Etna Morning Tour from Catania
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Catania, Italy
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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What's Included
- Helmets and Torches
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Lunch
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
What To Expect
1
Mount Etna
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Infant seats available
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Our tour was fantastic. Our guide was great. He was informative and awesome. I highly recommend this.
Reviews
4.8
based on 137 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
This review will probably be unlike most others you’ll read.
Paolo was our guide and did a great job explaining the hike to us.
Unfortunately, minutes into the hike my girlfriend fell and broke her arm. (Purely accidental. Not in any way the tour guides fault.) He allowed the other hikers to meet up with another tour group and accompanied us to an emergency aid station and waited with us until the ambulance arrived to take my girlfriend to the hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, another gentleman named Sebastian met us there. He also works for the tour company and refused to leave our side until my girlfriend was discharged from the hospital.
He helped us get our luggage. He helped us find a new hotel and transported us there when the volcano eruption canceled our flights.
He stayed with us until 9 pm .
Paolo texted several times checking in.. The level of support, compassion and empathy is rare and refreshing. If you want a company that stands by its customers, this is the tour provider for you.
Be prepared to walk on uneven ground and sometimes at steep inclines. Enjoy the experience as well as the other people in your group.
the access to the cave is slightly treacherous for seniors or people with bad knees. the hike, view, caves all molto bene
We were a 3 generation family. Ages 15, 18, 40s and late 70s. Fantastic tour with Daniele, a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. The climb to the crater was fairly strenuous for thosrewho were not fit. Climbing down into the lava cave was a great experience. Loved the views of the lava flow and the Daniele really explained the geology clearly and simply. Would definately recommend this tour.
The sights we saw were amazing. The hike, the stop to see the lava cave then lava flow, all while Mt Etna was having a spectacular eruption was a once in a lifetime experience. We also enjoyed the food stop too. Costanza is a great guide and she’s funny! Thank you for a wonderful time in Catania!
The tour description is misleading when it says it's suitable for "all types of customers... as it is of an easy level." The hike starts at 2,000m (6,561ft) of elevation, and climbs roughly 152m (~500ft) over loose, rocky/sandy terrain — not easy for everyone. My wife got an altitude headache almost immediately at the parking lot and had to turn back to the staging area about 15mins into the hike.
Lunch isn't included (that part is clearly labeled), but the guide did not mentioned buying food at the staging area. With an 8:30am–2:30pm runtime, we were starving by the final stop.
That last stop, the "tasting of typical products" in Zafferana, felt like a tacked-on commercial detour rather than a meaningful part of the tour — though the free bread and olives were a welcome relief given how hungry we were by then.
Finally, the tour felt more like a private excursion for four Italian-speaking guests than a group experience. They took up most of the guide's attention throughout the hike, and much of the commentary ended up being in Italian, leaving myself and two other English-speaking participants largely on our own. This was probably just the luck of the group mix that day rather than a regular issue, but since the tour is offered primarily in English, it'd be great if guides could keep an eye on balancing their time and language across the group.
The scenery was worth it, but the mismatch between the "easy for everyone" and the actual physical demands, plus the language/attention imbalance, kept this from being a higher rating.
Really smart and knowledgeable tour guide. About 1-2 miles of hiking/walking with interesting stops. Felt like just the right pace.
We had a great tour. Our guide Zelia was very informative about the history of the region and area. She was a treasure trove of information and was very personable throughout the whole day. She was great with pick up and drop off as well.
Great experience! The tour guides were great with my 2 year old. But if doing this tour with kids be prepared to carry them if they can’t walk or get tired easily. My son walked half and needed to be carried the other half. No way you could use a stroller on this tour.
It was a little more challenging than anticipated for older adults. The people in their 30's handled it well. Being older I was able to walk up the side of the craters but more work than thought. What really made out trip was the tour guide who Americans call Connie. Great personality and very caring with a sense of humor!
Our guide was Paolo. He was fantastic! Explained everything in simple yet technical language and we left the tour having a better understanding of volcanoes in general and especially Etna. Highly suggest this tour for everyone interested in volcanoes. It is to walk up to see the craters for everyone. Just wear sensible clothes and shoes.
A wonderful half day seeing Etna, a lava cave and wine and olive oil tasting. We were traveling with our 8 month old baby and our guide and group were very nice and accommodating. The walk up on Etna was a little more hike like than expected, so it was good we had our baby carrier with us!
This excursion was disappointing for several reasons. First, myself and another person in our group of 8 was uncomfortable climbing to the upper slope of Mt Etna because of the height and narrow trail we were expected to climb. We had to drop out and wait an hour for our guide and the others. The cave experience was quite limited and seemed much less significant a cave than friends on another tour explored. We were also taken to a scenic overlook and an olive oil shop which seemed intended for the benefit of our guide. Paulo, the guide and driver added very little to my understanding of volcanos and mostly chatted with the couple sitting with him in the front seat of the van. The van itself was tired and required a bungee cord to hold the middle row seat in a position to allow exit from the rear seat. All in all, this was a disappointing experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Dear guest,
Thank you for your feedback. We understand your disappointment.
On slope safety: The upper slopes feature steep terrain and unstable volcanic rock—we always ask participants to assess their own capabilities. Your decision not to climb was the right one; safety is never negotiable.
About the cave : We visit the accessible section of the Etnean cave system. The experience varies depending on current conditions and group composition.
On the tour stops: The excursion was executed exactly as planned and advertised. The visit to the agricultural farm and the scenic overlook are standard stops on our itinerary—part of exploring Etna’s cultural and gastronomic heritage.
On the van: The middle-row seat is fully functional. The safety strap you noticed is simply an additional protective measure we use on all our vehicles to ensure maximum safety during transfers.
On the guide: We appreciate your feedback. Our guides must balance hospitality with educational expertise, and we are committed to continuous improvement.
Best regards,Exclusive Etna Excursions
Harder to climb than advertised and walking shoes should have been mentioned as trainers are slippery. The guide was great though.
Beautiful drive from Catania and interesting tour and sights at Mt Etna. Highly recommend. Good for groups or individuals.
This adventure up Etna exceeded my expectations! The meeting spot for all Etna tours is a bit chaotic so be prepared for that. Our guide Francesco picked us up and safely conducted our group up Etna, into a cave on the mountain side, and to a beautiful winery and apiary for a well rounded tour. Francesco was very knowledgeable about the mountain, volcanoes, rock formations, timelines, and so much more! He went up the mountain at a perfect pace and gave us ample time to soak in the incredible views. My only recommendation is to dress in layers, as it was about 25-27C at pickup location, and maybe 20-23C up the mountain. My partner previously did a tour with a cruise ship and it is similar in the climbing and winery but this one has the added bonus of the cave and a gorgeous lookout point at a volcanic desert! If you are trying to compare between booking with your ship and booking this, this is definitely worth your time!
Excellent sight to climb part of Mt. Etna, go to a lava tube/cave, and a honey place in a cruise excursion. Could have used better communication before and during the tour… Our guide rode in a van with other guests, so guessing they had more explanations along the way. Our driver spoke no English, so we had no explanations during the drive to or between the sights. Once at Etna, our guide did a decent job of explaining things but did not gave great English skills and did not tell us what to expect during the day. The sights themselves were good. Be sure to take something for motion sickness if winding roads bother you. Have sturdy walking/hiking shoes, preferably in a dark color… the black volcanic soil did not look good on the many pairs of white tennis shoes that people wore. Bring a layer for the chilly temps and water for the hiking at higher elevation. Great sights to see!
Great experience—saw many aspects of an active volcano, including hiking a bit (easy to do) exploring a lava cave and some great vistas. Overall a great experience!
Giovanni was very knowledgeable and friendly. This is a great experience if you visit Catania. I definitely recommend it!!!
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about all things volcanic. There is a somewhat steep climb on volcanic gravel to be able to view the craters on the side of the mountain. The visit was fascinating and well worth doing. The wine and honey tasting stop was okay.
Must be fit for the walk on Mt Etna.It would be good if the description of the tour included how strenuous this section of the tour was and what options could be taken if not engaging in this part of the tour which I had to find out independently.The stops on the tour were great and extremely scenic.I would recommend to others as I now know what was involved as a result of experiencing but would not recommend just from the blurb that is provided by the tour operator.
Paolo was very good. Safe driving in Sicily, very knowledgeable about Etna as a local, and friendly to talk about many facets of Sicilian culture. I would highly recommend him.
If traveling to Sicily, Mt. Etna is not to be missed. We arrived in Catania by cruise ship and this tour fit our port schedule perfectly. Our guide, Marilena, met us just outside the the terminal and off we went. Our hike of Etna was astonishing, mainly because it was completely covered in snow. I wish that we had been warned ahead of time by the company. So here's my warning to you: if you're going to Etna in March, be prepared to be climbing a snow covered volcano! This was a shock to us because it was warm and sunny at the port. We were a group of 8 people (4 adults and 4 teens) - two adults in our party decided not to do the climb because they weren't prepared, and were a bit disappointed. That said, the 6 of us who went were amazed and loved the adventure of it. Following our climb, we went to the lava tube. We were provided helmets and flashlights. The final was a local farm that sold honey, olive oil, and wine. At the end of the day, Marilena gave us the option of being dropped off at the pier or the city. We opted for option C: a bakery near the cruise ship terminal. There we had the best cannolis ever! So, 5 stars for our tour guide Marilena. She was excellent! Great driver, super informative, and very friendly. 4 stars for the description: it's more strenuous than suggested when in the snow. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
My daughter and I went on this tour to Mount Etna. Etna itself is stunning – however, we didn’t expect it to be covered in snow which made seeing the craters a bit difficult. You need proper walking shoes and an extra layer because it gets cold up there. The lava caves were a great experience and very interesting – our group was small so it was nice to be able to do something like this which isn’t possible with the bigger tours. The tasting place was a bit chaotic and I could have done without, but it was still nice to see and taste local products. All in all, it was a good, quick tour since we had limited time in Catania and we even got back to the port with enough time to take a quick stroll around the city centre!
My wife and I plus our daughter and our 2 year old granddaughter had a wonderful time. Perfect tour for us. Highly recommend.
It is very windy & cold at the craters in November. Excellent experience with snow, clouds & sun constantly changing. The lava tube was really cool! Ali was a great guide & very informative.
Simone was very informative! Great tour. Very patient. Bring a coat-cold at the top (he had extras, but lots of tour guides don’t). Not too strenuous and a decent pace. Mt Etna is worth the trip!
Our tour was fantastic. Our guide was great. He was informative and awesome. I highly recommend this.
The tour was very nice and informative. The tour guide was fantastic. She was funny, personable and shared details of her life that added much to the experience.
It was awesome! Giovanni was an excellent guide. Need more information in the description so planning could be better!
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