An island about an hour south of us plus an hour ferry ride. It is the island Napoleon was first exiled to in the 1800s.
We have been to Elba twice, but we are no experts. We spent two nights on Elba in January of 2022 and then did a day trip in the summer of 2022. We have seen very little of the island so there is lots left to explore! The clear water is the most notable aspect of Elba for us.
Getting there
We drive to the port in Piombino and then put our car on the ferry and take the ferry to the island. The ferry is about €50 per person. You can also put your car on the ferry for about €50 per car. They ferry has a bar for coffee and snacks. The trip is a quick hour and it has good views if you walk around the boat and visit the roof decks.
It is possible to take a train to the port but I’m not positive how.
Swimming
Elba has amazingly clear waters and beautiful fish.
January Swimming
In January we put on our wetsuits and swam in two great spots. First we took a dip in a secluded bay that we hiked in to. It was breathtaking with clear, fish-filled waters. Then we drove around the island to a shipwreck, again with clear water and lots of fish. Both spots had a lot of jellyfish. Luca was fine with his head to toe wetsuit. I had my legs exposed so we had to be careful when I was swimming around, but the jellyfish were easy enough to avoid for the most part. We both managed to avoid any stings and had some wonderful swims.
August Swimming
No wet suits are needed during the summer months. The warm water is inviting and has just as many fish. The beach we went to with our friends, Maria and Fernie, was a little less clear then our January swims, but it was still pretty clear. We saw a lot of fish and found out some people up the beach were feeding them which created a fish frenzie. We napped on the beach and enjoyed the warm summer swim.
Gelato
I had the best banana gelato of my life in Gelateria Da Massimo. It was a great treat after an afternoon of swimming.
Napoleon’s Castle
Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba after all his bad behavior. His castle/fortress, Forte Falcone, is available for tours. His house might actually be next to this fortress, I am unsure.
We had about 30 mins before our ferry was leaving so we did a garden tour. The view was great and having a time crunch made our visit an exhilarating experience. We ran up and down the steep paths to get to the top (always up). We took some great photos of the marvelous view and then ran back down to catch our ferry.
