Lampedusa in 3, 5 and 7 days
Three day-by-day itineraries, with rough timings, realistic transfers and a plan B for windy days. Fit the plan around the forecast, not the other way round.
How to use this guide
This guide is for people who already have the flight or the ferry booked and want to work out how the days fit together. Lampedusa is small, roughly 20 square kilometres: it is about 7 km from town to Capo Ponente, about 4 to Cala Creta, about 5 to the Capo Grecale lighthouse. On a scooter that is ten or fifteen minutes to anywhere, so distance is never the problem.
The wind is the problem, because here the wind picks the beach. With the maestrale, from the north-west, the south coast stays calm and clear. With the scirocco, from the south-east, the sea builds up from Punta Sottile to Capo Ponente and you are better off on the east side. Check the forecast the night before and swap the days around: these itineraries are built to be rotated, not followed to the letter.
Only one thing has to be locked in advance, Rabbit Beach. Entry is free, but in recent seasons you need to book online for one of two slots (morning 8:30-13:30 and afternoon 14:30-19:30), places are capped and you have to be through the gate within an hour of the slot opening or you lose your spot. Check the current rules on the Reserve website before you travel. Rabbit Island
Lampedusa in 3 days
Three full days cover the heart of the island, as long as you do not waste the first afternoon. The airport is about 2 km from the harbour, essentially in town: land in the morning and you are on a beach by lunchtime.
| Time | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| around 10:00 | Arrival and check-in | The airport is a short walk from the centre. Drop the bags and keep the first afternoon loose. |
| around 12:00 | Guitgia | Fine sand and shallow water, walkable from town. The right beach for a day when you still have no transport. |
| around 15:30 | Cala Croce | Slightly further west, white sand and shallow water close to shore, with free parking at the entrance. |
| around 18:00 | Pick up the scooter | Book it before you leave home: in August the rental fleet sells out weeks in advance. |
| around 20:30 | Via Roma | The evening stroll through town. It is also when you book the boat tour for day three. |
| Time | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| around 08:00 | Leave town | Rabbit Beach is about 5.5 km west of the centre: ten minutes by scooter, or the summer town bus. |
| around 08:30 | Morning slot opens | With an online booking you have to be in by 9:30 or your place is released. From the car park it is about 800 m of rocky path downhill, fifteen to twenty minutes: wear closed shoes. |
| around 09:00 | On the beach | There is almost no shade, so bring water and a hat. The fenced areas are Caretta caretta nests: do not step inside and do not move the barriers. |
| around 13:30 | Slot ends, walk back up | Everyone leaves at the end of the slot, and the climb back to the car park is the hard part. Factor it in before planning anything else. |
| around 15:30 | Cala Madonna or Cala Pulcino | Cala Madonna is close to town and easy. Cala Pulcino is wild and takes about a 40 minute walk over rocks, with no shade and no facilities. |
| around 19:30 | Capo Ponente | The best known sunset spot on land, along the Rabbit Beach road past the military base. Check the exact time for your date: in summer the sun sets between 20:00 and 20:30, earlier by late August. |
| Time | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| around 09:30 | Board at the harbour | Tours leave in the morning, in half-day or full-day form, often with lunch on board. |
| around 11:00 | Tabaccara | Reachable only by sea and the fixed stop on every tour, with some of the best snorkelling on the island. |
| around 12:00 | Rabbit Island from the water | Seeing it from the sea is a different experience from the beach: this is where the shape of the bay makes sense. |
| around 14:30 | North coast | High cliffs and caves, with no beaches reachable on foot. The part of the island that only exists if you take a boat. |
| around 17:30 | Back in port | Strong wind cancels departures: if the forecast turns, swap this day with the Rabbit Beach day. |
| around 19:45 | Porta d'Europa | Mimmo Paladino's 2008 monument faces the open sea to the south-east. The sun drops behind it rather than into the water, but the late light is the right light. |
If you have 5 days
Two extra days mean you stop chasing the clock and can add the things that always get cut first in a three-day trip.
- Day four in the morning, snorkelling on the east side. Cala Creta has deep water and easy access, with plenty of life a few metres from shore; Mare Morto (Cala Calandra) is a rocky bay that is calm almost all the time.
- Day four at sunset, Albero Sole. At 133 m it is the highest viewpoint on the island, looking out over the Scoglio a Vela. Rocky ground and no railings: closed shoes, and mind the wind near the edge.
- Day five in the morning, the Santuario della Madonna di Porto Salvo, a small church carved into the rock inside a garden, with the caves that once sheltered sailors. It is near Cala Madonna, so it slots in alongside half a day at the beach.
- The sea turtle first aid and rescue centre, hosted in the Marine Protected Area premises, takes very little time and explains clearly why the nests on the beach are fenced off. Opening hours vary, so ask locally.
- A sunrise at the Capo Grecale lighthouse, about 5 km from town on the north-east side. It is the spot on the island where the sun comes out of the sea, and at five in the morning nobody else is there.
Snorkeling · Sea turtles · Sunsets
If you have 7 days
Seven days change the rhythm. You stop planning and start repeating yourself, which here is not wasted time: the same cove with a different wind is a different beach.
- A day trip to Linosa, the volcanic island of the archipelago, reachable in a day by seasonal hydrofoil or ferry. Check the return time before you go, because the hydrofoil is cancelled when the sea is rough.
- A day with no plan, decided the previous evening by looking at the wind. It is the day that rescues the holiday when the weather turns.
- A second, shorter boat trip, or a late afternoon departure: the north coast in low light looks nothing like it does at midday.
- The coves that never fit into three days: Cala Francese, a secluded rocky inlet south-east of town and good for snorkelling in calm seas, and Cala Pisana in the east, with shallow sandy seabed close to shore.
- Half a day among dammusi and countryside. The traditional stone buildings, with flat or domed roofs, are scattered across the rocky interior and you only see them by driving away from the beaches.
Plan B for windy days
You do not need a complicated plan B. You need two pieces of information: where the wind is coming from, and where to go instead.
| Wind | Where it works | What to postpone |
|---|---|---|
| Maestrale (from the north-west) | Cala Madonna, Cala Croce, Guitgia, Cala Maluk, Cala Francese, Rabbit Beach | Nothing, and it is also the right day for the boat tour. |
| Scirocco (from the south-east) | Cala Pisana, Cala Creta, Mare Morto (Cala Calandra), the whole east and north-east side | The south coast from Punta Sottile to Capo Ponente: choppy sea and murkier water. |
| Strong wind from any direction | Town, the sanctuary, the turtle centre, a drive among the dammusi | Boats and hydrofoils, because departures get cancelled and connections drop. |
The night-before trick
Check the wind forecast the evening before, with an app like Windy or Windfinder, and only then decide which day of the itinerary to run. The one fixed date is your booked slot at Rabbit Beach; everything else can be swapped.
Mistakes to avoid on a short itinerary
Five mistakes that shorten the holiday
- Turning up at Rabbit Beach in high season without a booking, relying only on the waiting-list places at the gate.
- Leaving the boat tour to the last day: if the wind cancels it, there is no second chance.
- Walking down to Cala Pulcino in the early afternoon, with the sun overhead, no water and flip-flops.
- Renting the scooter on arrival instead of weeks ahead, especially in August.
- Filling every hour. The distances are short, but the heat and the climb back from Rabbit Beach add up.
We have collected more of them, with the fixes: Mistakes to avoid
Where to stay for this itinerary
For three days, stay in town. Guitgia, Cala Madonna, the harbour and the airport are all walkable, and you can walk home from Via Roma instead of driving. If you land late or leave early, being near the airport is worth more than any view.
For five or seven days a dammuso or a place outside town makes sense, but you need transport: parking is limited both in town and at the coves, and the summer town bus mainly covers the centre, the airport and Rabbit Beach, roughly every thirty to sixty minutes. Getting around · Where to stay
Accommodation sells out early between July and August, so book well ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Are 3 days enough in Lampedusa?
They are enough for the core: one day at Rabbit Beach, one on a boat and one around the town coves. What you do not get is slack, because if the wind cancels the boat tour you have no spare day. If you can, add at least one night.
Do I need a scooter?
It is not compulsory, but it makes life much easier: the island is small and ten or fifteen minutes gets you anywhere. The alternatives are the summer town bus lines to the airport and Rabbit Beach, roughly every thirty to sixty minutes, and taxis, which need booking in high season. In August, book the scooter weeks ahead.
Can I visit Rabbit Beach without booking?
In recent seasons a share of places is kept for the waiting list at the gate when the two slots open, but it is a small share compared with the online places and in August it goes quickly. Treat it as a fallback, not a plan, and always check the current rules on the Reserve website.
June or September?
June has longer days and sun until late, so more of the itinerary fits into one day. September has warmer water and fewer people, and falls within the turtle hatching period, which runs from July to September. Pick June for daylight, September for a slower pace.
How long does the island boat tour take?
It comes in two formats, half day and full day, leaving from the harbour in the morning. The long version takes in Tabaccara, Rabbit Island and the north coast with its caves, often with lunch on board. Strong wind cancels departures, so schedule it early in your stay.
Read more
Getting there · Getting around · Beaches by wind · Excursions · Sunsets · When to go · With kids · Where to eat · Things to do
Book the boat tour
Trips leaving Lampedusa harbour take in Tabaccara, Rabbit Island and the north coast with its caves.