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Summer Weekend in Salina | Aeolian Islands

Sicily, Travel, Travel Guide, Travel Photography

June 19, 2019

Just off of the northern coast of Sicily, lies a unique string of UNESCO protected islands – the Aeolian Islands. The Aeolian Islands consist of: Vulcano, Lipari, Salina, Panarea, Stromboli, Filicudi and Alicudi, each unique in its own way. If you have been following my blog, then you may have read about our NINE hour hike to the rim of the Stromboli volcano. That was a crazy, but unforgettable, experience! This year, we thought we might try out something a little more chill. Thus, our summer weekend in Salina was born.

summer weekend in salina_0147.jpg — Spiaggia di Scario

About Salina

Salina is known for its productions of capers and honey-sweet Malvasia wine. It is known as the “green island,” as it has its own water source and thus is greener than most of the other islands. Salina is actually the second largest of the Aeolians (after Lapari) and has around 2,300 inhabitants and three towns: Santa Marina, Malfa and Leni. This makes Salina a nice break from society.

Travel

To travel to Salina, you need to take a hydrofoil or ferry from Millazzo or Messina. You can also take a boat from Palermo or Naples. We traveled from Milazzo and parked in Garage delle Isole (without a reservation). Just to note if you plan to park there – check the hours first! They are not open 24 hours a day like other garages. The port you would need to get off at is Salina S.M. not Salina Rinella. Book tickets here.

Once on Salina, you have several options for transportation: taxi, renting at motorbike, car, or small open gocart, or public bus (the updated time table here.) For the bus, you can buy the ticket when you board and the bus stop is next to the main square in Santa Marina (1/2 minute walk from the port).

Hotel

There are a few hotel options on the island, so be sure to reserve early! I reserved our room at Principe di Salina in January for June. We chose Principe di Salina because we had heard amazing things from a friend and loved that it is small and quite curated. We spend most of our time in Salina at Principe de Salina and we weren’t sad about it one bit! At some point, we would like to go back and see more of the island. Maybe next year.

For now, you can enjoy the photos from our summer weekend in Salina and perhaps even get some ideas for yourself! Below are some photos from our stay at Principe di Salina and from exploring Malfa (make sure to scroll to the end to see more of Malfa).