Volcano Tours in Italy
Etna, Vesuvius and the Aeolian Islands: 138 experiences across three areas that have almost nothing in common except the rock.
Italy is the only country in Europe where lava reaches the surface often enough to plan a trip around it. Two of its volcanoes are erupting right now, in the plain sense that the ground is open and material is coming out of it. A third buried a Roman city and has done nothing since March 1944. Between them they carry the entire Italian market, and the three are so different that booking the wrong one is the most common mistake people make here.
The split matters more than the map suggests. Etna is a mountain you go up, with a cable car, jeeps and guides licensed by the region. Vesuvius is a forty minute walk to a crater rim, sold mostly as the second half of a Pompeii day. The Aeolian Islands are boats. If what you wanted was to look into a hole in the ground and you booked a catamaran, or you wanted a swim and you booked a summit trek at 3,000 metres, the disappointment is not the operator's fault.
Choose a destination in Italy
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Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius tours and crater tickets, with Pompeii, Herculaneum and the wineries on the volcano's slopes.
28 experiences in 4 destinations -
Mount Etna
Mount Etna tours from Catania and Taormina: summit craters, lava caves, jeep runs at sunset and the wineries on the volcano's slopes.
96 experiences in 8 destinations -
Aeolian Islands
Aeolian Islands tours: Stromboli, in continuous eruption since 1934, seen by night from the Sciara del Fuoco, and the fumaroles of Vulcano.
14 experiences in 2 destinations
Volcano Travel Experiences in Italy
Etna Morning with Etnavic: the 1991-93 Lava Front and a Free Farm Tasting
Three pick-up points around Catania, the lava front that stopped at Zafferana Etnea, and a farm tasting of honey, oil and wine that costs nothing.
Etna Night Hike to Dawn: Craters and Lava Tunnel at First Light
Walked in the dark for experienced hikers, so that the craters and the lava tunnel appear as the light does. Own car to the start, full tank required.
Etna North by Coach: Three Free Hours at 1,900 m, Pizzi Deneri Above
Three unguided hours at Piano Provenzana, with the 4x4 to Pizzi Deneri and the 2,900 m viewpoint as a decision made on site. Five pick-up stops on the coast.
Etna North Summit at 3,380 m: 4x4 to 2,960 and the Four Active Craters
The north side goes highest: 9.5 km of track to 2,960 m, then five hours on foot to the four summit craters. Which one you reach is decided that morning.
Etna North Summit on Foot Both Ways: 1,580 m of Descent, Experts Only
The climb is 500 metres, the walk down is 1,580 over 7 km, and the operator warns it is the harder half. The bus back from 2,850 m costs extra.
Etna North to 3,320 m with Ashàra: Sulphur Colours and the Crater Rims
A 4x4 to Piano delle Concazze, then two hours up to the rim at 3,320 m, past gas vents, volcanic bombs and ground coloured by sublimated sulphur.
Etna North Volcanological Trek: Inside an Intact Cone, Craters Back to 1614
A helmet, and the chimney of an intact cone to stand inside. Nine dated craters, an INGV observatory at 2,860 m, and about 7 km on foot that needs real fitness.
Etna Off the Tourist Trails: 5.5 km, 350 m of Ascent, Valle del Bove
The longer version: 5.5 km and 350 metres of climb over three hours, with a descent through black sand and lava tubes entered with a helmet.
Etna on Foot with Half an Hour Inside a Lava Tube
Two and a half hours of walking, half an hour underground in a lava tube, gear provided. An evening version starts at 4:30 pm for the sunset on the mountain.
Etna Private Tour with Wine, Honey and the 1992 Lava Flow
A Mercedes V-Class and an English-speaking driver to Rifugio Sapienza at 2,000 m, the Silvestri craters, honey by the 1992 lava flow, and a winery lunch.
Etna Quad from the Alcantara Gorges: 4.5 Hours to the Volcano's Farthest Crater
Four and a half hours starting at the Alcantara gorges rather than the mountain, reaching the Vulcanetto di Moio, Etna's most distant crater.
Etna Quad Half Day on the North Side: 90% Off-Road from Rifugio Ragabo
Nine tenths of the route is off-road, on the north side from Rifugio Ragabo. The operator has been running these for more than 25 years. Free parking.
Etna Ring on the Valley Trek: Lava Sand, the Caldera and Two Seas
A welcome coffee, fine lava sand you sink into, and a caldera viewpoint that takes in both the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian on a clear day. Caving helmet supplied.
Etna South Summit 3,340 m: Cable Car, 4x4, and Two Hours on Foot
The cable car and a 4x4 take you to 2,850 m, so only two hours are walked to the top, past Bocca Nuova and the South-East Crater. Lunch at 3,000 m.
Etna South Summit Hike with Ashàra: Three Craters in a Row at 3,340 m
Run against the current volcanic risk level, with cable car and 4x4 to 2,800 m and two hours on foot to the Central, North-East and South-East craters.
Etna South to North: Silvestri Craters, Organic Honey and Five Wines at Lunch
The climb crosses the 1983 and 2002 flows to the 1892 craters, then Zafferana for organic honey and a north-side winery where five wines are paired to lunch.
Etna Summit 3,000 m with the Cable Car Ticket Included
The return cable car fare is in the price rather than paid at the bottom, and the descent passes the 2001 crater at 2,700 m, still fuming. Lunch is not.
Etna Summit by Cable Car and Foot: 2,500 m Lift, 5 Hours of Walking
The cable car covers the first stretch to 2,500 metres, the rest is five hours on foot with a guide certified for both alpine and volcanic ground.
Etna Summit Craters at 2,900 m, a Lava Cave and Alcantara, from Taormina
The base of the active summit craters, reached by cableway and jeep or by jeep alone, with a volcanological guide alongside. A lava cave, lunch, then the gorges.
Etna Summit Craters: Bocca Nuova, the Voragine and the True Peak at 3,329 m
The North-East Crater at 3,329 m is the actual top of Etna, reached in 90 minutes from Torre del Filosofo. Descent through the 8 km Valle del Bove.
Etna Summit Craters with a Cable-Car-Only Option to 2,500 m
Two versions at booking: the full climb by cable car and 4x4 to the smoking craters, or the shorter one that stops at 2,500 m. Tasting at Zafferana.
Etna Summit for Experienced Hikers: Transport Tickets Not Included
Cable car and vehicle tickets are bought on the day with the guide, not included. Graded for experienced hikers: 9.5 km and about five hours.
Etna Sunset from Catania: Five Hours, Old Craters and a Lava Cave
Five hours from Catania with old craters, a lava cave entered with lamps and walking inside the Etna park. Hotel pick-up is an option, not a given.
Etna Sunset from the Rifugio Sapienza at 2,000 m
The sunset is watched from the Rifugio Sapienza at 2,000 metres, after lava caves, the Valle del Bove and a tasting of local Etna wine, liqueur and honey.
Ratings collected by Viator, Tripadvisor and Civitatis