Swimming in Sicily
Also spelled Sicilia
Beaches and coves around Sicily and its islands, from Mondello in Palermo and the Zingaro reserve coves near San Vito Lo Capo to Isola Bella below Taormina and Calamosche in the Vendicari reserve, with Favignana, Lampedusa and Panarea offshore. The sea is still about 22 to 24 °C in October. Beach clubs line much of Mondello, and at Scala dei Turchi you walk along the beach to a cliff of white marl.
- Spots15
- Water in Nov19 to 21°
- Free to enter11
Every spot in Sicily
Typical water temperature in November.
Bue Marino
Cove, Favignana · Egadi Islands marine protected area, zone C: anchoring limited
A stretch of tuff rock coast near Cala Rossa on Favignana's east side, with sea caves and no beach.
19°NovFreeCala Azzurra
Cove, Favignana · Egadi Islands marine protected area, zone C: anchoring limited
A small bay of fine sand on Favignana's south-east coast.
19°NovFreeCala dell'Uzzo
Cove, San Vito Lo Capo · Nature reserve: ticketed entry and set hours; closed on high fire-risk days
A pebble cove on the coastal path of the Riserva dello Zingaro, below the Torre dell'Uzzo watchtower.
Cala Junco (Panarea)
Cove, Panarea · No visitors' vehicles on Panarea, 1 May to 31 October
Cala Junco is a small pebble cove enclosed by rock walls below Punta Milazzese at the southern end of Panarea, beside the remains of a Bronze Age hut village.
20°NovFree
Arcona B&B, Wikimedia Commons · CC BYCala Rossa
Cove, Favignana · Inside the Egadi Islands marine protected area (zone C): bathing allowed, spearfishing and taking marine life banned. Anchoring only outside seabeds of environmental interest.
A rocky inlet on Favignana's north-east coast with no sand, where the way down and the entry into the water take some care.
19°NovFreeCala Tonnarella dell'Uzzo
Cove, San Vito Lo Capo · Nature reserve: ticketed entry and set hours; closed on high fire-risk days; no motor boats in the cove in the bathing season
A pebble cove at the northern end of the Riserva dello Zingaro, where a former small tuna station now holds the reserve's museum of marine activities.
Calamosche
Cove, Noto · Nature reserve: ticketed entry and set hours; no pets, sunbeds or deckchairs
Calamosche is a small sand cove set between two rocky headlands in the north of the Vendicari nature reserve, reached by a path of about 1,200 m from the reserve's Calamosche entrance.
20°NovClosedCefalù beach (Lungomare)
Beach, Cefalù · No bathing in the port zone by the Vecchia Marina
Cefalù's town beach is a strip of sand about 900 m long running along Lungomare Giuseppe Giardina, west of the old town and the Vecchia Marina.
20°NovFreeEraclea Minoa
Beach, Eraclea Minoa · The Capo Bianco stretch is closed for safety in the 2026 season
A sandy beach at Cattolica Eraclea below Capo Bianco, a white promontory with high vertical walls on the left bank of the Platani, where the ruins of the ancient city of Eraclea Minoa stand.
19°NovFreeFontane Bianche
Beach, Siracusa · Part of the shore is taken by beach clubs (Lido Sayonara, Lido Camomilla and Kukua Beach among them).
A sandy beach in the holiday village of Fontane Bianche, within the comune of Siracusa, where beach clubs such as Lido Sayonara and Lido Camomilla share the shore.
20°NovFreeIsola Bella
Beach, Taormina · The islet is a nature reserve and regional natural history museum; visiting it needs a ticket from the Naxos Taormina archaeological park (€6 full, €3 reduced).
A beach below Taormina joined to the small island of Isola Bella by a thin spit, a short way from the lower station of the Mazzarò cable car.
20°NovFreeMondello
Beach, Palermo · Much of the sand is taken by beach clubs with cabins; there is a free public beach.
A 1.5 km beach of fine white sand in Palermo's seaside suburb, mostly lined with beach clubs and cabins and centred on the old bathing pavilion built on piles out in the water.
20°NovFreeSan Vito Lo Capo beach
Beach, San Vito Lo Capo · The town centre behind the beach is a limited traffic zone (ZTL); driving in needs a pass.
A long curve of fine white sand right in front of San Vito Lo Capo, with a shallow seabed that the comune recommends for children.
19°NovFreeScala dei Turchi
Beach, Realmonte · Walking on the marl is a timed 20-minute visit with a €6 ticket, paid by card at the entrance, daily 08:00 to 19:40 last entry. The rest of the promontory is fenced off by municipal ordinance; taking marl is banned.
A stepped cliff of soft white marl rises out of the sand between Realmonte and Porto Empedocle, and you reach it by walking along the beach from one of four access points off the SP68.
19°NovFreeSpiaggia dei Conigli (Rabbit Beach)
Beach, Lampedusa · Booking required 8 June to 18 October, at most 550 at a time; closed after 19:30 (turtle nesting)
Spiaggia dei Conigli is a sand beach facing the Isola dei Conigli islet, inside the Isola di Lampedusa nature reserve, where loggerhead turtles come ashore to nest.
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Questions about Sicily
Can you still swim in Sicily in October?
Yes. The sea is typically 22 to 23 °C around Sicily in October and 19 to 20 °C in November. The swimming season runs from June to November, and at Mondello and Cefalù from May.
Can you walk on the Scala dei Turchi?
Only on a timed 20-minute visit with a ticket, paid by card at the entrance. The rest of the white marl promontory is fenced off, and the comune closes it in rain, strong wind, rough sea or great heat. The beach below is reached from four access points off the SP68.
Can you visit the island at Isola Bella?
Yes, with a separate ticket: the island is a nature reserve and museum run by the Naxos Taormina archaeological park. The beach, joined to it by a thin spit, is a short walk from the lower station of the Mazzarò cable car.
Is Mondello beach free?
Part of it. Much of the sand is taken by beach clubs with cabins, and there is a free public beach. From 20 June to 30 September, AMAT bus 806 runs from Piazza Croci in Palermo every 10 minutes.
Which Sicilian beaches need a ticket or a booking?
Cala dell'Uzzo and Cala Tonnarella dell'Uzzo are inside the ticketed Zingaro nature reserve, which has set hours and closes on high fire-risk days, and Calamosche is inside the ticketed Vendicari reserve. Spiaggia dei Conigli on Lampedusa needs an online booking from 8 June to 18 October, with at most 550 people on the beach at a time, and no one may stay after 19:30 because of the nesting turtles.
What is the water quality like at Mondello?
Mondello was classified good in the 2025 EEA bathing season. The city ordered temporary bathing bans after bacterial tests in July 2025 and in summer 2026; the latest was lifted on 22 September 2026.
What is the water quality like in Sicily?
In the 2025 EEA bathing season, 9 of the 11 places listed here with a monitoring site were classified excellent. Cefalù beach (Lungomare) and Mondello were classified good.