Description
The Etna open-top bus tour from Catania is a day-long ride that brings the volcano closer from a panoramic seat. The bus leaves from an office a few steps from Catania Cathedral and winds up through the villages on the slopes, with a short stop in Nicolosi. When the weather or the season asks for it, the operator swaps the open top for an enclosed bus.
The road ends near Rifugio Sapienza and the extinct craters of Monti Silvestri, about 1,900 metres up. You stay there for roughly three hours, free to organise them as you like: walk around the craters, sit in a bar with a view that reaches the Ionian coast, or add an optional ride higher up by cable car, jeep or quad. Those extras are paid separately.
On the way down the bus stops in Zafferana Etnea, a village known for its honey. A honey tasting is free, and the same shop sells honey and souvenirs if you want to take some home. The tour finishes where it began, after about seven hours in total, with scenic and photo stops along the road.
- Open-top bus, or a closed one in bad weather
- Free time at the craters near Rifugio Sapienza
- Honey tasting in Zafferana Etnea