Pantelleria: Why you should visit & what you need to know

Updated in July 2025 after our second visit

Pantelleria is a Sicilian island that can be reached by ferry or by plane. It is known as the ‘black pearl’ because of the blackness of its rocks, due to its volcanic origin. In fact, Specchio di Venere (Venus’s mirror), is a thermal lake that is a former volcanic crater!

It’s a fabulous holiday destination, loved by Italians and foreigners alike.

How to get to Pantelleria

Getting to Pantelleria depends on where you’re travelling from. There are certain cities in Italy, such as Milan, Trapani and Bologna, that fly direct to Pantelleria on certain days. We flew from Palermo , as there are a few flights a day, with a flight time of just under an hour. Note that the flights are seasonal and operated by DAT.

You can also get to Pantelleria by ferry from Trapani. The fastest ferry (Liberty Lines) takes two and a half hours and the slowest (Siremar) takes 6 hours.

Where to stay in Pantelleria

Pantelleria is a fairly big island at around 84 square km (32 square miles) and there are different areas or suburbs that you can stay in.

The first time we visited we stayed in Trancino at Pantelleria Dream Resort, which has rooms that are traditional dammusi. It’s a fabulous resort, with a stunning infinity pool and a great restaurant. It’s also family owned and run and the staff are really friendly and helpful.

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We loved this area because it’s very close to some wonderful swimming spots, such as Cala Levante, Gadir and also the iconic Arco dell’Elefante.

Another popular area is Scauri, which has some great restaurants and is also close to the sea. The second time we visited Pantelleria we stayed in this area at the fabulous, luxury Sikelia. It’s beautifully designed and is really tranquil. We loved our stay and would definitely stay here again. And top tip – if you book early in the year you can get 30% off – although it’s non-refundable.

Sikelia is quite small so it feels exclusive. We loved how they served the breakfast – basically a private breakfast buffet! And the pastries were absolutely divine.

Wherever you decide to stay, you’ll always be fairly close to the sea, restaurants and shops as it only takes around 45 minutes to an hour to travel around the entire island.

Best things to do in Pantelleria

I was delighted that there was quite a bit to do in Pantelleria, which is great news if you’re not there for a ‘beach holiday’. Although technically there aren’t any beaches as there are no sandy beaches, just swimming spots with decks or rocks.

Here are some of the best things to do when you visit Pantelleria.

Wine tasting at Donnafugata

There are quite a few vineyards on the island and Pantelleria is most famous for a sweet dessert wine called Passito (which is Italian for ‘raisin’).

Donnafugata is popular for wine tastings so I recommend booking in advance if you want to visit. They actually have vineyards around Sicily and you get a little passport, where if you visit them all you get a free wine tasting.

The setting is not as pretty as Coste Ghirlanda – and it’s a different experience as it’s an organised wine tasting – but we really enjoyed it. Firstly you are shown around where they produce the wine, then you go outside to taste four wines whilst your expert explains the wine and you’re invited to try certain foods with it to see how the taste changes.

After the wine tasting, you end the tour in the vineyards where you get to try what Pantelleria is famous for – a sweet dessert wine called Passito. It’s absolutely delicious! The tour cost €35 per person and takes around an hour and a half.

Swim in Specchio di Venere

When you’re coming in to land in Pantelleria, you fly over Specchio di Venere and it’s so impressive!

This heart-shaped lake is called Venus’s mirror and it’s been formed naturally from a volcanic crater. The water is incredibly blue!

The water and mud is also therapeutic and people cover themselves in the mud and let it dry. We didn’t do this as it was rather smelly!

Unfortunately on a couple of days during our first visit, there were lots of jellyfish so we couldn’t swim in the sea. The lake offers a good alternative on those days. It’s also huge so was never crowded.

There are also two places to eat so no need to bring food and drink with you. One is more a restaurant and the other is more casual, where you can also buy food to take away.

Dinner in a vineyard

We were actually recommended Coste Ghirlanda by the son of the owner of Dream resort that we were staying at during our first visit to Pantelleria as he’s passionate about wine. It’s also quite close to the resort – about a ten minute drive away. Funny enough, it’s owned by Sikelia – the hotel we stayed at on our second visit to the island.

We went one night for Aperitivo and loved the setting so much that we booked dinner for another night. There’s something so wonderful about being surrounded by nature.

The vineyard produces only a small selection of wine and no sparkling wine. Aperitivo is fairly expensive if you don’t take advantage of the wine as it’s a set price of €30 per person. You get also get some nibbles such as olives, taralli and small dishes from the chef.

When we returned for dinner, it was absolutely magical! The setting is just unbelievably beautiful and the food was delicious. In fact we had the best pasta of our trip at Coste Ghirlanda. We loved it so much, we booked it again on our second visit to Pantelleria.

Hire a boat or go on a boat trip

The best way to see an island is by boat! We hired a boat one day and went all around the island, stopping to swim along the way. The great thing about having a boat is that you get to swim in places that are only accessible by boat.

You can either hire your own boat or join a boat excursion tour. On our second stay we went for a boat trip through our hotel, Sikelia. Their boat (which was a former Tunisian fishing boat) is only for their guests so unfortunately you can’t book it unless you’re staying there but I’m mentioning it because sometimes it’s really nice to be able to relax and let someone else drive the boat! Plus they know all the best places to stop for a swim.

Being on a boat also gives you a great view of the landscape of the island. I’ve been to lots of Italian islands and some of them are quite arid, with not much vegetation. I was really surprised by how green and vibrant Pantelleria is. The scenery is beautiful.

There are levels of stone walls, which are built to protect plants and crops from the wind and you can see this all around the island.

Enjoy the hot springs

There are a number of natural hot springs around the island, thanks to its volcanic past. We found one in Gadir, however the temperature was around 45 degrees Celsius and we weren’t brave enough to get in! We did overhear a woman who lives on the island who said she takes a bath in one every evening at around 6pm.

Gadir is also a lovely swimming spot with a large deck where you can sunbath. There is also a bar and restaurant here. And depending what time you’re there, a lady arrives selling delicious homemade granita from a little van. In fact, she goes to all the nearby swimming spots so no doubt you’d see her at some point.

There are other hot springs right in the sea at Sorgenti calde di Nikà, however it’s best to reach here by boat as it’s quite tricky to get too – as you can see by the photo! It’s so odd having these little pools of really hot water right in the cool sea. It’s a unique experience!

Aperitivo at sunset

One of my favourite things to do in Italy is have aperitivo. I’d say Lampedusa had the edge when it came to stunning aperitivo spots to watch the sunset but Pantelleria has some great places too – you just won’t always be able to actually see the sun set.

The best area to see the sun set is in Mursia as it’s the west of the island. A very popular place to go is Sesiventi, where you can watch it from the roof. However… you need to book it in advance and it’s also quite pricey. We managed to go without a booking, however the only seating they had on the roof didn’t face the sea! So we just had a couple of drinks downstairs, facing the sea, and it was great. They have a DJ too so it’s got a great vibe.

The second time we visited Pantelleria, we booked the rooftop at Sensiventi and it was definitely worth it! It’s €40 per person but you get a welcome drink, then you can choose another premium drink and one dish of food – which was very generous. Like a meal! The vibe was really awesome.

There were four dishes to choose from and we both chose the aubergine polpette, which were so delicious. In this picture is just one portion… so we both had four polpette each. As I said, very generous!

Another lovely place to have aperitivio is Dispensa Pantesca in Scauri. Its restaurant in the same location is called La Nicchia and they also have a little shop. We ended up buying a bottle of the wine we had enjoyed, to take home with us.

Read my post for more of the best places to have aperitivo in Pantelleria.

Step back in time at Acropoli di Pantelleria

The Acropolis was something we only discovered on our second visit when I picked up a leaflet at the Caper Museum! The Acropolis of San Marco and Santa Teresa in Pantelleria contains the remains of the acropolis of the city of Cossyra (which is the ancient Roman name for Pantelleria) believed to date back to the 3rd century BC.

It’s pretty fascinating as you can see the remains of the cisterns, which formed a complex water system. This is where they discovered the famous portrait heads of Caesar, Antonia Minor, and Titus which are now displayed on tour around the world.

It’s free to visit but note that all the information displayed is only in Italian. If you prefer, you can book a tour with a local guide who speaks English to visit this and other really important archaeological sites in Pantelleria.

Buy local products

Pantelleria is famous for two products in particular – Passito wine and capers. But of course they also produce lots of other things, such as olive oil, sundried tomatoes and various pastes that you can spread over bread. There are a number of agricultural shops that you can buy local products from, dotted around the island. We bought some capers from the little restaurant in Specchio di Venere, sundried tomatoes from a fruit and vegetable shop by the castle and olive oil and more capers from Azienda Agricola Biologica Emanuela Bonomo.

Visit the Museo del Cappero (Caper Museum)

As Pantelleria is famous for its capers, a visit to the Museo del Cappero is a must. It’s a small museum so doesn’t take that long to visit and can easily be done in less than an hour. It costs €6 per person but with your ticket you also get a 100g bag of capers!

You’ll get a guided tour where they explain the culture, history and the process of cultivating the capers and there are various items to look at, such as the tools they’ve been using for hundreds of years. There are also big displays of the different sizes of capers and how they are cultivated to be different sizes. Fun fact, the smallest ones are the most expensive! After the guided tour you then watch two short videos. It was really interesting to discover the culture and history of capers, which are so important to the island.

Check the website for their opening hours as they are only open Monday to Friday and at various times.

Swim at Laghetto delle Ondine

So Pantelleria has a bit of a secret lake, which we only discovered on our second visit. Laghetto (which means ‘small lake or pond’) delle Ondine is a natural salt lake which was formed by the flow of lava and is filled by the sea. You can get here by boat or walk from Punta Spadillo. Now… walking is a bit tricky and I highly recommend wearing trainers or walking boots and not sandals like we did!

It’s somewhere that you probably want to visit just for a quick swim as it’s very rocky and there’s nowhere to really lie down or anything. There’s also nowhere nearby to buy any water or food so make sure you have some water on you as it’s about a 15 minute walk to the lake from where you park.

Visit the castle

Il Castello Barbacane di Pantelleria can be traced back to the Arab or Byzantine period and is one of the most historical landmarks on the island. It’s built with lava stones, hence the dark colour, and has four floors.

It was built to protect the sea trade and faces the harbour. In the mid-19th century it was used as a prison and during WW2 it served as headquarters of the navy and the air force. It’s free to visit the castle but it’s only open from 6:30 pm to 11 pm.

Admire the Arco dell’Elefante

The Arco dell’Elefante (Elephant’s Arch) is a natural rock formation that, you guessed it, looks like an elephant! Can you see the head and trunk? And maybe even an ear? It’s also a great swimming spot too. Look very closely at the photo below and you’ll see people on the rocks.

And if you do hire a boat to go around the island then you’ll see if from a different angle.

We absolutely adored our time in Pantelleria, which is why we’ve been twice. It’s a stunning island with sophisticated restaurants, great swimming spots, beautiful vineyards and delicious food and gorgeous wine – this is why you should visit Pantelleria! I can’t wait to go back.

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