For an offbeat adventure, an unspoiled landscape, a Caribbean sea and fabulous beaches, discover the remote Lampedusa island, where you can go swimming, snorkelling, and scuba diving.

This is the place for you, if you want to find peace and quiet and if you’re looking for beautiful warm sea, amazing food and good weather even in October. The main island is the arid Lampedusa, which is the name of both the largest island and its chief town.

Lampedusa island is located just over 100 km from the North African coast and 200 km from the coast of Sicily, for this reason, Lampedusa is a mix of cultures, styles and climate between Sicily, Italy and Africa: a place to visit once in your life.

The island is only 3 Km wide and is 12 Km long. It is a semi-arid island and it has no sources of water other than irregular rainfall.

Overall the island has two slopes, from west to east, and from north to south of the island. The southwestern side is dominated by deep gorges, while the southeastern part is dominated by shallow valleys and sandy beaches.

Lampedusa is a very quiet island and the best thing to do while here is to enjoy the natural beauty of the island.

Most visitors come to the island to visit the beautiful beaches, spend time relaxing in the sun and swim in its crystal waters.

The spectacular beaches of Lampedusa leave anyone speechless. Although not very well known at international level, they have few equals in the world. The water is transparent, almost turquoise, along the entire coast of the island, very clean, and richly populated by sponges, vegetables (such as the characteristic sea lily) and a myriad of fishes.

Below the 5 best beaches that you cannot miss in Lampedusa island

With its 12 beaches, you have a good choice! Do not miss Island of Rabbits, Cala Pulcino, Cala Creta, Cala Pisana, Mar Morto.. But let’s explore them together.

Isola dei Conigli (Rabbits’ Island)

The beach is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. Yes, you read well, in the world. And it is easy to appreciate it just at the first view, with its unique crystal clear water and an incredible white sand.

The beach reminds those of Maldives Islands and its waters are incredible crystalline. (The beach does not have any facilities: no bar, no toilets, no sunbeds.Comfortable shoes are highly recommended as the road is quite rocky).

During summer months, the loggerhead sea turtles choose Isola dei Conigli to reproduce: to avoid problems about, every year WWF volunteers take care of preserving this place.

They also take care of the turtles thanks to a special hospital where these volunteers treat and heal them. It is the Sea Turtle Recovery Center, the perfect place to visit and understand how strong is the human impact on the environment; the entrance for tourists is free.

Cala Pulcino

Cala Pulcino is on the same route of Rabbits’ Island, you will take approx. 40-minutes walk to reach this very beautiful as much as small cove. This route, which is approximately 1.5 kilometres long, follows sections that have been dug out and eroded by water until it reaches the beautiful turquoise-blue sea.

On reaching the beach, which is surrounded with the blue crystal-clear waters of Cala Pulcino, you can observe a wonderful bay with its strip of white sand. It is not equipped with facilities.

Cala Creta

Beautiful cove that is accessed from the restaurant Bar Cala Creta and is directly by the sea. Wonderful to be reached by boat, it is a sheltered and discreet corner, away from the crowd of Rabbits Beach, where to swim in crystal clear water.

Cala Pisana

The beach is perfect for families: near the centre, it has a dock from which you can dive and it’s full of fish for a nice snorkelling in its huge bay with very blue water.

Mar Morto (dead sea)

Dead Sea, is easily accessible with a moped and is mostly rocky. Great snorkelling and only one cove in respect to the others nearby thanks to the presence of two huge rocks at a short distance.

As you can imagine, Lampedusa is also a paradise for snorkelers and divers who can enjoy a rich and unspoiled submerged world inhabited by corals, sponges, madrepores, the coloured parrot-fish and, by Capo Grecale at only 50m depth, you can see the lobster.

Lampedusa Island Travel Tips:

• Don’t miss a boat tour: if you do not do this outing you’re missing a good part of Lampedusa viewed from a different perspective, which allows you to visit the length and breadth of the small island, exploring its depths, caves and coves.The costs vary between €40 and €50 for group tours included lunch. Alternatively, you can rent a private boat with 40 horsepower engine that does not require a boat license, at a cost of 50/60€ per day + fuel
• The best option is to explore the island by bike. If you are lazy, another great way to explore the island is by hiring a scooter or a moped. Several shops rent them around the town for €15-30 per day depending on the season.
• Don’t forget to visit the WWF Sea Turtle Rescue Centre where you can even touch some Caretta Caretta turtles rescued by the association. If you are lucky, during your stay in Lampedusa, the marine centre will release some recovered turtles right on the beach.

Lampedusa by Night
In the evening you can eat out in one of the many locals located in in Via Roma, the main street: fresh fish skilfully cooked and served with genuine products, along with a glass of white wine. The street also hosting a cluster of shops and cafés with outdoor tables, where, in the summer, live music or entertainment shows take place. The island’s natural sponges are a favourite souvenir for tourists.

Best time to visit Lampedusa and Linosa:

June-August is the high season in Lampedusa like much the rest of Italy and Europe. June to August is the most crowded and most expensive time to visit, but with more transportation options for getting there.

In our opinion May, September and October are the best months to visit as the crowds have gone home and the boiling temperatures are now pleasant.

How to get there:

By Plane: planes arrive in Lampedusa from Italy’s principal cities, either via direct flight or with stops in Palermo, Trapani or Catania.
Airlines include Alitalia, Air Italy, Blue Express.
By Boat: Ferries and hydrofoils also make their way from Porto Empedocle to Lampedusa every day, weather permitting. Both stop in Linosa, but have different costs and hours.
Ferry: 8-hour trip, 50-66 Euros per person.
Hydrofoil: 4-hour trip, approx. 54 Euros.
For info: Siremar and Ustica Lines