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Route · 7 days · round-tripYacht charter route · Sicily

Palermo round-trip.

Sail a 7-day round trip from Palermo through the Egadi Islands: San Vito Lo Capo, Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo, with mooring and anchorage notes.

The route

Day-by-day route

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San Vito Lo Capo
Day 1

Palermo → San Vito Lo Capo

A 32-mile shakedown west past the Zingaro cliffs to a rare Sicilian sand beach, a good first day to test the rig.

Distance

30 NM

Sailing

~6h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

April – mid-October (peak May – Sep)

Duration

7 days

Departure

Palermo

Sailing area

Sicily

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

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The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 7
San Vito Lo Capo
1
Day 1

Palermo → San Vito Lo Capo

The first leg out of Palermo is long enough to shake the crew into shape without punishing anyone. Thirty-two miles west, mostly on a beam reach if the usual northwesterly fills in by late morning. The Zingaro reserve slides past to starboard, seven kilometres of undeveloped limestone with no legal anchorage inside its boundary, so admire it and keep going. San Vito Lo Capo waits at the end, its harbour tucked under Monte Monaco. The town beach is genuinely white sand, unusual on this stretch where most swimming is off rock. We usually tie up by mid-afternoon, walk the seafront, and find couscous alla trapanese at one of the quayside trattorias. San Vito takes its couscous seriously; the September festival is proof enough.

Things to do

Swim the white-sand crescent at San Vito

Walk the Zingaro reserve coastal path

Couscous alla trapanese on the quay

Sunset from behind Monte Monaco

Mooring tip

San Vito's little harbour takes you stern-to for roughly €60–100 a night and shelters well from the north. If it's full, drop the hook in the bay just outside over sand in 5–7 metres.

Favignana
2
Day 2

San Vito → Favignana

Favignana is shaped like a butterfly, split by the ridge of Monte Santa Caterina with its old fort on top. The crossing from San Vito runs about twenty miles, usually an easy downwind slide in summer. Cala Rossa on the east side is the anchorage everyone talks about, and for once the hype holds: pale limestone quarried into strange shelves, water that glows over a sand bottom. The Romans and Carthaginians fought their decisive battle in these waters in 241 BC. Ashore, the old Florio tonnara still dominates the port, a cathedral of a tuna factory now gone silent. Rent a bike if you have an afternoon; the island is flat and small. For dinner, busiate twisted around pesto trapanese is the plate to order.

Things to do

Anchor and swim at Cala Rossa

Wander the silent Florio tonnara

Cycle to Bue Marino quarry cove

Busiate with pesto trapanese for dinner

Mooring tip

Favignana port takes you stern-to at around €60–100 a night with good shelter from the north. For a lunch stop instead, anchor off Cala Rossa on sand in 4–6 metres and watch for the afternoon breeze curling in.

Marettimo
3
Day 3

Favignana → Marettimo

Marettimo sits furthest out, exposed to whatever the open Mediterranean sends, so pick a settled forecast for this one. Fifteen miles west of Favignana, and the character changes completely. Around seven hundred people live here, no road network beyond the village, goods still moving by donkey. The harbour is small and the swimming is off cliffs rather than beaches. Cala Bianca on the south coast is the classic stop, white limestone dropping into deep blue. If the crew has legs, the path north climbs to the twelfth-century Punta Troia castle on its rock. Divers come for the grottoes; the Grotta del Cammello is the one to snorkel. Da Enzo in the village does pesce alla stemperata, sweet and sour with capers and olives, when the catch allows.

Things to do

Swim the limestone cliffs at Cala Bianca

Hike donkey trails to Punta Troia castle

Snorkel the Grotta del Cammello

Pesce alla stemperata in the village

Mooring tip

Marettimo's harbour is tight, stern-to at roughly €40–60 a night and sheltered from the north, so aim to arrive early for a slot. Cala Bianca works as a daytime anchorage over sand in 5–7 metres in calm weather only.

Levanzo
4
Day 4

Marettimo → Levanzo

Levanzo is the smallest of the inhabited Egadi and the quietest, a single whitewashed village around a scoop of a harbour and maybe two hundred residents. The run from Marettimo is only twelve miles, an easy morning. The reason to come is the Grotta del Genovese on the north coast, where Neolithic painters and, further back, Ice Age hands left images of deer and tuna on the rock. You reach it by guided tour booked in the village, either on foot or by boat. Cala Fredda on the east side is the swimming stop, pebbles underfoot and clear water lapping in. In the evening, order ricci, the local sea urchins, with a glass of Nero d'Avola and watch the harbour go still.

Things to do

Book the Grotta del Genovese cave-art tour

Swim off the pebbles at Cala Fredda

Sea urchins with a glass of Nero d'Avola

Walk to Cala Tramontana on the north shore

Mooring tip

Levanzo's quay has only a handful of stern-to berths at €30–50 a night, so it pays to arrive early or plan to anchor. Cala Fredda holds well on sand in 4–6 metres if the port is taken.

San Vito Lo Capo
5
Day 5

Levanzo → San Vito Lo Capo

Turning for the mainland, the leg back to San Vito Lo Capo runs about twenty miles northeast across open water. In settled weather it's worth breaking the passage with a swim at Cala Mancina, on the seaward side of the Zingaro reserve; you cannot anchor inside the protected zone, so you swim from just outside it. Back at San Vito, the harbour is familiar from the first night, which makes the approach easy at the end of a long day. Ashore, the climb to the Santuario di Santa Crocifissa di Custonaci rewards you with the coast lit up at dusk. Cool off afterwards with almond granita in town. It's a slower day than the outbound legs, and the crew usually welcomes it.

Things to do

Swim at Cala Mancina outside the reserve

Climb to the Santa Crocifissa sanctuary

Almond granita back in San Vito

Second walk along the sand beach

Mooring tip

You're back to San Vito's harbour, stern-to at €60–100 a night and well sheltered from the north. Same berth as night one, so you already know the approach and the holding.

Terrasini
6
Day 6

San Vito → Terrasini

Terrasini is a working fishing harbour rather than a resort, which is part of its appeal after the islands. The hop east from San Vito is about fifteen miles, hugging the coast most of the way. The old centre gathers around a Baroque square, and the fish market near the port is the real draw at the right hour. Anchor off Cala Rossa di Terrasini for a swim, or take a berth on the town quay. A mile west, the Capo Rama reserve has sea caves worth a snorkel if the sea stays calm. This is citrus country, so buy blood oranges while you can. For dinner, pasta con le sarde, with sardines, wild fennel and a scatter of pine nuts, is the dish that says you have reached the Palermo side.

Things to do

Swim off Cala Rossa di Terrasini

Snorkel the Capo Rama sea caves

Buy blood oranges at the fish market

Pasta con le sarde for dinner

Mooring tip

Terrasini's town quay takes you stern-to at around €40–60 a night with shelter from the north. If it's busy, Cala Rossa di Terrasini anchors well on sand in 4–6 metres.

Palermo
7
Day 7

Terrasini → Palermo

The last leg is short, fifteen miles back east into Palermo's bay. With time in hand, drop anchor for a final swim at the Capo Gallo reserve or off Isola delle Femmine before the marina swallows the trip. Top up fuel before you tie up; it saves a scramble on handover morning. La Cala sits right in the old harbour, central and loud, while Villa Igiea offers calmer, pricier berths across the bay. Then Palermo itself: the Vucciria market at dusk, all shouting vendors and grilled offal, and the Palatine Chapel with its ceiling of Norman-Arab mosaics. Grab a panino con panelle, the chickpea fritter roll, from a street stall. It's the right, chaotic full stop after a week of quiet anchorages.

Things to do

Final swim at the Capo Gallo reserve

Vucciria market at dusk

Palatine Chapel Norman-Arab mosaics

Panino con panelle from a street stall

Mooring tip

La Cala inside the old port runs €100–160 a night in peak season; Villa Igiea across the bay is the pricier, more polished alternative. Refuel at the entrance fuel berth before taking your slot.

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