...rioInvMe06.htm


Here is an example of a possible itinerary:

1. Trenitalia regionale train from Palermo at 8:08, arrive Milazzo 10:31. Fare: 10.20 Euros. Unreserved train.

2. Taxi or local bus from Milazzo train station to dock.

3. Siremar hydrofoil from Milazzo at 12:15, arrive Lipari 13:20. Fare: 14.70 Euros Reservations optional and likely not essential for late September.

NOTE: The train and hydrofoil schedules have not yet been published for late September. Schedules above are estimates and need to be verified closer to departure.

barefootbeach

Thanks GAC. I too found out from TA that my problem was that the train doesn't list any schedules that far in advance (and I realized I had misspelled Milazzo). So, it now looks more doable, especially if there are early trains like you cite.

aprillilacs

I knew GAC would come through with accurate and helpful information. One of the charms of the Aeolis is that they are hard to get to--keeps most people away! But that said, it was easy to get from Catania to Milazzo by train, and likewise from Milazzo to Palermo. So I'm sure you can work it out. It seems harder than it actually is.

Franck

Salina for ever! Greener, nicer, simply more! Especially if you love nature and september will be the best period to appreciate more people and sights still enjoying the perfect temperature of the Tyrrenean sea, heated up during the summer.

barefootbeach

Thanks to all of you for great advice, but with great disappointment, I cut the Aeolians out of our Sicily plans for convenience. We'll be traveling 5 weeks to Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, and it was beginning to seem like too much of a hassle. If I could've gotten a direct boat to their from Palermo, I would've gone, but they stopped running after Sept. 15th. So, I just have to hope that I can get there sometime in the future and just concentrate on them. With a first time trip to Sicily, we didn't want to shortchange our visit there or run ourselves ragged with travel.

LucieV

GAC: Is early October too late to visit the Aeolians? I was advised on TA that visiting the Aeolians (I had specifically been considering Salina) in October might be a bit iffy due to weather restrictions on the ferries, etc. (We are not renting a car, will be traveling for 10 days in Sicily via public transportation.)
Grazie mille.

bowentraveller

I have booked a villa in Lipari for mid October and am hoping to swim at some point. Is that unrealistic?

Grazie

humptynumpty

I swam in the sea in Siracusa in the last week of October last year.

The weather was just OK (17oC) but the sea as warmer than we expected.

I have visited Southern Europe in October for years. Malaga, Sicily and Greece are always your best bets for weather but the temperatures can be anywhere between 15oC and 30oC. It is a lottery. Storms can also be an issue.

Having said that, we have just returned from two weeks in Sardinia in July and the weather was anything but good. It rained 4 days out of 14.

barefootbeach

humptynumpty,
I'm so sorry to hear about the rain! That certainly puts a damper on things. I hope you found enough other good things to do. Are you writing a trip report?