Italy and Sicily · Elba, Capraia and Giglio
On Elba, the harbour towns, beaches and hill villages are close enough for a stay to reveal several sides of the same island.
Seven to ten days can easily be spent on Elba alone. Two to three weeks in total allow time for either Capraia or Giglio, and a day on the mainland. The whole stay can also be spent on Elba, with more time in favourite places.
The islands off Tuscany
Some local legs around Elba are about 8–17 nautical miles. Crossings to the neighbouring islands are longer: around 25–26 nautical miles from Portoferraio to Capraia, or 39–40 from Marina di Campo to Giglio Porto. These are approximate distances from operators’ suggested trips; weather and chosen stops determine the legs.
Days on Elba
In Portoferraio, the walk follows Darsena Medicea and continues up through the old town to Palazzina dei Mulini, Napoleon’s residence above the sea. The museum’s opening hours vary through the week. The visit can be combined with a walk through the streets and a meal down by the harbour.
Mulini: visits and opening hours ↗The old fishing quarter of Cotone stands by the sea, while the pebble beach of Fenicia lies beside the tower at the other end of the waterfront. A day here can include swimming, a walk along the water and dinner in town.
Marciana lies higher up and is a separate visit by bus or car. Narrow streets invite a stroll, and a tempting treat for a break is schiaccia briaca, Elba’s cake with nuts, raisins and wine.
Marciana Marina and Fenicia ↗
Porto Azzurro has its square and restaurants along the water. A couple of nights here leave time for the afternoon to drift into a long dinner.
Marina di Campo has a long sandy beach beside the town; Fetovaia lies in a smaller bay farther west. Both can be visited overland while the boat stays in an established harbour. A visit with your own boat requires a suitable berth or anchorage and confirmed dinghy access ashore between the swimming areas.
Campo and Fetovaia are suggested here as day trips; mooring and permitted landing places have not been clarified.
A possible longer stay
With two to three weeks in total, one of these islands could fit in. They lie in different directions from Elba and offer quite different days ashore.
On Capraia, the harbour lies below the village. A walk up can be combined with a meal in town or one of the trails through the volcanic landscape. The island has marine zones with differing restrictions, including around the caves.
The park’s zoning map and current rules govern movement and anchoring. The closure at Grotta della Foca Monaca must also be taken into account.
The park’s marine rules and map ↗Trails and visits on Capraia ↗
From Giglio Porto, a bus runs up to the medieval town of Castello and on to Campese with its beach. The streets within the walls and the beach offer different ways to spend the days. A stay with the boat depends on a suitable visitor berth; the harbour’s older berth and depth information does not establish this.
Joining your own boat on Giglio therefore also depends on its berth. A ferry trip from Porto Santo Stefano is another option, with a separate base and onward transport on the mainland.
Bus between Porto, Castello and Campese ↗Giannutri could be an organised shore excursion. The park’s buoy field is still listed as out of service in the information checked on 19 September 2026. The guide therefore suggests no overnight stay at a buoy here; the park’s rules on admission tickets and guides outside the freely accessible footpath also apply to a shore excursion.
Giannutri: park operating notice ↗A day on the mainland
At Baratti, Etruscan tombs lie near the sea. A visit to the necropolis at San Cerbone can be combined with the streets and views of Populonia, before a swim or a meal by the bay.
This is a suggested drive from a mainland base, with transport from there. The trip does not assume a berth or a landing from your own boat at Baratti.
Populonia and the archaeological park ↗
Arrival and boat care
June or September are possible months for a stay; the choice of harbour and legs also depends on the weather then.
From Pisa airport, Pisamover runs to Pisa Centrale. From there, the journey continues by train, with the necessary changes, to Piombino Marittima, then by ferry to Portoferraio and on to the marina where the boat is berthed. The final stretch depends on the berth.
The ferry to Capraia leaves from Livorno, and the ferry to Giglio from Porto Santo Stefano.
Portoferraio is the natural arrival point and a possible holiday base. Scarlino on the mainland is a candidate for lifting, work and storage.
Preparation work can be arranged on the mainland or combined with a stay at Esaom on Elba.
Scarlino lists 4 metres in the lifting basin; this figure does not cover the entire approach.
Scarlino: workshop and lifting facilities ↗Manuela Paper’s short holiday album includes beach evenings, life aboard and seaside dinners from a catamaran trip around the islands.
Watch “Sailing around Elba and Giglio Island” · 3 min 26 sec ↗Published 18 July 2020.
The photographer, date taken and licence are listed beside each photograph. “Full photograph” opens the largest local version.
Places to visit, harbours and transport are linked beside their descriptions. Distances are based on operators’ approximate suggested trips, with somewhat different stops along the way.
Buechi Yachting: local legs around ElbaTuscany in Tour: distances around Elba and CapraiaAla Charter: Elba and CapraiaMistral Sailing: Elba and GiglioGiannutri: shore visitsSources reviewed on 19 September 2026. Some harbour information is older, as noted in the relevant descriptions.
Coastline: Natural Earth 1:10m, version 5.1.1. Place points: OpenStreetMap, Wikimedia, FAO and Marina di Scarlino.
Natural Earth: public-domain data© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbLWikimedia: structured place dataFAO: harbour coordinatesPoint data with a source for each place · ODbLMap design: Sophie · CC BY 4.0