“Panarea is the small glamorous one: three square kilometres of whitewash and bougainvillea, a scatter of islets with the clearest water in the chain, and a crowd that arrives by boat.”
In short. Panarea is the smallest of the Aeolian Islands, 11 nautical miles from Salina and 12 from Stromboli. There is very little berthing, so yachts anchor off Basiluzzo or Lisca Bianca and tender in. A crewed week in Italy starts near €80,000.
It is the island where people dress for dinner. A single whitewashed village, no cars beyond electric buggies, a handful of very good bars, and in August a summer crowd that is the closest thing the Aeolians have to a scene. It is also the evening that most contrasts with Stromboli the night before or after.
The other half of Panarea is underwater. The islets off the east coast are the rim of an old crater, the water round them is the clearest in the archipelago, and there are fumaroles bubbling up through the seabed between them.
Must-dos at Panarea
- Anchor off Lisca Bianca, over sand, in the clearest water in the Aeolians
- Swim over the fumaroles, where gas bubbles rise through the seabed between the islets
- An evening in San Pietro, the one night of the week people dress for
- The walk to Punta Milazzese, the Bronze Age village on the headland above Cala Junco
- Basiluzzo, the uninhabited rock offshore with Roman remains on top
On this page: the islets and the water · San Pietro and the village · where yachts tie up · what it costs · distances · when to go
The islets, the fumaroles and the water
The islets are the reason to come by yacht rather than ferry. Lisca Bianca, Bottaro, Dattilo, Lisca Nera and Panarelli sit in a crescent off the east coast, the remains of a much larger volcano, and the water between them is the clearest in the archipelago over patches of pale sand.
Between Lisca Bianca and Bottaro the seabed releases gas continuously, so you swim through rising bubbles with the water noticeably warmer in places. It is a strange and memorable half hour and it is why the toys go in here rather than anywhere else in the chain.
Basiluzzo, the big rock further out, is uninhabited and has the remains of a Roman villa on top and a landing stage cut into the rock. It is a tender circuit rather than a landing, and the anchorage in its lee is one of the two our crews use.
San Pietro, Punta Milazzese and Cala Junco
San Pietro is the village and effectively the island: a single whitewashed slope above the water with bougainvillea over the walls, electric buggies instead of cars, and a short waterfront of bars and restaurants that fills up in July and August.
The evening is the point. Panarea is where an Aeolian week has its one dressed-up night, and it is also where a group that wants nothing of the sort should plan to be somewhere else. Both are legitimate; our guide to Italy without the crowds is the one to read if the second is the brief.
South of the village, the headland at Punta Milazzese holds a Bronze Age village of twenty-three stone huts excavated in the 1950s, with Mycenaean pottery found in them. Below it is Cala Junco, a near-circular cove with water the colour of a swimming pool and the best swim ashore on the island.
Where yachts actually tie up at Panarea
- At anchor off the islets, in the lee of Basiluzzo or between Lisca Bianca and the shore, which is where most yachts lie. Tender in to the village.
- Off San Pietro in settled weather, for the shortest run ashore in the evening.
- Berthing is very limited. Our Aeolian guide groups Panarea with Stromboli as the islands with almost no capacity, and in August there is none at short notice.
The east side is open to the east and north-east, so the anchorage choice follows the forecast rather than the plan. As everywhere in this chain the water is deep close in. Our guide to marina and anchor nights in Italy covers how crews work it.
What a week around Panarea costs
A crewed week in Italy starts around €80,000 for a motor yacht, with most weeks between €150,000 and €300,000. On top come an advance provisioning allowance of roughly 25 to 35 per cent, Italian VAT at 22 per cent and a gratuity of usually 5 to 15 per cent. See our Italy charter cost guide, APA and VAT.
Panarea is the one Aeolian island where the evening can cost real money, because the bars and restaurants in San Pietro are priced for the crowd that arrives in August. The anchorage, as everywhere here, is free.
Fitting Panarea into the week
Panarea sits in the middle of the chain, which makes it the natural pairing with Stromboli.
| From | Distance | At 12 knots | At 7 knots |
| Salina | 11 nm | 55 min | 1 h 35 |
| Lipari | 12 nm | 1 h | 1 h 40 |
| Stromboli | 12 nm | 1 h | 1 h 45 |
| Vulcano | 15 nm | 1 h 15 | 2 h 05 |
| Milazzo | 26 nm | 2 h 10 | 3 h 45 |
Our eight-day Sicily and Aeolian itinerary explores the islets by tender and then runs north to Stromboli for the evening. See also how long the week should be.
When to go
- June and September give you the water without the August crowd, and September is when our own best-time guide rates the Aeolians highest.
- July and August are the scene: the bars full, the anchorage busy and the island at its most dressed-up.
- May and October are beautiful and quiet, with several of the bars shut.
People also ask about Panarea
Where do yachts anchor at Panarea?
Off the islets on the east side, in the lee of Basiluzzo or between Lisca Bianca and the shore, with the tender in to San Pietro. Berthing on the island is very limited and unavailable at short notice in August.
Why is the water at Panarea so clear?
The islets are the rim of an old volcanic crater, with pale sand patches between them and no river or runoff. Between Lisca Bianca and Bottaro the seabed also vents gas continuously, so you swim through rising bubbles in water that is warmer in places.
Is Panarea worth visiting?
Yes, for two different reasons: the clearest water in the Aeolians by day, and the one dressed-up evening of the week ashore in San Pietro. If the brief is quiet, plan the swim and take the night somewhere else in the chain.
How far is Panarea from Stromboli?
About 12 nautical miles, an hour at 12 knots and about an hour and three quarters under sail. That short leg is why most weeks pair the two, with the Panarea swim in the day and Stromboli after dark.
Are there cars on Panarea?
Effectively no. The island is about three square kilometres and gets around on electric buggies and on foot, which is part of why the evening in San Pietro works the way it does.
What is at Punta Milazzese?
A Bronze Age village of twenty-three stone huts on the headland south of San Pietro, excavated in the 1950s with Mycenaean pottery in it. Below it is Cala Junco, a near-circular cove and the best swim you can reach on foot.
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