1. Departures from Naples MERGELLINA on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Departures from Naples PIAZZA MUNICIPIO Molo 14 on Fridays and Saturdays.
2. Friday and Saturday departures out of Naples will be on the brand-new GIANT CATAMARAN "Don Francesco", which measures 197 feet in length, 54 feet in width, and trasports 670 passengers and 60 autos.
3. Departures on other days will be on smaller hydrofoils/catamarans, out of Naples Mergellina.
DON'T GET THE TWO DEPARTURE POINTS CONFUSED!!!
DON'T GET THE TWO DEPARTURE POINTS CONFUSED!!!
4. Fares are steep: e.g. Naples to Lipari on the weekend, one way fare of 103.50 Euros; Naples to Stromboli on the weekend, one way fare of 80.50 Euros.
5. Travel time to Lipari: 6 hrs.; to Stromboli 4 hrs. Also stops at Panarea, Salina and Vulcano islands.
NOTE: Ustica Lines is expected to commence daily hydrofoil service between Naples and the Aeolian Islands around June 29. Siremar MAY restore superfast car ferry service between Naples and Lipari twice weekly ONLY in August.
I would do all possible to take the large catamaran with SNAV. We took the hydrofoil to Panarea last year because there were no choices and it was just awful....not bumpy just smelly, crowded and total chaos at the port. We took Ali Lauro back and it was very nice. It is great that they are finally putting some better service on for those that do not want overnight.
The Siremar site has just been updated to reflect overnight ferry schedules between Naples and the Aeolian Islands for April/May 2007. Departures continue to be twice weekly, as during the winter.
BEWARE: As noted with the double asterisk, some Tuesday evening departures out of Naples in April/May will follow a slightly different sailing route from the norm, which will result in a later arrival time in Panarea, Salina, Lipari and Milazzo. No big deal, unless you have onward hydrofoil connections.
NOTE: June schedules (likely to be loaded after mid-May) are likely to be the same as last year, viz. twice per week (Tuesday and Friday evenings out of Naples). Schedules for July through mid-September will likely be very similar to those for last year, with FOUR overnight crossings with the traditional car ferry, and PERHAPS two DAYLIGHT crossings nonstop to Lipari in August on the superfast car ferry. Medmar Lines will also restore its once weekly overnight sailing from Naples to the Aeolian Islands (Stromboli-Salina-Lipari-Vulcano only) towards the end of June. The Medmar ferry does NOT have cabins, however.
TO RESERVE OR NOT RESERVE?: Cabins should be reserved in advance if travelling between June 1 and September 15 (September 30 on the return crossing). Reclining seats (200 in total) should also be reserved in advance from the middle of June through the middle of September. Don't worry about reserving during the winter months, or for that matter even in the early spring (apart from Easter) or late autumn.
DAYLIGHT HYDROFOIL CROSSINGS: SNAV Lines begin on May 31 (daily). Ustica Lines begin on June 29 (daily). Alilauro begin around June 23 (weekends only, then daily during August). Much more expensive but faster than the traditional overnight ferry.
OVERNIGHT FERRY VERSUS DAYLIGHT HYDROFOIL?: While opinions differ, I personally prefer the overnight traditional car ferry to the daylight hydrofoil. It costs much less, avoids one hotel night, provides stupendous views on arrival in the morning, is more stable and seaworthy, and allows passengers to roam freely about the ship. For a daylight crossing, I would opt for the Siremar superfast car ferry, IF service is restored again in August, and IF my destination were Lipari and not one of the other islands in the geographic sailing pattern. However, it is far from certain that this superfast ferry will sail again this season. This ship is extremely expensive to operate and its use can be justified only in August, when it is more likely to carry a heavy passenger load (capacity is nearly 1,800).
Although I have not done so as yet, it seems to me to be easier to make reservations (primarily for the Naples/Aeolian Islands crossings) directly with the Siremar booking office in Naples, via e-mail or telephone. Contact information is provided on their website (which has just been undated with new information and photos). They do definitely respond to e-mail inquiries, at least in Italian.
Remember that you really don't need to worry about making reservations except between June and September.
TOO BAD: Siremar has deleted the gorgeous color photo of their flagship from their website. Now, there is a much smaller photo of this ship on the home page. The giant replacement photo (on the "Contatti" page) is taken from the top deck of the stern of the large car ferry, showing the roped-off unused swimming pool and several hard plastic benches. This area is full of passengers witnessing the complex docking and departure operations at the various ports. It also affords great panoramas of the approaching islands.
[moved post by aeolian goddess:] Posted 14 March 2007 09:46 PM Do you know when tickets can be reserved for the overnight ferry from Naples to the Aoelian Islands? We want to take the July 1st boat which I believe is the first day when the summer schedule begins and the ferry leaves daily. thanks so much. I'm so looking forward to seeing the islands in the early morning
Posts: 13414 | Location: The Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 06 August 2001
Thank you GAC, I have contacted Siremar in English, French and Spanish and will see if I can get any info from them. My Italian being very limited, especially speaking, I would prefer to deal in one of the languages I understand better. We are traveling in June/July, and I am planning to take the overnight ferry from Milazzo to Napoli on our return in July. If Siremar doesn't come back, I will be probably booking through www.ferriesonline.com which is also called www.traghetti.com for the italian version (sometime in May, as the schedule is not up to date for July). They charge 8E booking fees and can send tickets by email. Is booking in May for July is too early? No problem to stay in line to pickup the tickets, but at least to have a reservation of a cabin. Thanks again.
I understand your desire to get everything set up but I would not purchase any tickets on Siremar that far in advance...too many things change and you have to wait in line anyway because most time it is just a voucher that has to be exchanged...I would only deal with Siremar on line or wait.
I tend to agree with gene72: no reason to jump the gun and book space in advance when the schedules for July are still unavailable and hypothetical. I also agree that it's much, much better to book directly through Siremar rather than on some other booking website.
You can reasonably anticipate that the July schedule will be very, very similar to that for last summer: four weekly overnight crossings (Milazzo/Naples) on the traditional car ferry. Don't expect any daylight crossings on the super fast ferry until August, if at all.
At some point, you will indeed want to book a cabin in advance, as you can't afford the risk of sailing without adequate sleeping accommodations for your family (particularly given the age of your children).
But you can afford to wait until the schedules are posted on line, probably in late May or perhaps late June. Once they are posted, you should book directly through Siremar, using e-mail or fax.
Here are several other photos of the traditional car ferry, which I post as replacements for the beautiful photo removed from the Siremar website:
NOTE: This class of ship sails between Naples and the Aeolian Islands/Milazzo, as well as between Porto Empedocle and Linosa/Lampedusa.
GENERAL SCHEDULE: Naples/Milazzo TWICE WEEKLY SAILINGS year-round, except between July 1- September 15: FOUR TIMES PER WEEK (all sailings are overnight)
So much wonderful information, but still a question. I undertstand so far that the overnight car ferry from Naples to Aoelian Islands begins an expanded summer schedule starting July 1 when there will be 4 times a week crossings, versus 2 times a week. But that schedule won't be available until late May or June. The question is this: Can the assumption be made (based I guess on previous summer schedules) that there will be a ferry that actually leaves on July l from Naples to Salina? Or is it the kind of scheduling where the expanded summer schedule starts "the week of July 1" and maybe not actually on that day? This year July 1 is a Sunday, does that matter? Is it one of the 4 days when the ferry would usually run?
We would really prefer to take the overnight car ferry versus the overnight train for this particular part of our journey and we're trying to plan our other accommodations around when we'll be able to get the boat.
Posts: 183 | Location: western maine mountains | Registered: 26 February 2005
I wish that I had made a print of the SIREMAR schedules for last July/September (2006), which can no longer be easily found on the web.
I think that there is a very good chance that there will indeed be a sailing of the SIREMAR "traditional" overnight ferry from Naples to the Aeolian Islands on Sunday, July 1, but you'll need to check the website later. You could also e-mail SIREMAR, but I doubt they will have the relevant information much sooner than late May (and they probably won't even tell you last year's schedule for comparison purposes).
BTW, last May (2006), the Naples ferry was still docking at Rinella (not at Santa Marina di Salina), because the "new" dock at S.M. had not yet been "certified" for the large vessel. This is yet another question to ask before you embark on the ship at Naples (assuming that you want to go to S.M.).
There is local bus service from Rinella to Leni, Malfa and S.M., sometimes timed for arrival of the ships and hydrofoils. The bus ride to S.M. is stupendous, and takes 30 minutes. The one way fare is 1.85 Euros. There is a bar and a small food market up from the dock where you can wait for the bus to depart. There is also a good hotel ("L'Ariana di Rinella", recently upgraded) overlooking the dock, but otherwise, there is absolutely nothing to do at Rinella.
There is also bus service from S.M. to Malfa, with a connecting bus to Pollara. There is also a bus from S.M. to Lingua.
Nevertheless, the best transportation option is to rent a motorscooter or tandem gasoline cart (which with only 50 ccs, is very noisy and uncomfortable to SIT in, but nevertheless gives you total freedom of movement). You need to do a bit of "negotiating" to get the best rate. Sometimes, the local hotels can make these arrangements for you in advance. Be aware that the gasoline cart can accommodate only two very small suitcases or garment bags in its "trunk" (it is definitely NOT designed to haul luggage)
Hi, just trying to add the old timetables. I am unable to properly convert the one for last year, but there is one from the year before that looks very similar.
Here is the e-mail response I received this morning from the SIREMAR call center in Naples, concerning schedules for next summer:
"siamo spiacenti di comunicarLe che al momento non sono ancora disponibili gli orari e le tariffe per il periodo da Lei richiesto. La invitiamo, pertanto, a ricontattarci tra un paio di settimane."
As expected, Siremar does not yet have the schedules for the upcoming summer season, but invites prospective travellers to contact them again "in a few weeks"
Nevertheless, based on the 2005 schedules, I think you can TENTATIVELY plan for a Sunday evening (July 1) departure out of Naples, with arrival at Salina (S.M. di Salina or Rinella) the next morning at 8:30. The 2005 summer schedule which Anastasia posted above seems to have a glitch: I'm almost certain that this ferry (as the other three) also stops at Stromboli, Ginostra and Panarea before reaching Salina.
HELPFUL NOTE: The Thursday evening ferry out of Naples (July 1 through September 15 or 30) goes direct to FILICUDI from Panarea before continuing on to Rinella, Lipari, Vulcano and Milazzo. This is REALLY convenient for passengers whose destination is Filicudi, who avoid having to connect at Rinella.
SIREMAR contact information:
Per ulteriori prenotazioni ed informazioni puo' ricontattarci via e-mail o telefonicamente chiamando il nostro Call Center operativo dalle 9.00 alle 20.00 dal lunedi' al sabato - escluso festivi. Call Center Siremar tel 892.123 tel +39.081.017.1998 (NOTE: use this from outside Italy) fax +39.081.00.86.762 (NOTE: use this from outside Italy)
Boy, all of this makes me glad I went to the Aeolian Islands with elderhostel on a sailboat cruise. We started in Catania, went to Syracusa, passed by Messina and headed for the islands. We visited the 5 main islands (Lipari, Panerea, Stromboli, Vulcano and Salina. We even got to see the volcano erupt at night on Stromboli. There were only 18 of us on the sailboat. After the islands, we stopped in Cefalu (great cathedral there) and then Palermo before going home.
I always say "I went to Sicily but missed the hypotenuse." The hypoteuse will have to be another trip.
For my trip no ferries, catamarans or hydrofoils were involved and sleeping accomodation was the same cabin every night.
Posts: 280 | Location: McLean, VA | Registered: 14 August 2006
I must say it is a difficult destination for a super planning kind of person to get to (which I am) but I have found in all my travels the more difficult to get to a place usually the more rewarding it is when you do get there. The Aeolian Islands are one of those destinations that you depart thinking "I must come back".
Can anyone tell me how to reserve 2 exterior side by side cabins on the Siremar ferry from Naples to Panarea on April 6th at 9:00PM. My family is flying into the Naples airport from NY on April 5th, spending the night in Sorrento and traveling back to Naples to catch the 9:00PM ferry to Panarea for the Easter weekend. Aslo, when we arrive back to Naples on Monday morning, April 10th what is the best way to get to Rome? Private transfer, bus, train???
Immediately TELEPHONE or send an e-mail to Siremar, and request your two contiguous outside cabins to Panarea. Ask for "due cabine adiacenti con oblo' (port window)".
Once on the ship, I you wish, you may ask a crew member to unlock the communicating inside door to the two contiguous cabins.
On the return to Naples (I assume on Tuesday morning, April 10), I suggest proceeding to Rome by train. From the Port, take a taxi to the Central train station, where there are frequent Eurostar trains to Rome.
Be sure to book cabins on your return crossing as well, as this is the Easter Sunday weekend!!!
If all outside cabins are already booked, there are also inside cabins with private facilities, as well as some inside cabins WITHOUT facilities (you use the public restrooms nearby) which cost slightly less.
If all cabins are already sold out, there are 200 reclining seats in an inside salon, some of which hopefully are still available. The reclining seats are more comfortable than economy class on transatlantic flights.
Dear GAC, Thank you for your information. I had contacted ferrieonline over the weekend and received confirmation this morning for the reclining seats (the cabins were sold out). I wish I had this information earlier, but I thought my travel agent had taken care of this but found out on Friday all he took care of was the airline tickets. thank you also, for the t
