How to get to Panarea
There is no airport and no bridge: Panarea can only be reached by sea. The simplest route goes through Milazzo, but in summer you can also sail from Naples, Messina and Reggio Calabria.
There is no airport and no bridge: Panarea can only be reached by sea. The simplest route goes through Milazzo, but in summer you can also sail from Naples, Messina and Reggio Calabria.
Panarea sits in the middle of the Aeolian archipelago: most hydrofoils call here after Vulcano, Lipari and Salina, before carrying on to Stromboli. The arrival port is always San Pietro.
Milazzo is the gateway to the Aeolian Islands. Hydrofoils leave several times a day all year round and reach Panarea in about an hour and a half, depending on the stops. Crossings increase in summer; from November to March they drop to a few a day and can be cancelled in rough seas.
There is also a slower ferry (around four hours), steadier in the waves and able to carry bulky luggage.
In the summer months a direct hydrofoil links Naples to the Aeolian Islands in about five hours. Alternatively there is the overnight ferry with cabins: you leave Naples in the evening, sleep on board and step off in Panarea the next morning. It is the most comfortable option if you arrive from northern Italy by train.
Hydrofoils also leave from Messina and Reggio Calabria, mostly in summer. They are handy if you land in Reggio or arrive by train across the Strait, but crossings are less frequent than from Milazzo: check the timetable before planning the day.
Timetables and fares change every season: always check them on the operators' websites or on an aggregator. In August, and at weekends in July, book ahead: hydrofoils fill up.
Catania is the most convenient airport: Milazzo is an hour and a half away on the motorway towards Messina, or by the coach that runs straight from the airport to Milazzo port. With a morning flight you are in Panarea by the afternoon.
Palermo is about two and a half hours by car from Milazzo, with train and coach options. Reggio Calabria is close to the Strait and has direct hydrofoils in summer. From Naples, finally, you can skip Sicily altogether and take to the sea.
There are no cars in Panarea, and you will not need one. Leave it in Milazzo, in the guarded car parks a few steps from the port, which offer weekly rates. On the island you get around on foot along the lanes, with the electric taxis waiting at the port, or by boat.
From the port of San Pietro the Waterfront estate is a few minutes away: guests are welcomed on arrival and, on request, a private electric taxi takes care of the luggage. From there, the sea begins at your terrace.
Six houses and villas within a private seafront estate in Panarea, steps from everything in this guide.
See the houses