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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Giglio
Go for a day trip or one night if you want quiet beaches and a castle village; skip if you need nightlife or multiple restaurants open after 20:00.
Giglio is a small island off the Tuscan coast, reachable by ferry from Porto Santo Stefano. Its main draw is the medieval hilltop village of Giglio Castello and a ring of coves and beaches. Most visitors come for the day; an overnight stay lets you walk the empty trails after the last ferry leaves.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowded, hot), Nov–Feb (many services closed)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €50–80 excl. bed · Mid €80–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118 · Coast guard 1530
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a bar | €1.20–1.50 |
| Pizza (margherita) | €8–12 |
| Seafood pasta | €14–20 |
| Glass of Ansonaco wine | €4–6 |
| Ferry Giglio Porto ↔ Porto Santo Stefano, one way | €15 (check) |
| Scooter rental, half day | €30–50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FCO · Rome Fiumicino
- About 2 h 30 min by train and ferry to Porto Santo Stefano, then 1 h ferry to Giglio
- PSA · Pisa Galileo Galilei
- About 2 h by train and ferry to Porto Santo Stefano, then 1 h ferry
Typical fares
- Ferry Giglio Porto → Porto Santo Stefano
- about €15, 1 h (check)
- Bus Giglio Porto → Giglio Castello
- about €2, 15 min (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
On foot for the village and nearby beaches; a local bus connects Giglio Porto, Giglio Castello and Giglio Campese. Scooter rental is available in Giglio Porto. No car rental on the island.
See and do
Known for
- Giglio Castello
- beaches and coves
- Ansonaco wine
- Costa Concordia wreck (removed)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Porto Santo Stefano | Ferry from Giglio Porto, about 1 h | About 1 h |
| Orbetello | Ferry to Porto Santo Stefano, then bus or taxi, about 1 h 30 min | About 2 h |
| Saturnia | Ferry to Porto Santo Stefano, then car or bus, about 2 h | About 3 h |
| Grosseto | Ferry to Porto Santo Stefano, then bus or train, about 2 h | About 2.5 h |
Sleep
- Giglio Castello
- The hilltop village; quiet, narrow streets, limited dining options.
- Giglio Porto
- The harbour area; ferry access, more restaurants and bars.
- Giglio Campese
- The main beach area; a few hotels and a campsite.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Goodbye | Ciaochow |
| Thank you | Graziegraht-see-eh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?kwahn-toh koh-stah |
| Where is the ferry? | Dov'è il traghetto?doh-veh eel trah-get-toh |
| I'd like a table for two | Vorrei un tavolo per duevor-ray oon tah-voh-loh pair doo-eh |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel kohn-toh pair fah-voh-reh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Ferry schedules change seasonally; check the Toremar or Maregiglio website before planning your day.
- Giglio Castello has steep cobbled streets; not suitable for wheeled luggage.
- Beaches are mostly pebble or rock; bring water shoes.
- Restaurants in Giglio Castello may close for lunch or be fully booked in August.
Giglio is safe; the main risks are sunburn, dehydration on hikes, and slippery rocks on the beaches. No pickpocketing concerns.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Giglio yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Giglio Castello
- beaches and coves
- Ansonaco wine
- Costa Concordia wreck (removed)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Giglio, revision 5003459 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5003459
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/giglio). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.