Hello all. I have to get from Naples to Lipari. I am leaving my hotel in Naples on May 26 and heading straight for Lipari. I am wondering what the fastest/cheapest/best way to get to Lipari from Naples is. The ferries dont seem to run with great frequency. I was considering something along the lines of taking the train from Naples to Reggio-Calabria and getting a ferry from there or something...Can anyone recommend what they think is the best/easiest/fastest/cheapest way to get to Lipari from Naples?
Any help would be much appreciated,

Liam

Siremar's overnight ship leaves Napoli on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2100 and gets to Lipari at 0935 (www.siremar.it). You should book a cabin on the ship rather than staying a night in Napoli.
Fast craft from Napoli only run in the peak season.
The most frequent services to Lipari go from Milazzo which can be reached by train (though you need a bus or taxi from the station to the port).
www.trenitalia.com
www.siremar.it
www.usticalines.it

The train from Napoli to Messina is about 6 hours and costs about 47E 1st class 35E 2nd class per person. Then you have to take the giuntabus.com from Messina to Milazzo (about 1 hr) then you can take a hydrofoil (about 1hr) to Lipari. Most people prefer the Siremar overnight ferry. It's a lot of fun and coming up on Stromboli at sunrise is awesome.

thanks for the responses. a related question as it seems like you guys have been there before...whats the weather like in late may on lipari and the aeolian islands in general? is it beach/swimming weather? thats what im hoping for but im a bit worried, thinking i may be going too early if im going around may 27.... thanks again

I have always found the weather in the Aeolians in May and June beautiful. All the famous Sicilian wild flowers are in bloom. As far as swimming goes - I spend half the year in Florida so I can't swim in water under 85 degrees. So I only swim around the hot fumeroles.
However I have seen plenty of people swimming, mostly at the shore and warmer lagoon areas, but many from boats. Bring flip flops because the black sand beaches get very hot.

After a period of considerable confusion, it now appears that the schedule of overnight car ferries between Naples and the Aeolian Islands has been permanently reduced to TWICE WEEKLY: from Naples on Tuesday and Friday evenings; return to Naples on Monday and Thursday late afternoons. This ferry is operated by Siremar Lines. The Siremar ferry has both sleeping cabins and reclining seats. THIS SERVICE RUNS ALL YEAR ROUND, EVEN IN WINTER. Sometimes, the ferry departure can be delayed or cancelled due to very severe weather. The Siremar ferries are large (11,000 tons) and comfortable.

From late June to mid-September, a competitor ferry operator, Medmar Lines, runs a smaller overnight car ferry between Naples and the Aeolian Islands ONCE PER WEEK. The Medmar ferry DOES NOT HAVE SLEEPING CABINS.

From June through September, there are also three hydrofoil operators between Naples and the Aeolian Islands: SNAV, Ustica Lines and Alilauro. Hydrofoils are twice as fast, and cost twice as much, as the traditional overnight ferry. Hydrofoils operate only by day.
Hydrofoil service is subject to cancellation due to poor weather.

Finally, one can always take the train from Naples to Milazzo (on Sicily's northern coast), then a frequent car ferry (up to 6 per day) or hydrofoil (up to 17 per day) on to Lipari. Service in winter is reduced, as is service to the other Aeolian Islands.

If travelling between mid-June and mid-September, is is very wise to book a cabin or reclining seat in advance, as both the ferries and the hydrofoils are very crowded during this vacation period. During the winter, early spring and late autumn, it is very rarely necessary to book in advance (except for Easter).


For further information, read my posting "Naples to Aeolian Islands Ferry: the complete details" posted in www.slowtrav.com

http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a...641#5861024641

www.siremar.it
www.medmargroup.it
www.snav.it
www.usticalines.it
www.alilauro.it
www.trenitalia.it

UPDATE:

While Siremar Lines continues to connect Naples and Lipari twice a week year-round (subject to delays or cancellation for rough seas, particularly in winter), there is much uncertainty whether this overnight car fery crossing will be extended into 2009 and beyond, owing to severe budgetary limitations and the anticipated privatization of the maritime company.

Apart from the summer months, the route is not (and has never been) economically viable, as few passengers take the overnight crossing during the winter months; yet the ships continue to operate, primarily for the benefit of tractor-trailers and other large vehicles.

Tourists anticipating to take this ferry between Naples and the Aeolian Islands should verify and re-verify the schedules from time to time and particularly before departure.

www.siremar.it

The crossing is extremely worthwhile, as it affords travellers unforgettable panoramas of the islands which are connected to Naples: Stromboli, Panarea, Salina, Lipari and Vulcano (terminating at Milazzo on the Sicilian mainland). (There are connections to Filicudi and Alicudi from Rinella Port on Salina Island).

The Siremar ferry has both sleeping cabins (with and without private facilities) and reclining seats. There is usually no need to reserve seats or cabins outside of the summer months, and certainly not between mid-October and the end of April (apart from Easter week). Ferry tickets can be purchased at the Port of departure on the morning of departure.

I attempt to keep information on this ferry crossing up-to-date in my postings in www.slowtrav.com

P.S.: Medmar Lines NO LONGER connects Naples with the Aeolian Islands, leaving Siremar Lines as the ONLY operator on this route on a year-round basis (there are other hydrofoil operators during the summer months).

Just a personal note - I've taken the overnight ferry from Naples to Lipari twice - and returned twice by ferry also - and enjoyed it very much. The second time I planned my trip so I could arrive in Naples and leave on the ferry that same evening, thus saving the cost of a room in Naples. Waking before dawn to the sight of the dark mass of Stromboli slowly passing by my porthole, watching the sun rise behind Strombolicchino, then spending a morning slowly threading between the islands before reaching Lipari is a delight. Here are a couple of photos: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p37969650.html & http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/p38350301.html

The ferry cabins themselves are fairly comfortable and I have slept well each time. And one time the kitchen prepared veal al limone which was succulent and crispy and altogether excellent. Good wine too.

I'm planning another trip, by ferry of course, in May 2009. I've devoted one chapter of the book 'Mezzogiorno' to Lipari: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/346411

Thanks for the news, GAC. I took the ferry from Lipari to Naples last year and the views really were wonderful. It would be sad if future travelers no longer have that option!

The latest local news reports strongly suggest that the Siremar Lines overnight car ferry crossings between Naples and the Aeolian Islands (all the way to Milazzo) will be SUSPENDED beginning in January 2009, RESUMED around Easter, and suspended again in September 2009. In other words, the service will no longer be year-round but only seasonal.

I will keep readers apprised of developments in my periodic postings in www.slowtrav.com under the heading "SIREMAR LINES TO ABANDON AEOLIAN ISLANDS ROUTES"