Island ease is something we actively seek out. Maybe that’s part of why we love Sicily so much. But the kind of ease I want to describe here is a little different. The Egadi Islands have something special. Time seems to have stopped, the people are a little different again and the weather is a law unto itself. But let’s take it in order.
What the Egadi Islands are
The Egadi Islands (in Latin Aegates) are an archipelago off northwestern Sicily, a few minutes from Trapani and Marsala. The group consists of three main islands – Favignana, Marettimo and the smallest, Levanzo. The list could end there, but we mustn’t forget two tiny islets, Formica and Maraone, whose size gives them little significance for any traveller. Perhaps only as an opportunity to toughen yourself up with a stay without electricity, water, food and other essentials 😅
The archipelago has been a protected marine reserve since 1991 – one of the largest in the Mediterranean.
When to visit the islands
We decided to visit the Egadi Islands out of season, when Sicily was actually our back-up plan. Because of the conflict in the Middle East we couldn’t fly to Japan as we’d long planned.
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Regrets aside, thanks to the shoulder season we again experienced a unique island atmosphere without the crowds. In relatively lovely weather (around 18 degrees) and with almost every place and service available. Below I’ll try to sketch out the pros and cons of travelling in each period.
Spring on the islands (March – June)
In a word, I love this period. The towns, the ground and the sea aren’t baking. You can just chill or go walking without suffering needlessly for it. On the other hand, early spring – March or early April – is a bit unpredictable. It isn’t a given that the weather is lovely every day. Sometimes it’s overcast, other times the sun shines all day, and sometimes you get all of it together with rain showers. A cold wind blows very often (that applies to every island in this belt). All of that settles down around mid-April. Then comes the endless siesta.
In spring and winter, some places on the islands are closed (the tuna factory exhibition opens in May, as does the castle on Marettimo and the boat trips around Levanzo). If you want to taste the local tuna, the fishing also only restarts in May.
Otherwise everything runs as it should. The ferries go, you’ll find accommodation easily and you’ll eat without trouble, because the locals live their normal lives on the islands. They’ll be delighted to welcome you, and your money 😅
Generally, seasonal price lists start roughly from 1 May. That applies to parking prices on the main island too.
Summer (July-September)
Total hell. Ippolita from our guesthouse Dimora Quattro Vanelle told us that in August temperatures reach an astronomical 40 °C. Crowds everywhere (mainly Italians) and an island buzz utterly different from spring and autumn.
- The advantage is that everything is open.
- The disadvantage is that accommodation and service prices rise by around 20 %.
Autumn (September-November)
The same applies as in spring. A relaxed atmosphere, warm sea and stable weather. Services are still running at full tilt.
Winter (December – March)
A transitional period when not much happens on the islands. Almost all the tourists are gone, and so are some of the locals, who close their seasonal accommodation and “escape” to the mainland in Trapani.
That said, our host told us that on Christmas Eve it was 22 degrees on the island. A few days later, on New Year’s Day, just 5.
The significance of the Egadi Islands
At first glance you’d say they have none. Wrong: their strategic position alone was central to Sicily’s defence against raids from Africa. Later the islands played an important role in tuna fishing and preservation. It was on Favignana that the tuna processing plant known as the Stabilimento Florio delle Tonnare stood (now only a museum), where a unique method of preserving the fish was developed that’s still used today. The factory is a museum now, but more on that later.
How to get to the Egadi Islands
From Sicily you can only reach the islands by boat. There are two departure ports:
Ferry from Trapani (the main option)
The most convenient and most common option. From the centre of Trapani both ferries and hydrofoils (speedboats) run directly to Favignana and Marettimo.
Only Liberty Lines run the fast hydrofoils (and they’re foot passengers only):
- Trapani → Favignana: 25-40 minutes, approx. 11-19 € one way
- Trapani → Marettimo: 60-75 minutes, approx. 16-22 €
- Trapani → Levanzo: 25-35 minutes, approx. 10-16 €
In high season there are up to 15 services a day to Favignana. And on top of that, keep your eyes open, because the company runs two price lists. Each crossing is marked with a colour (blue or purple). Purple is cheaper.
Siremar then run the classic ferries, slower but cheaper, and they also carry bikes and cars.
- Trapani → Favignana: 40-60 min, approx. 10-15 €
Between the islands there are regular Liberty Lines hydrofoils. Crossing from Favignana to Levanzo takes under 15 minutes, to Marettimo about 45. If you’re planning to visit several islands, buy tickets at the port or online on the Liberty Lines website.
Ferry from Marsala (the alternative)
From Marsala ferries only run to Favignana – the crossing takes roughly 60 minutes. Fewer services than from Trapani, but a pleasant alternative if you’re staying in Marsala.
Getting around the islands
Forget the car, you definitely won’t need it. On the Egadi Islands a far more entertaining option awaits, one we enjoyed enormously!
Favignana
The best and in fact the only correct option is a bike! On Favignana a bike is faster than walking and nicer than a motorbike or a car. The island is flat as a plate (with the exception of Montagna Grande) and the roads are easy to follow.
The rental places are right at the port. We paid 5 € a day for a standard bike; they wanted 10 € a day for an e-bike. Zdeňa didn’t want an e-bike, so we took the standard ones and off we sped to discover the little beaches!
And don’t worry about missing anything. It’s precisely thanks to the bike that you can get close to every bend and tempting little beach. I’d just recommend checking the bike before you set off – that the tyres are pumped up (mine weren’t and I had quite a slog), that the brakes work and that you have a lock.
Levanzo and Marettimo
On foot only. Both islands are relatively small and there are barely any roads. You can’t even get there with a car anyway.
How to find the best accommodation
The vast majority of accommodation is on Favignana, from simple apartments to boutique hotels. On Levanzo and Marettimo the choice is very limited, so it’s better to book everything a few days ahead (that doesn’t apply out of season).
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I’d also recommend using Booking; most hosts advertise there and for the Egadi Islands it’s the best option.
Our personal recommendation is the gorgeous and peaceful Dimora Quattro Vanelle on Favignana – Italian-grade hospitality and the owner Ippolita, who’ll tell you more about the island than any guidebook.
How much time to allow for the islands
| Time | What you’ll manage | Verdict |
| 1 day | Favignana | The quick version. |
| 2-3 days | All the islands | The ideal combination |
| 4-5 days | Cycle around Favignana, visit the town + the Florio museum. Walk around Levanzo and hike Marettimo | For anyone not in a hurry who’s after genuine rest |
If I were short on time, I’d book one of the full-day boat trips. You’ll save a lot of planning time and see the highlights we’re writing about here.
Practical information
- Time may have stopped on the Egadi Islands, but card payments have arrived. So it’s enough to have some cash, or you can withdraw it on Favignana.
- Seasonal prices apply from 1 May – accommodation, the car park in Trapani and the bike rentals all get more expensive. Out of season (until 30 April) prices are significantly friendlier, by roughly 20 %.
- Bringing a car onto Favignana is banned for non-residents from June to September. Leave the car in a car park in Trapani (approx. 10-15 €/day; cheaper car parks are 500 m from the port). I’ve marked the spot on our loaded map.
- Book ferries in high season (July-August) online in advance.
Favignana
Favignana is the largest of the Egadi Islands. It’s an island where you can comfortably spend three whole days, and even then I felt I could stay another x days. Especially once I’d made friends in the centre – a barista in a bar and a businessman at the bike rental.
The island is small, so you’ll bump into everyone twice a day and just say ciao! 😅 But let’s get to the trips.
A bike ride (better and faster than walking)
As I wrote above, you rent a bike and can cycle beautifully round the whole island. Every little beach, every cove, and the Sottile lighthouse on the far side too. Simply a lovely half-day or full-day outing. We cycled round the whole island in about 4 hours and covered almost 25 kilometres.
Sunrise or sunset on Monte Santa Caterina
This is very individual. I’m a sunrise person, because it makes me feel like the whole day is still ahead of us and we can even dive back into bed afterwards. Judge for yourself whether it was worth it.
The Florio tuna processing plant
Until then I’d never heard of the Florio family, but ever since, their legacy runs through the whole of western Sicily. The tuna factory is no exception. Today it’s a museum with the original equipment and organised tours in English.
Residence Florio
Just a few metres from the port lies another Florio family landmark, their residence. Worth knowing: you can buy a combined ticket for the museum and the residence and save about 5 € compared with buying them separately.
On the little square there’s a statue of Ignazio Florio, who did a great deal to build the family’s standing.
The centre of Favignana
Small and cosy. The best advice is simply to walk and discover the lanes, the places and the people. But careful, it may leave you, like me, browsing local property listings in the evening :-). I’d have bought something there on the spot, which Zdeňa duly noted with a roll of the eyes and the words: “Not again?!”
Swimming in the lagoons
With a bike you can reach almost all the lagoons. You won’t need a map, though if you want one, Mapy.com has the trails across the whole island well mapped. The most comfortable swimming is at Lido Burrone. Most people, though, head to Cala Rossa.
The Giardino dell’Impossibile botanical garden
The Labirinto di Cave
On the northeastern side of the island we found a hole and started asking questions. The answer might surprise you, as it did us.
Until about the 1980s tuff was quarried on the island. A stone cut symmetrically into individual shapes so it could be worked easily afterwards. With the arrival of concrete and other building methods, though, the quarrying stopped, leaving holes across the island that look like entrances to hell. And as fast as those methods arrived, that’s how fast people threw down their tools and the quarrying ended 😀
People often use these holes by roofing them over and building garages, cellars and so on. It’s fascinating when you look into a hole on a walk and there’s suddenly a car parked there, or animals being kept.
A trip to the neighbouring islands
If you have limited time then my recommendation is: don’t try to see everything, because you won’t manage it anyway and you’ll come away with a worse impression of the islands. Pick one island instead. Or adjust your overall itinerary.
If you still insist on seeing at least two islands, it’s better to use one of the organised trips straight from Trapani. You’ll save time, energy and money.
Levanzo
Levanzo is the island of silence. It doesn’t have many roads, it does have little pubs and bars, and it doesn’t have crowds of tourists. As the woman selling boat tickets put it: “There’s actually nothing here” – and she burst out laughing. It seemed to me she genuinely didn’t mind. But the island does have undisturbed coves with crystal-clear water and one of the most astonishing prehistoric treasures in the whole Mediterranean.
Grotta del Genovese – a cave with prehistoric paintings up to 10,000 years old. The depictions of game animals and human figures on the walls are among the best preserved in all of Europe.
Access is only possible with a guide. We tried to walk there on the red trail from the port, but at the end of the path there was a fence and about 30 signs saying not a step further without a guide.
Another interesting spot is Cala Minnola, a cove right by the port with crystal-clear water and a calm atmosphere. Ideal for an afternoon swim while waiting for the ferry back. That was exactly my case. Zdeňa played the spectator from the bar terrace.
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Marettimo – the island for the adventurous
Marettimo is the westernmost of the islands and the least touristy. People come here looking for the Egadi Islands in a different form, the walking one.
The island is mountainous and threaded with hiking routes from one side to the other, north to south. Below are the interesting spots on the island not to miss.
Castello di Marettimo – a medieval castle at the top of the island. Be careful, though: it only opens in May.
Boat trips around Marettimo – the crystal-clear water around the island is ideal for snorkelling. Again, it pays to book a trip through GetYourGuide or to approach a skipper at the port. Out of season, though, that’s a tough one.
