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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Scalea
One night or a day-trip from Lamezia Terme or Cosenza: the old town and beach are fine for a half-day, but the region's best coast is further south.
Scalea is a small Tyrrhenian resort on the Riviera dei Cedri, with a medieval old town, a long beach and the landmark Torre Talao. It works as a quick stop between Lamezia Terme and the Pollino National Park or as a quiet base for a night. Most travellers use it for a single night or skip it for Tropea or the Aeolian Islands.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowded and hot), Nov–Feb (many places 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 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118 · EU emergency 112
- 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 | €1–1.50 |
| Pizza (margherita) | €5–8 |
| Seafood dinner (secondi) | €15–25 |
| Beer (draft, 0.4 L) | €3–5 |
| Gelato (two scoops) | €2.50–4 |
| Bus from Lamezia Terme to Scalea | €8–12 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SUF · Lamezia Terme
- About 1.5 h by car or bus; check shuttle services.
- NAP · Naples
- About 2.5 h drive; train via Paola possible but slower.
Typical fares
- Lamezia Terme airport → Scalea
- about €15–20 by shuttle or bus, about 1.5 h (check)
- Taxi from Scalea station to old town
- €10–15
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
Walkable: the old town and beach are within 15 min on foot. A car is useful for the coast and Pollino. Local buses connect Scalea to nearby towns; check timetables.
See and do
Known for
- Torre Talao
- Old town (centro storico)
- Riviera dei Cedri beaches
- Church of San Nicolas in Plateis
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pollino National Park | Car, about 30–40 min to the park boundary | About 1 h |
| Tropea | Car via A2, about 1 h 15 min | About 1.5 h |
| Cosenza | Car via SS18 or A2, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Lamezia Terme | Car via A2, about 1 h | About 1.25 h |
Sleep
- Lungomare / beachfront
- Hotels and B&Bs along the seafront; close to the beach and Torre Talao.
- Old town (centro storico)
- Narrow streets, quieter, but parking can be tight.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Goodbye | Ciaochow |
| Thank you | Graziegraht-see-eh |
| How much? | Quanto costa?kwahn-toh koh-stah |
| Where is the beach? | Dov'è la spiaggia?doh-veh lah spee-ah-jah |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel kohn-toh pehr 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
- Many restaurants and hotels close outside summer (Jun–Sep); check ahead in shoulder months.
- Parking in the old town is limited; use the Lungomare lots.
- Beach clubs charge for sunbeds and umbrellas; free beach sections exist but are narrower.
Scalea is safe; petty theft is rare. Watch for uneven streets in the old town and jellyfish in summer. Emergency number 112 works.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Scalea yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Torre Talao
- Old town (centro storico)
- Riviera dei Cedri beaches
- Church of San Nicolas in Plateis
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: Scalea, revision 4062507 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4062507
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/scalea). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.