The things you only seein Acitrezzafrom the water.

The long tour: ninety minutes from Acitrezza to Cannizzaro, seven sights explained one by one, and a swim stop inside the Marine Protected Area. Not the ten-minute pass-by: time to stop, look down and understand what you are looking at.

Book the long tour See the route
€25 per person90 minutes7 sights from Lachea to the Caves of UlyssesSwim stop in the MPADeparture from the Acitrezza pier
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Why Ciclope Tour

From the pier you pass in front of the sea stacks, take the photo, come back. We stop. Ninety minutes is enough to get under the rocks, reach the castle of Aci Castello, switch off the engine where the water is protected and understand what you are looking at: lava from Etna, an island that is a nature reserve, caves carved by the sea.

2015
At sea since
€25
Per person
90 min
On the water
7
Sights explained

The long tour · €25 · 90 minutes

Acitrezza to Cannizzaro, from the water.

01

Lachea Island

Out of the harbour and within two minutes you are facing the largest of the Cyclops Islands. It is a nature reserve, home to seagulls and a lizard found nowhere else: we circle it slowly.

02

The Faraglioni from below

The rocks Polyphemus hurled at Ulysses. From below they are something else: columns of lava rising out of the sea, as tall as a house.

03

Columnar basalt

Etna's lava flow cooled into perfect prisms, like a stone organ. Geology in plain sight, two metres from the boat.

04

The Norman Castle

Aci Castello seen from the sea: the black fortress on its lava crag, a view you never get from land. We pass right beneath it.

05

The lava flows

The coast where Etna reached the water. Black rock running into the blue, and you understand why the sea is so deep here.

06

Cannizzaro cliffs

The southernmost point of the tour, with the Casa del Principe above the cliff. From here you see the whole coast you have just travelled.

07

The Caves of Ulysses

Carved by Etna's lava flows. When the sea allows it we switch off the engine and glide inside in silence. When it doesn't, the sea decides.

08

The swim stop

On the way back, engine off inside the Marine Protected Area. Mask and snorkel, and below you the black basalt seabed. Anyone who prefers to stay on board is welcome to.

The Caves of Ulysses

You only go in when the sea is right.

Carved by Etna's lava flows, two miles further south. When the sea allows it we switch off the engine and glide inside in silence. When it doesn't, we don't go in: the sea decides, not us.

It is not a guaranteed attraction and we don't sell it as one. It is part of the long tour, and it happens when it happens.

New in 2026

Ten metres of boat, and a glass bottom.

Our new glass-bottom boat is on its way: you watch the seabed of the Marine Protected Area from your seat, without getting wet, without knowing how to swim. Nobody else on the Acitrezza pier has one.

Preview. Write to us on WhatsApp to know when it will be in the water.

The tours

Choose how to see the sea.

Departures from the Acitrezza pier. Book on WhatsApp: we confirm the time and sea conditions the day before.

€2590 min

Long tour · our most popular

  • Acitrezza – Aci Castello – Cannizzaro
  • 7 sights, up to the Caves of Ulysses
  • Swim stop in the MPA
  • Families welcome
Book the long tour
€1545 min

Short tour

  • Lachea, sea stacks, castle
  • Swim stop
  • If you are short on time
See the short tour
€453 hours

Full tour Acitrezza – Acireale

  • 8 sights
  • 2 swim stops with snorkelling
  • All the way to Santa Tecla
  • If you have half a day
Discover the full tour
€352 hours

Dolphin watching

  • Offshore, engine at idle
  • Sightings, not guarantees
How it works
from €903.5 h · €170 7 h

A boat all to yourselves

  • 5.4 m boat
  • Up to 6 people
  • No licence needed
See boat rental
on request

Experiences and events on board

  • Sunset aperitivo
  • Night trip
  • Fishing trip
  • Fresh fish grilled on board
  • Private boat for birthdays, stag and hen parties
Experiences on board
Cristian Marici, founder of Ciclope Tour, aboard the boat at the Acitrezza pier
Cristian Marici · founder

Who takes you out to sea

The boat is called Polifemo. Not for marketing: because here the myth and the sea are the same thing, and whoever comes aboard should go back ashore knowing it.

Ciclope Tour was born in 2015 in Acitrezza and is still a family business. Cristian knows every rock on this coast and knows when the sea lets you stop and when it doesn't. He is the one who tells you the evening before what the day will be like.

Our story

Before booking

The questions everyone asks.

Short, long or full tour: which one should I choose?

The 90-minute long tour is the one we recommend to almost everyone: it reaches Cannizzaro and the Caves of Ulysses, with the swim stop. The 45-minute short tour covers Lachea, the sea stacks and the Norman Castle and is perfect if you are short on time or have very young children. The three-hour full tour goes the other way, north to Acireale, with two swim stops: it is for those who have half a day.

I have small children. Will they get bored or seasick?

Ninety minutes is the right length for them: we go out, stop, swim and come back before they get tired. We sail close to the coast on calm seas. If the sea is not suitable for children we tell you beforehand and reschedule. For the very young there is also the 45-minute short tour.

I'm not a strong swimmer. Can I come?

Yes. The swim stop is optional, the water is shallow and calm where we stop, and there are life jackets and masks on board for everyone. Those who stay on the boat enjoy the view.

Do you just pass in front of the sea stacks and come back?

No. That is exactly what we don't do. Even on the short tour we switch off the engine, get close to the rocks and stop for a swim. If you are looking for the ten-minute pass-by, there are others on the pier.

How do I know if tomorrow's sea will be fine?

We tell you. The day before we write to you on WhatsApp with the conditions and the confirmed time. If the sea is not suitable, we reschedule at no cost.

Book

See the sea from the inside.

Write to us on WhatsApp +39 345 581 1664

Departures from the Marina di Acitrezza pier. We confirm the time and sea conditions the day before. We speak English.