In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Panarea
Spend 1–2 days on Panarea for beaches, short hikes and a boat ride; longer stays need advance booking and limited services.
Panarea is a tiny Aeolian island with no roads, two small beaches, Bronze Age ruins and easy boat trips to nearby islets. Most visitors stay one night, using the port‑side hotel and walking the trails.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- May–September
- Avoid
- October–April (many hotels 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 €80–130 excl. bed · High €130+ 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 112 · 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 | €1.5–2.5 |
| Meal at hotel restaurant | €15–30 |
| Boat hire (hour) | €30–60 |
| Golf‑cart taxi (short ride) | €5–10 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CTA · Catania–Fontanarossa Airport
- Express bus to Milazzo (≈2 h) for ferries to the Aeolian Islands
Typical fares
- Hydrofoil Panarea ↔ Lipari
- ≈ €30 each way (check)
- Golf‑cart taxi port‑town
- ≈ €5–10 per short ride
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
No roads; walk or use the golf‑cart taxi that runs between the harbour and the town. Paths reach both beaches and the ruin site.
See and do
Known for
- Two rocky beaches with views of Stromboli
- Bronze Age ruins at Punta Milazzese
- Golf‑cart taxi service
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Stromboli | Boat from Panarea harbour, about 30 min each way | ≈1 h total |
| Basiluzzo islet | Small boat hire, 10 min ride | ≈30 min round trip |
Sleep
- Quartara Hotel
- 3 min from harbour, double rooms €180 / night, terrace restaurant.
- Hotel Lisca Bianca
- Port‑side, rooms with sea view, negotiate price in high season.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Scusaskuːza |
| Thank you | Grazieˈɡrattsje |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?ˈkwanto ˈkosta |
| Where is the toilet? | Dove è il bagno?ˈdove ɛ il ˈbaɲɲo |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con carta?ˈpɔsso paˈɡare kon ˈkarta |
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
- No cars – only footpaths and golf‑cart taxis.
- Strong currents at the island’s north and south tips; use a guide for boat trips.
- Accommodations open only May–Sept; book far in advance.
Panarea is safe; main risks are strong sea currents and limited medical facilities – carry a basic first‑aid kit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Panarea yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Two rocky beaches with views of Stromboli
- Bronze Age ruins at Punta Milazzese
- Golf‑cart taxi service
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikidata – Panarea: www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12345
- Wikivoyage: Panarea, revision 5330136 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5330136
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/panarea). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.