The Guide
Where to go, and when
The short version of what we tell guests over the kitchen table: which beach for today's wind, where to eat, and how to get out on the water.
Elba has one rule, and everything else follows from it: you go where the wind isn't. Get that right and a bad day at the beach becomes a twenty-minute drive.
The island rule
First thing: read the wind
The rule every islander knows — you move to the coast sheltered from the day's wind. Elba is small: a rough sea and a flat one are twenty minutes apart by car.
Wind from the north
South side · Marina di Campo
When the tramontana blows, the south coast is glass-smooth. It's the moment for Marina di Campo, Cavoli, Fetovaia, Seccheto: sand and calm water right on our doorstep.
Wind from the south
North side · Portoferraio
When it swings to sirocco, you cross the island to the north: Sansone, Capo Bianco, La Biodola. A quarter of an hour by car and the sea is still again.
The winds by name, as they are called here
- Tramontana N
- Cold off the north: our gulf stays glassy. A Marina di Campo day.
- Grecale NE
- Taut and dry. Shelters the south and west: Cavoli, Fetovaia, Seccheto.
- Levante E
- In off the open sea towards Tuscany. Head for the west coast, in the lee.
- Scirocco SE
- Warm and humid, raises swell on the south. Go north: Sansone, Capo Bianco.
- Ostro S
- The noon wind. Marina di Campo chops up, Portoferraio is perfect.
- Libeccio SW
- The one fishermen mistrust most: heavy sea to the south-west. Shelter north-east.
- Ponente W
- Hits the western coast. Straccoligno and the east side stay calm.
- Maestrale NW
- Strong and clear, sweeps the haze away. South and east sheltered — and Corsica visible.
It holds for beaches and for the boat alike. When in doubt, ask us in the morning: we'll check the forecast together and tell you where to head.
The beaches
The beaches to do, by coast
Six we would send you to, three per coast. The full write-ups — parking, seabed, what time the shade goes — live on the beach and cove guides.
South and west coast — with a north wind
South coast
Cavoli
Golden sand and water that looks like a swimming pool. The liveliest beach on the south side — young, sunny, always full.
South-west coast
Fetovaia
The shell-shaped cove sheltered by its headland, with the rocks to the west perfect for snorkelling. One of the finest in Italy.
West coast
Sant'Andrea and the lunar rocks
Smooth white granite sloping into clear water. Little sand, a lot of snorkelling, an intimate feel.
North and east coast — with a south wind
Portoferraio
Sansone
Fine white shingle and a seabed that turns an almost tropical turquoise. Top of the list on the north side.
Portoferraio
Capo Bianco
Next to Sansone, beneath the white kaolin cliff that gives it its name. Deep, crystalline water and blinding light at noon.
Capoliveri
Straccoligno
On the east side, sand with a pine wood behind. Sheltered from westerly winds: the card to play when the west is rough.
The sunset hour
Aperitivo, as the sun goes down
The west coast watches the sun sink into open sea: that's where you go for the best hour of the day.
Seccheto
Al Garian
A kiosk on the rocks, on the south-west coast. Cocktails and a couple of nibbles as the sun drops: simple, authentic, our favourite spot for sunset.
Marina di Campo
Paglicce
On our home beach: aperitivo with your feet in the sand, a good wine list and DJ sets as evening falls. As easy as it gets — no car needed.
West coast
Pomonte
The fishing village where the sun sinks straight into open sea, no islands in the way. One of Elba's cleanest sunsets.
Marina di Campo
Bagni da Sergio
Aperitivo with your feet in the sand, on the beach at home. Every so often they put on an evening with sausages on the grill and a DJ: they announce it on Instagram, so it is worth following them before you travel.
At the table — sea and mountain
In the village there are crêpes and gelato; for a proper dinner it's worth going out. Four addresses we recommend with our eyes closed.
Poggio · since 1970
Publius
The great mountain classic, family-run since 1970, with a terrace over Marciana Marina. The full story is in our “Things to do” guide.
Marciana Marina
Salegrosso
In the Cotone, the old fishermen's quarter: sea cuisine that plays between tradition and invention, remarkable raw fish. In the Michelin Guide since 2020.
Procchio
La Guardiola
A wooden shack on the shoreline at Campo all'Aia: the freshest fish, your feet almost in the water. It works both for an aperitivo and for lunch — book, because there are very few tables.
loc. Pozzo al Moro · Marina di Campo
Al Moro
In the countryside a kilometre from the centre: land and sea cooking, a cellar of 150 labels, well-spaced tables. The elegant dinner, close to home.
Elba seen from the water
You only really understand the island from the sea. The Costa del Sole, on the south-west side, is one of the finest trips: coves that open only from the water, caves, granite seabeds. But, exactly as with the beaches, it all depends on the day's wind.
With a calm sea you head for the islets and the caves; with a rough one you switch sides. Half a day or a full one, with or without a skipper.
We work with a trusted skipper. Message us on WhatsApp and Giovanni will put you in touch: he'll set up the right day for the weather.
The days that are not beach days
On the water, up in the hills, among the vines and at the market. What we do ourselves when the sea alone is not enough.
Marina di Campo harbour
Fishing tourism
They leave from the harbour below the house, take you round the coves, fish in front of you and then cook on board. It is the day guests tell us about most when they get back. Message us on WhatsApp and we'll pass on the current contacts.
by boat, day trip
Pianosa
The prison island an hour's sail away, now visitable in limited numbers. The water has a clarity nothing else in the archipelago matches — precisely because for decades nobody could go.
Marina di Campo
Kayak to the coves
From the gulf at home you can paddle to coves that cost you a walk or a dirt track by land — Fonza included. Stay close to shore and check the wind before you set off.
above Marina di Campo
Torre di San Giovanni
The simple, shaded walk you can do at any time of year, with Marina di Campo opening up below. In August the brambles fill with blackberries: fruit eaten sitting under a tree.
between Marciana and Poggio
Fonte Napoleone
Our spring, between the two mountain villages. Take an empty bottle and fill it there: it is the water we all drink on the island.
Capoliveri
Tenuta delle Ripalte
A world of its own, and the road there is worth the trip on its own. Beyond the tasting they run horse rides, quad tours through the mines, dinners and aperitivi.
The villages, one by one
Elba is not only sea, and it is more varied than it looks: every village has its own character, and it changes with the season too.
Marciana
The highest medieval village, at the foot of Monte Capanne: stone lanes, workshops and the cable car that climbs to the 1,019 m summit.
Poggio
Above Marciana Marina, cool and facing the gulf. Pastel houses, the Napoleone spring just below and, at the top, Publius.
Marciana Marina
The little harbour with the Cotone quarter and the Saracen tower. An evening stroll along the front and dinner almost in the water.
San Piero and Sant'Ilario
The two villages perched behind Marina di Campo, in among the granite. You go up for the food and for the temperature: an August evening up there always has a bit of air moving.
Capoliveri
The village to spend an evening in: a centre full of restaurants and bars, always busy. Arrive before eight or parking becomes a problem. Between October and November it hosts the Festa dell'Uva, one of the things we islanders wait for all year.
Porto Azzurro
A compact, lively centre on the east side, with the harbour, the shops and a few good addresses. Nice to wander after dinner.
Where you would be staying
Three homes in Marina di Campo, all a short walk from the beach — and roughly in the middle of everything above.
See the homes in Marina di CampoThe questions we're asked most
Do you need a car on Elba?
To stay in Marina di Campo, no: the beach is a short walk from our homes. But to tour the island — the coves, the mountain villages, the restaurants — a car helps a lot.
Can you take a boat trip?
Yes. We work with a trusted skipper: message us on WhatsApp and we'll set up the right day for the weather, on the coast sheltered from the wind.
Not sure which week to pick?
Tell us roughly when you can travel and we will tell you what the sea, the crowds and the prices are doing then.
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