Mount Etna: how to get there and how high to go

Etna is reached from Catania by a single morning bus to Rifugio Sapienza at 1,910 metres, and on by cable car to its upper station; above that the mountain is walked only with an authorised guide. Everything else, from craters you walk round on foot to a jeep through black sand, is arranged by height, and each height asks for different clothes.

From Via Etnea to the foot of the mountain

The volcano is visible in Catania without leaving the city: the main avenue, Via Etnea, runs straight towards it, and the Baroque facades along it are built of black volcanic stone, because the city was rebuilt after the eruption of 1669 and the earthquake of 1693. The AST bus leaves Piazza Giovanni XXIII at 8.15 for Rifugio Sapienza: about 2 h by bus to Rifugio Sapienza (one way). The return is at 16.30, and it is the only one of the day, so the time on the mountain cannot be moved at will.

Getting aroundThe Alibus, city transport and the rides to Etna:Getting around Catania →

Rifugio Sapienza and the Silvestri Craters

The bus stops at Rifugio Sapienza, and its surroundings are, above all, black: fine lava, dried-out flows and steep slopes without trees. The eruption of 2001 damaged this area, including the cable car station. The first walk is the easiest: the Silvestri Craters, two extinct craters formed by the eruption of 1892 at about 1,900 metres, lie just below the refuge, and the circuit round the rim takes 45 to 60 minutes with no serious climb. The bus ticket alone gets you a close look at a volcano.

The cable car and the guided stretch

Further up runs the Funivia dell'Etna, which climbs from Rifugio Sapienza to its upper station at 2,500 metres in about fifteen minutes. Price: €6.60 bus (return) + €54 cable car (return, cabin only) or €78 with jeep and guide up to 2700 m. Free access applies only on the lower slopes; above that, and above all in the crater zone, only an authorised guide may lead the way. That is why the package with a jeep and a guide extends the trip to about 2,800 metres, with a short walk with a volcanologist to the craters themselves. The rules shift with the volcano's activity, so before setting off the bulletins of the INGV-Etna observatory and the municipal orders are worth a look.

What to wear on black sand

The temperature falls by roughly ten degrees for every thousand metres of climb, so the weather at Sapienza differs from Catania's even in midsummer. Practical clothing is layered: a T-shirt, a light fleece, a windbreaker, a hat and closed shoes with a good sole, because on black sand and scree sandals do not get far. In spring snow lies above about 2,300 metres, so the shoes should be waterproof.

3 daysEtna as the third day of a Catania plan:Catania in 3 days →

The other starting point: Taormina

From Taormina there is no public line. Etna is reached on an organised trip: organised bus excursion (no direct public transit). The drive one way takes about 2 h driving one way (with stops), and the tour costs from €45. The bus timetable does not apply here: the tour sets the start and the return. From the upper rows of the ancient theatre in Taormina the volcano shows as a dark silhouette above the sea, and it is the best introduction to the day that follows.

Day tripsEtna, Castelmola and Savoca out of Taormina:Day trips from Taormina →

When Etna is toured in a circle

For a day without a climb there is the Circumetnea, a narrow-gauge railway built between 1889 and 1895 that runs in a semicircle of about 110 kilometres round the foot of the volcano, from Catania to Riposto. It does not reach the craters. It passes through villages on the slopes and suits anyone who wants to see how people live there.

Day tripsEtna and three other trips out of Catania, with prices and times:Day trips from Catania →