Capo d'Orlando Marina: berthing, travel and the Aeolian Islands

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The Capo d'Orlando Marina lies on the north coast of Sicily at the eastern edge of the town of Capo d'Orlando, opposite the Aeolian Islands. Here you can read how to berth in the marina, what facilities are available, how to get there, which sea weather forecast applies and which islands you can reach in a day from here.

Capo d'Orlando Marina: Location and marina at a glance

The marina lies in the San Gregorio district at the eastern edge of Capo d'Orlando, behind a long breakwater. The town centre is about three kilometres away by road.

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The marina opened in July 2017. The site covers more than 180,000 square metres with boatyard, hotel and a quayside shopping arcade. For a crew, this means you don't have to leave the marina grounds for your first provisions.

Feature	Details
Position	38° 09′ 19″ N, 014° 46′ 23″ E
Operator	Porto Turistico di Capo d'Orlando S.p.A.
Berths	553, for yachts up to 50 m in length
Draught at the berths	3.5 to 5 m
VHF channel	09
Mooring	Mooring lines, electricity and water at the berth
Fuel station	Diesel and petrol, year-round
Boatyard	Travel lift 110 t, boat transporter 60 t
Car parks	860, open-air and covered parking
Contact	Contrada Bagnoli, 98071 Capo d'Orlando, telephone +39 0941 964512

How do you berth at Capo d'Orlando Marina?

You call ahead before entering on VHF channel 09 and berth at the place the marinero assigns you. The berths have mooring lines, you don't need your own bow anchor.

The mooring line is a line attached to a heavy weight on the seabed. The marinero hands it to you, you lead it forward to the bow and make it fast there, and you secure the stern with two lines to the pontoon or quay. Before entering, therefore, lay out two stern lines and fenders on both sides, plus gloves for the often fouled mooring line.

The team on the pontoon works round the clock and is coordinated by a control centre in the marina. The marineros also help when you cast off, if you call them on channel 09.

What applies after mooring?

After berthing you register at the marina office. Take your boat papers and identity documents with you. You can request and book guest berths in advance via the marina's website , where the price list is also published.

Daily rates depend on boat length and season. The most expensive months are July and August, followed by June and September, May and October. From November to April the lowest rate applies. Catamarans pay double the price of a monohull of the same length (as at October 2026).

What facilities does Capo d'Orlando Marina offer?

The marina offers electricity and water at the berth, showers and toilets, a self-service laundry, Wi-Fi across the whole site and a fuel station. The grounds are guarded round the clock and monitored by camera.

The fuel station supplies diesel and petrol and operates all year round. One pump has a high flow rate, which saves time with large tanks. You can ask for the exact fuelling times on channel 09 or at the office, ideally the day before departure.

For work on the boat the marina has its own boatyard on around 7,500 square metres with a 110-tonne travel lift, a 60-tonne boat transporter, workshops for engine and electrics, and storage areas ashore. You order divers for hull inspections and underwater work through the office. You can store equipment and personal belongings in a secure room.

In the quayside shopping arcade there is a supermarket, a bar, several restaurants and other shops. The marina also includes a hotel and a clubhouse for berth holders. Since 2021 the marina has held the Blue Flag, the environmental award for harbours and beaches.

Useful to know for your first day at Capo d'Orlando Marina

You can buy provisions directly in the marina; for a big shop you go into the centre of Capo d'Orlando. There are pharmacies in the town; the nearest hospitals are in the neighbouring towns.

Shopping and provisions

The nearest supermarket is the Despar Marine in the shopping arcade of the marina, just a few minutes' walk from most berths. It stocks fresh food and basic supplies for crews. It's perfectly adequate for your first shop and for bits and pieces during the trip.

For your weekly shop it's worth going into the town centre, about three kilometres away. There you'll find several larger supermarkets of well-known chains. By taxi or hire car you'll be there in a few minutes and can drive your boxes straight to the marina. It's best to enquire beforehand at the marina office about a provisioning delivery service to the marina.

Parking and getting into town

The marina has 860 outdoor parking spaces and a multi-storey car park, plus six charging points for electric cars. On site you can get around by electric buggy and hire bicycles. In summer a shuttle runs between the marina and the town centre. The marina office can arrange taxi and hire car contacts as well as transfers to the airport.

Doctor and pharmacy

There are several pharmacies in town, one of them on Via Consolare Antica. The rota of duty pharmacies is usually displayed outside the pharmacies. The nearest hospitals with A&E are run by the public health service of the Province of Messina in Sant'Agata di Militello, about 15 kilometres to the west, and in Patti, east of Capo d'Orlando. In an emergency dial 112.

Emergency numbers in Italy

• 112: European emergency number for ambulance, fire brigade and police, free from landlines and mobile networks
• 1530: Coast Guard emergency number for emergencies at sea, free
• At sea: VHF channel 16, monitored by the coastguard (Guardia Costiera) on

How do you get to Capo d'Orlando Marina?

The nearest major airports are Palermo and Catania, both about 180 kilometres away. By train you travel to Capo d'Orlando-Naso, by car via the A20 motorway.

By air

From Palermo airport it's about 184 kilometres, from Catania airport about 188 kilometres by road. For the last leg you take a hire car, a transfer or the train from Palermo or Messina.

By train

Capo d'Orlando-Naso station is on the Messina–Palermo line in the town. It has two platforms, both accessible without steps. From the station to the marina you take a taxi or, in summer, the shuttle from the centre. Timetables can be found on the Italian railway Trenitalia.

By car

The A20 motorway from Messina to Palermo has two exits for Capo d'Orlando: Brolo-Capo d'Orlando est and Rocca di Caprileone-Capo d'Orlando ovest. The marina is at the eastern edge of the town. There is parking right at the marina.

What do you watch for weather-wise between Sicily and the Aeolian Islands?

To Vulcano you sail about 20 nautical miles across open water of the Tyrrhenian Sea. What matters for the passage, therefore, is the direction the wind is coming from and how much sea state it has built up.

The islands lie north of the marina. With wind from northerly directions you sail close-hauled into the wind and against the waves on the way there, but on the way back it becomes a broad reach. Plan your first passage so that you don't have to bash into strong winds across open water, and have an escape route along the Sicilian coast in mind.

In the marina itself you lie sheltered behind the extended breakwater. Even so, with strong winds check your mooring lines, stern lines and fenders. You can read more about the Mistral, Sirocco and other winds in our article on Good months for a trip through the region are April, May, September and October. The weather is mild, it's less crowded ashore and the midsummer heat is absent. You can read how the winds in Greece work in our article about.

Which shipping forecast applies off Capo d'Orlando?

The official shipping forecast for the Italian seas is issued by the Italian Air Force weather service, together with gale warnings. The forecast and warnings can be found on the weather service's website; the coastguard broadcasts them to shipping by radio.

The gale warnings apply from force 7, that is from 28 knots mean wind. They appear every three hours in Italian and English and, if necessary, in between as well, for instance when thunderstorms threaten locally. How the warnings are structured is explained by the Air Force weather service. At sea keep VHF channel 16 on standby.

In the marina, its own weather station with webcams helps with assessing conditions on site. But for planning across open water, the official forecast for the sea area north of Sicily is what counts.

Which cruising destinations lie near Capo d'Orlando?

From Capo d'Orlando you can reach the southern Aeolian Islands in a day's sail. The distances are rounded over-water distances on the usual course; for precise planning consult the chart.

The seven islands are of volcanic origin and have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sitesince 2000. You'll find ideas for walks ashore in our article on Sailing and walking on the Aeolian Islands.

Vulcano and Lipari

Porto di Levante on Vulcano lies about 20 nautical miles away; you approach it on the east side of the island. Lipari with its harbours Marina Corta and Pignataro you reach at about 22 to 23 nautical miles, passing east of Vulcano. Both islands therefore make a good first passage.

Salina, Filicudi and Alicudi

Santa Marina on Salina lies about 25 nautical miles away; you sail west past Vulcano and Lipari. Filicudi you reach at about 26, Alicudi at about 30 nautical miles on a direct course to the northwest. For the two western islands you need a full day's sail.

Panarea and Stromboli

Panarea lies around 33 nautical miles away, to the east past Vulcano and Lipari. You reach Stromboli with the village of Scari at around 44 nautical miles, which is a long day's sail. A navigation exclusion zone applies off the Sciara del Fuoco, the north-west flank of the active volcano. The coastguard in Milazzo sets the distance depending on the volcano's activity. Most recently, a distance of two nautical miles from the coast between Punta delle Chiappe and Punta Labronzo applied. Ask the coastguard in Milazzo or the marina office for the current rule before setting off.

Along the Sicilian coast

Without a crossing, you stay on the coast: Milazzo lies around the Capo di Milazzo approximately 28 nautical miles to the east, Cefalù around 37 nautical miles to the west. Both destinations are full day's sails. Another harbour portrait from the Tyrrhenian Sea: the Porto di Agropoli in Cilento.

What is there ashore in Capo d'Orlando?

Capo d'Orlando has a rocky headland with a pilgrimage church and castle ruins, a seafront promenade and two ancient sites right next to the marina. That's quite enough for a day in port.

Distances are as the crow flies from the marina; walking times are approximate.

Cave del Mercadante

The Cave del Mercadante lies directly by the marina, with a footpath leading there. Round discs hewn from the rock – millstones from Roman times – can be seen in the sandstone on the shore. At low water they stand out clearly from the sea.

Terme di Bagnoli

Around 650 metres west of the marina lie the remains of a Roman bathing complex from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. Three rooms for cold, lukewarm and hot bathing can be seen. It's about a ten-minute walk.

The headland with pilgrimage church and castle ruins

On the rocky headland that gives the town its name stand the Santuario Maria Santissima di Capo d'Orlando from the 17th century and the ruins of a mediaeval castle, around 2.3 kilometres from the marina. Several hundred steps lead up. From there the view stretches from Capo di Milazzo to Cefalù and across to the Aeolian Islands.

Promenade and lighthouse

Below the headland stands the red lighthouse from the early 20th century, around 2.5 kilometres from the marina. On the Promenade Andrea Doria there is a public beach. In summer the marina's shuttle takes you into the centre.

Villa Piccolo

The Villa Piccolo sits on a hill just under five kilometres south-west of the marina and is now a museum. The Piccolo siblings lived here; their cousin Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, author of the novel "The Leopard", often spent the summer here. The museum is closed on Sundays. Telephone ahead to announce your visit, and take a taxi or car to get there.

Trips from Capo d'Orlando on Törnfinder

Trips starting in Capo d'Orlando and sailing to the Aeolian Islands can be found in the trip overview. Offers on the Italian coasts and islands are listed under Sailing in Italy.

Frequently asked questions

On which VHF channel can you reach Capo d'Orlando Marina?

On channel 09. Call them before entering and the marinero will assign you a berth. You can reach the marina by telephone on +39 0941 964512.

Do you need a bow anchor in Capo d'Orlando Marina?

No. The berths have mooring lines which the marinero will hand you. You only need stern lines and fenders.

How far is it from Capo d'Orlando to the Aeolian Islands?

To Porto di Levante on Vulcano around 20 nautical miles, to Lipari around 22 to 23 and to Salina around 25 nautical miles over the water. Stromboli lies around 44 nautical miles away.

Is there a supermarket in Capo d'Orlando Marina?

Yes, the Despar Marine in the shopping arcade on the quay. For a big shop you drive into the centre of Capo d'Orlando, around three kilometres away.

Which airport is nearest to Capo d'Orlando?

Palermo and Catania are roughly equidistant, around 184 and 188 kilometres by road. From both you can continue by hire car, transfer or train.