Flashes of green vines, bright yellow broom and blooming pink flowers greeted us as we looked through our fogged up ferry windows. Debarking almost in a dream-like state, we wandered across the port with our suitcases marvelling at the island paradise we found ourselves in. This was Salina Sicily and it was love at first sight. So much so, that my partner exclaimed ‘let’s move here when we retire!’
We spent the most wonderful, relaxing week on the green Aeolian island so I wanted to share my very best tips on things to do in Salina Sicily to help inspire your future travels. Keep reading for more!
How to get to Salina from Sicily?
Whatever way you look at it, you’ll arrive by boat, passenger ferry or car ferry to Salina Sicily. There are a few options when it comes to your overall journey:
1. From Palermo
We were already in Palermo so headed to the port and jumped on a 3.5 hour passenger ferry with Liberty Lines. We took seasickness tablets and didn’t have a problem – very calm and smooth sailing.
2. From Catania
The more popular option is to fly to Catania, and from there either drive/taxi/or bus to Milazzo Port. It’s about a 2 hour drive, so not exactly close! From there however, the ferry is only 90 minutes or so. Honestly, I think Palermo is the easier option!
3. From Naples
We met some fabulous retired women from Naples on our trip and I think I want to have their spirit when I grow up! They took the car ferry from Naples straight to Salina which I didn’t even consider but makes a lot of sense. From Rome, Naples is just an hour train ride and then you just have to taxi to the port. The ferry takes just under 6 hours, but you don’t have to deal with airports so it probably works out just as quick as flying to Palermo and perhaps cheaper!
Where to stay in Salina?
Deciding where to stay on Salina Italy? Here’s a breakdown of the main towns to help you decide:
Santa Marina
This is the main town and also a port stop. We didn’t stay here because we thought it would be really touristy being a port town, but we were pleasantly surprised with how lovely it was! In June, the island was still fairly empty so there were no hoardes of tourists to deal with. All of the boat tours leave from here and you have the biggest range of restaurants and shops. If we came back, we would probably stay here for convenience sake!
Malfa
We stayed in pretty Malfa and for sure it’s the most picturesque town nestled in the Malvasia vineyards. The town itself was always pretty dead except for nighttime though and there are only a few dining options compared to Santa Marina. If you want luxe factor though, the best hotels on the island are located here. Note, you’ll need to either be prepared to drive a car/scooter or take the bus if you stay here though.
Lingua
A cute sleepy town famous for Da Alfredo granita/pane cunzato bar. There’s a little rocky beach but no lido facilities (BYO!) It’s about a 20 minute walk from here to Santa Marina.
Rinella
The other main port town where the ferries dock is Rinella. It’s very quiet and only a few dining facilities (otherwise go up the hill to Leni for a few more options). The beach here would have been nice except that huge car ferries dock here so the water was very dirty.
The 11 Best Things to do in Salina
Whether you’re looking for total relax time on Salina island Italy or want an action-packed itinerary whilst here, you can have it all! We had a nice mix between chilled out beach days, and a few activities. We didn’t get to explore all the other islands, but that just means we will have a reason to return!
Without a doubt, the best thing we did on our holiday was a boat tour around the island! Salina is gorgeous but the beaches are rather rocky, so we found the best way to enjoy swimming was directly off the boat. There’s nothing quite like a few hours in the morning on the boat before it gets too hot, diving into the crystal blue waters.
2. Eat granita and brioche for breakfast
Attention! You must not leave Salina without trying granita con brioche – make sure the brioche buns are warm too. Our favourite place to enjoy this was at Da Alfredo in Lingua but we also had really good granita and brioche in Rinella at Pa Pe Ro. My favourite flavours are peach, strawberry and almond.
3. Go malvasia wine tasting
Perhaps one of the reasons we loved Salina so much is that it is covered in vines! Primarily malvasia vines, which contributed to the island’s wealth until the devastating phylloxera came leading to the destruction of the wine industry and mass migration to Australia/United States. Luckily, the wine industry has since restarted and there are some wonderful wineries to visit. We decided to visit Hauner as they were the driving force behind restoring the wine industry on the island. Other options include Capofaro and Fenech.
4. Beach days around the island
When it comes to beaches in Salina, you would be smarter than us if you bought beach shoes for the rocks! Just about all of the beaches besides Rinella are rocky/pebbly. We enjoyed a day at Scario in Malfa (you can rent a mattress to lay on huge slabs of rock), Lingua with no beach club facilities (BYO towels/umbrella), but our favourite was in Santa Marina just past Il Limoncino away from the port where the water was clear. There were no beach clubs when we were there, so again BYO everything.
5. Ceramic shopping at Salearancio
Suggested by my lovely friend Zoe, this was my favorite shop in Santa Marina! There are two Salearancio stores located a few steps from eachother – one is the clothing store and the other is up a staircase with ceramics. It’s utter interior design heaven!
6. Eat Pane Cunzato at Da Alfredo
The thing to eat for lunch in the Aeolian islands is pane cunzato – essentially an open sandwich. The most famous place to try it is at Da Alfredo, but be warned, they are enormous! We totally should have asked for a half serve as we didn’t come close to finishing it. I loved the toppings, although I did find. the bread a little meh for my tastes. This one is topped with delicious smoked tuna and the famous Salina capers which you must try!
7. Romantic dinner at Portobello
We loved this restaurant in Santa Marina and ate there three times! They have a formal restaurant where we ate on our first night and enjoyed delicious seafood. And then downstairs they have their pizzeria which does Napolitan style pizza. Make sure to book in advance!
Vulcano is strikingly different to Salina being the ‘original vulcano’ and black and yellow. There is unfortunately the smell of sulphur and it’s really overpowering in some areas, so I definitely couldn’t stay on the island as I’m sensitive to smells. However, we adored the black sand beach and the water was crystal clear here. Definitely worth spending a beach day!
Lipari is the main town in the Aeolian islands so if you want a ton to do, then I suggest staying here. It’s pretty but in a different way to Salina, more Liguria style it almost reminds me of Genoa’s old town with narrow streets. We had the most fabulous boat tour around the island and this image below I captured during our swimming stop at the former quarry site. Gorgeous!
10. See Stromboli by night
Unfortunately we didn’t get to do this, so it’s number 1 on my list for when we go back! There are tons of boat companies offering a Stromboli by night tour and it sounds amazing to see it explode on the water.
11. Bonus – aperitivo in Pollara
Pollara is the gorgeous fishing village made famous in the Italian film Il Postino (which inspired our trip to Salina). We saw the beach during our Salina boat tour and it’s very pretty. Next time, we’d definitely head to the village itself and enjoy what is said to be the best sunset on the island.
The Best Salina Sicily Hotels
There are some gorgeous hotels and guest houses to stay at in Salina. Depending on the village you want to stay in (keep in mind, they’re only ever a 20 minute drive away from the next village, it’s all pretty close), here are some suggestions.
We drove past this stunning hotel everyday on the scooter ride from Malfa to Santa Marina and it must have one of the best views on the island. On our first night in Salina, we met an Australian couple who were staying there for a family wedding and their photos were divine. Some of my followers also messaged me on Instagram to let me know they’ve stayed there and love it.
For a little quieter stay that doesn’t skimp on luxury, why not this 4 star hotel in Leni? The views will be amazing and there is easy access down to the beach in the town of Rinella nearby.
Prefer a whole apartment whilst on holiday with a kitchen? Then try this sweet house in Rinella! The views are amazing and the 2-3 beds.
Prefer to stay in the heart of the action? It’s still rather quiet I promise! This is a gorgeous guest house in Santa Marina just 600m from the beach.
Last but not least, a final option in Malfa! More of a bed and breakfast but with excellent reviews and stunning sea views.
Inspired to visit Salina or another of the Aeolian islands? Let me know in the comments if you visit! Looking for more Italian island inspo? Read my guide to Ponza Italy now.