Catania vs Aci Trezza: Where to Start Your Boat Tour?

The Short Answer

Board in Catania if you’re staying in the city, want a half-day sail with a swim stop and food included, and don’t mind spending the first 30 to 45 minutes getting up the coast.

Board in Aci Trezza if you’re staying along the Riviera dei Ciclopi or driving in from Taormina, want to be at the sea stacks within minutes, or would rather spend $17 to $57 on a shorter trip than $50 to $75 on a longer one.

Where the Two Harbours Actually Are

Catania’s tours leave from the old port, on the waterfront road Via Cardinale Dusmet, beside the historic centre. The flagship cruise meets at the Vecchia Dogana; the sailing tour meets at Caffè del Porto nearby and boards from the Club Nautico dock inside the Dogana gate. If you’re staying anywhere in central Catania, you can walk or take a short taxi ride.

Aci Trezza is a fishing village north of Catania that belongs to the municipality of Aci Castello, which is why many listings give an “Aci Castello” address. Almost every Aci Trezza tour meets somewhere along Via Lungomare dei Ciclopi, the seafront road that runs past the harbour, with the Faraglioni in plain view from the pier.

Getting to Each One

To Catania’s port: if you’re in the city, just walk. From Catania airport it’s a short taxi ride or the airport bus into the centre.

To Aci Trezza: AMTS bus 534 runs from central Catania, including stops near the train station, to the Aci Trezza terminal. Allow 30 minutes in light traffic and closer to an hour on a busy summer afternoon, and check the current timetable before relying on it for a fixed departure. A taxi is faster but costs considerably more. Driving is easy outside peak season, but parking along the seafront fills up on summer weekends, when Catania residents head up the coast to swim.

If you’re coming from Taormina, Aci Trezza is on your way south and saves you continuing into Catania. The private charter to the Cyclops Islands also offers pickup from both Catania and Taormina.

What You See From Each Route

From Catania, the boat heads north along a coastline of black lava, past cliffs formed where Etna’s flows met the sea. The Norman castle at Aci Castello, built in 1076 on a crag of volcanic rock, comes into view before you reach Aci Trezza. By the time you reach the Faraglioni you’ve already had a long look at the coast most visitors only see from the road.

From Aci Trezza, you’re among the sea stacks almost at once. The shorter tours usually circle Isola Lachea and the Faraglioni first, then run south to Aci Castello and back. The longer Aci Trezza options go further: one continues past Aci Castello to the Cannizzaro cliffs, and a three-hour option heads north past Capo Mulini and the 80-metre La Timpa cliff toward Acireale.

Both routes pass through the same marine reserve, so the rules below apply wherever you start.

The Marine Reserve Shapes Both Routes

The sea around the Faraglioni is part of the Isole Ciclopi Marine Protected Area, which runs between Capo Mulini and Punta Aguzza. The water immediately around Isola Lachea and the largest stack is the strictest zone, marked by five yellow buoys. No boat may anchor or moor there, and swimming is only permitted in two spots: close to the western side of Lachea and around Punta Cornera. In the surrounding zone, motorboats are limited to 5 knots and anchoring is banned to protect the seabed.

In practice this means every skipper, whichever harbour they left from, slows right down near the stacks and picks swim spots from a short list of legal places. If your tour’s swim stop isn’t directly under the Faraglioni, that’s the reason, not a shortcut.

Tour Length, Price and What’s Included

	From Catania	From Aci Trezza
Typical duration	4 hours	45 minutes to 3 hours
Typical price	$50 to $75 per person	$17 to $57 per person
Food and drink	Usually included: aperitif or appetizer	Rarely; sometimes a welcome drink
Boat	Mostly sailing yachts	Small motorboats and traditional fishing boats
Boarding fee on site	Often €15 to €20 per person	Uncommon
Swim stop	Yes, with snorkel gear and a paddleboard	Most tours, masks often provided
Best if you’re staying in	Catania, or arriving by plane or cruise ship	Aci Trezza, Aci Castello, Acireale, Taormina

The Catania boarding fee catches people out. It’s paid in cash at the dock on top of the online price, and it’s listed under “not included” on the tour page rather than in the headline price. See our Cyclops Coast cruise prices guide for the full breakdown.

Making a Day of It

Around Catania’s port, you’re a few minutes from the Piazza del Duomo and the morning fish market, La Pescheria, which is at its liveliest before the 09:00 departure or after a morning cruise returns at 13:00.

Around Aci Trezza, there’s more to do than the harbour suggests. The village is the setting of Giovanni Verga’s novel I Malavoglia, and the small Casa del Nespolo museum in the old centre is devoted to it and to Luchino Visconti’s film La terra trema, shot here in 1947 with local fishermen as the cast. A short walk or bus ride south, the Norman castle at Aci Castello houses a civic museum with mineralogy, palaeontology and archaeology sections, and the view from its walls takes in the whole bay. Entry is a few euros; check opening hours before you go, since they vary by season.

A good Aci Trezza day looks like a morning boat tour, lunch on the seafront, and the castle in the late afternoon.

Which One Should You Book?

Choose a Catania departure if:

you’re staying in Catania without a car
you want the full half-day experience with food on board
you’d like to sail rather than motor
you’re arriving by cruise ship and want one simple meeting point

Choose an Aci Trezza departure if:

you’re staying anywhere along the Riviera dei Ciclopi
you’re driving down from Taormina
you have a morning or an afternoon free, not both
you want the cheapest way to see the Faraglioni from the water
you want to combine the boat with the village, the museum and the castle

Still undecided? Our best Cyclops Coast boat tours page lines up every tour from both harbours with real prices and ratings, and which Cyclops Coast tour is right for you? sorts them by budget and time.

Ready to Book?

Whichever harbour you pick, every tour here has free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. Check live dates for the top-rated Cyclops Coast cruise from Catania above, or browse Aci Trezza boat tours if you’re staying up the coast.