Three sides, three different ways to experience Europe's largest active volcano. Here's how to find your way.
Etna isn't a one-way experience. It's an enormous volcano — the largest in Europe — with different sides, each offering something different: some want the summit craters, some want quiet forests, some want a more hands-on adventure. Before booking anything, it's worth understanding what your real options are.
The best-known and busiest area: a cable car and guided tours up to the summit craters. Access to the areas closest to the active craters is regulated for safety reasons and requires an authorised volcanological guide. The right choice if your goal is to get as close as possible to the top.
Less crowded than the south, with more extensive forests and a wilder feel. An alternative for the same kind of visit — trekking, organised excursions — with fewer crowds.
The least-known side, the one we ride every day. Chestnut forests, lava flows, views over the Ionian Sea — on a quad bike, no experience needed.
This is our side — the one we know because we ride it every day. From Milo you climb by quad through chestnut forests and lava flows up to Monte Fontana and Valle del Bove — the volcanic amphitheatre where Etna's lava flows down — or further, to the Bocche del 1928 (the same fissures that destroyed the town of Mascali) and the Monti Sartorius, seven "button-hole" craters born from the 1865 eruption.
No experience needed: to drive you only need a category B driving licence, and there's always a briefing with the guide before you set off. It's the right choice if you want a real adventure — dirt trails, panoramas, a bit of adrenaline — without needing to be an expert hiker and without having to plan the route yourself.
Discover our quad tours
Etna's slopes produce DOC wines enjoyed around the world — several local wineries offer tastings and tours.
The scenic little train that circles the volcano through the surrounding towns: a slow, scenic way to see the area.
Milo included: cobbled streets, lava-stone houses, the slow pace of mountain life. Discover Milo →
It depends what you're after. If your goal is to get as close as possible to the active craters, the south side with a volcanological guide is the classic choice. If you want a more adventurous, less-travelled experience — forests, lava flows, views over the Ionian Sea, a guide with you the whole way — the east side by quad is our territory, literally. How to get to each side from Catania →
