Photo: Dror Feitelson · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Mount Etna
Walk round craters on Europe's tallest active volcano.
Europe's tallest active volcano, above Catania: black lava fields, extinct side craters you can walk round, pine woods and, with a guide, the steaming summit. Nicolosi, on the southern slope, is the base. Buses run from Catania, with one a day up to the Rifugio Sapienza.
Places to see
- Silvestri cratersWalk · Two extinct side craters from 1892 right by the road at about 1,900 m, with easy paths…≈ A$12
The high craters with a guideWalk · The cable car, a 4x4 bus and a walk with a guide up to around 2,900 m, near the steaming…≈ A$140- Etna cable car to 2,500 mViewpoint · A cable car from the Rifugio Sapienza up to about 2,500 m, into a landscape of black sand…≈ A$88
Valle del Bove viewpoint
When to go
- Jan10° / 3°Often wetQuiet
- Feb10° / 3°Often wetQuiet
- Mar13° / 5°Some rainQuiet
- Apr16° / 7°Some rainBusy
- May21° / 11°Mostly dryBusy
- Jun26° / 15°Mostly dryBusy
- Jul29° / 18°Mostly dryVery busy
- Aug29° / 18°Mostly dryVery busy
- Sep
Staying and getting around
Good areas to stay
Nicolosi. The village on the southern slope; beds, the park office and buses.
Flying in
Catania Fontanarossa (CTA): Bus to Catania, then the bus to Nicolosi, about 1 h 15 min, ≈ A$11.
Flewaway's estimate for the usual budget way into Nicolosi; check times and fares before you fly.
By bus
The train doesn't reach Mount Etna: take it to Catania Centrale, then the bus. Buses from Catania to Nicolosi, about 40 min; one bus a day goes on up to the Rifugio Sapienza in the morning and back in the afternoon (check)
Getting around
You'll need buses or trains. A single ticket is ≈ A$5. Nicolosi is walkable, but the craters are 18 km up the mountain: one AST bus a day goes up to the Rifugio Sapienza in the morning and back in the afternoon (check). Tours from Catania include transport.
Tourist tax
Nicolosi's tourist tax: usually about €1–1.5 a person a night, for the first nights; under-12s don't pay. Paid at check-in (check).
