Ditch Crowds At This Italian Island Paradise With Bright Blue Water And Whitewashed Buildings

The furthest of the three-island archipelago located off of Sicily's west coast, Marettimo is an island that many daytrippers miss out on. Alongside its sister islands of Levanzo and Favignana, Marettimo is a part of the Egadi Islands, which are very different in geology from the volcanic Aeolian Islands on the other side of Sicily. Instead of lava-spewing volcanoes and black sand beaches, the Egadis are rocky and mountainous, with only a few sandy beaches located on the busiest island, Favignana. Marettimo has only one town and exclusively rocky beaches — but that's not why you make the trip out here.

Marettimo's shining attributes are its electric blue waters and sea caves that can be visited daily by tourist boats that will stop and let you jump off for a swim. Like diving into a tall glass of water, the clarity of the sea around Marettimo is a credit to the area's designation as a Marine Protected Area. With bountiful and thriving sea life beneath the surface to boot, this is one place you will not want to forget your snorkel when you visit.

Marettimo's only town — also called Marettimo — is extremely picturesque, with whitewashed buildings dressed in blue shutters. There are a few shops and restaurants to peruse and try here, as well as the Museo del Mare di Marettimo, a small museum with a treasure trove of artifacts chronicling the island's history. You can explore the island on foot via the hiking trails to the ancient Roman Houses or Punta Troia, a castle perched on a storybook-perfect cliff. However, the best way to experience Marettimo is by boat.

Led by local guides, you'll circle the whole island in about two hours on a typical boat tour, visiting caves like Grotta del Cammello and Grotta Perciata and stopping to swim — weather permitting — in beautiful coves along the way. The most memorable stop is Cala Bianca, where the waters are deep, calm, and a truly stunning shade of cobalt blue. The boat won't make any stops on shore, so you will need a good swimming level and enough mobility to get in and out of the water using the ladder.

There are a few different guides who can take you around the island, but Marettimo con Pippo and Blu Star i Freschi are among the top-rated. For a better view under the surface, consider scuba diving with Marettimo Diving Center.

You have a few options for getting to Western Sicily: You can fly directly to Palermo and make the transfer by bus or train, or you could find a connecting flight going directly to the small Trapani Airport, which is serviced by RyanAir and DAT (Danish Air Transport). Before you arrive, you can book your ferry tickets in advance from Liberty Lines which departs from the Port of Trapani.

The trip to Marettimo takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes and makes one stop on Favignana. Accommodations on Marettimo are limited to just a handful of bed and breakfasts and apartment rentals, so it may be difficult to find a room if you are looking during the high season (July to August). However, enjoying Marettimo on a day trip from Trapani is perfectly doable. Or, you could book your accommodation in Favignana, which is a much larger island and a popular choice for travelers looking to spend their days cycling around to different swimming coves and checking out trendy beach bars.