Updated 31 October 2026 with current opening dates, 2026 prices and what has already closed for the winter.
Most of the things to do in Ischia come with an expiry date, and almost no list tells you. The big thermal parks shut at the end of October, the boat tours stop running, and a good share of the island's hotels go dark until spring, which is exactly when most first-time visitors arrive with a list written for July. That list needs editing. This guide sorts 20 things to do in Ischia by area, with the season attached to each one.
We have not claimed a visit or a booked tour. Every price, hour and closing date below comes from official pages where we could find them, or from two sources that agree, and we say so plainly when we could not confirm something. If you want the overview first, start with our Ischia travel guide.
We earn a commission if you book through some links, at no extra cost to you.
Short on time? Don't miss these
- Castello Aragonese: the one big sight that stays open all year. Book a guided visit or just buy a ticket at the gate.
- Monte Epomeo: the best view on the island and a free path. Go with a guide if you would rather not navigate.
- A boat around the island: the best way to see the coast, but only from April to October. This lunch cruise with swimming stops is the one we'd start with.
- Sorgeto Bay: free hot springs in the sea, open all year.
What's open on Ischia right now
If you are reading this in late autumn, check this table before you plan anything. It's what we confirmed on 31 October 2026, and seasons shift from year to year.
| Place | Status on 31 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Castello Aragonese | Open daily, closes 18:00 today, last ticket 16:30. Closed from about 7 January to early March |
| Giardini La Mortella | Open today, last 2026 day is Sunday 1 November. Reopens in spring |
| Poseidon Gardens | Last day of the 2026 season is today. Reopening 2027 not confirmed |
| Negombo | Closed. Reopens 23 April 2027 |
| Sorgeto Bay | Free and open all year |
| Nitrodi spring | Season runs into November, exact end date not confirmed. Reservation required |
| Aenaria snorkel visits | Season ends around the end of October |
| Boat tours | Run April to October |
| Procida ferries | Running all year, with a lighter winter timetable |
Ischia Porto and Ischia Ponte
This is where most Ischia ferries arrive, and it is the easiest base for a first visit. Ischia Porto is the working harbour, and Ischia Ponte is the old quarter a few kilometres east.
1. Climb the Castello Aragonese
The castle sits on its own rock off the east coast, joined to Ischia Ponte by a stone causeway. It is Ischia's signature sight, and it is open every day of the year, which makes it the one big attraction you can build a winter trip around without checking a seasonal calendar first.
A ticket costs €15 (about $16), with €6 for ages 10 to 18, €12 for over-70s, and free entry for under-10s. The castle opens at 9:00 and closes at sunset (earlier in winter), and the last ticket is sold 1.5 hours before closing. On 31 October that meant a last ticket at 16:30.
Plan on 1.5 to 2 hours for the visit, because the route runs close to 2 km, mostly outdoors and up many steps. You'll pass the cathedral with its family crypt, the old convent and the nuns' cemetery, and there are two cafés on the way.
The official site says you can reach the upper levels by lift, but it does not give a price, so ask at the ticket desk. Bus 177 from Ischia Porto takes about 15 minutes. My Brilliant Friend shot scenes here in May 2018, according to the castle's own news page.
Tip: you don't need to book entry for the castle, and a guided visit that adds the Borgo di Celsa is worth it only if you want the story of the rock and not just the stairs.
2. Walk Ischia Ponte at dusk
Cross the causeway, then wander the lanes of the old quarter with no plan. It's free, it's flat, and it takes an hour.
The Talented Mr. Ripley used Ischia Ponte as the fictional Mongibello, which two independent sources agree on. Fish restaurants line the waterfront, and prices are what you would expect on a harbour front.
We could not confirm any opening details for the Torre di Guevara, so don't build a plan around going inside.
3. See Roman Aenaria from the water
In the middle of Cartaromana bay, between the castle and the Sant'Anna rocks, the remains of an ancient port lie two to six metres down. They're identified as Aenaria, and the research is authorised by the Ministry of Culture.
Visits by glass-bottom boat, snorkel or dive (all with a guide) ran from mid-April to the end of October in 2025, with booking mandatory. We could not confirm the 2026 end date, so treat the season as over or nearly over.
If you are here in season, this snorkel tour of the caves, the archaeological area and the gas vents is the product we could verify. It's rated 4.56 from 56 reviews on its page.
Lacco Ameno and Casamicciola
The north coast of Ischia is quieter and more upmarket. Lacco Ameno is the small resort town that film producer Angelo Rizzoli helped turn into a destination in the 1950s.
4. Visit the Pithecusae museum at Villa Arbusto
This is the best rainy-day stop on Ischia. The Museo Archeologico di Pithecusae sits in Villa Arbusto, a short walk from Lacco Ameno's centre, and shows finds from one of the oldest Greek settlements in the western Mediterranean.
Entry is €8, or €6 reduced, and €3 for ages 6 to 13. It's open Monday to Wednesday from 9:00 to 13:00, and Thursday to Sunday from 9:00 to 13:00 and 17:00 to 19:45. The Ministry of Culture page is not dated, so confirm the hours before you go.
The Santa Restituta archaeological complex nearby was closed with no reopening date when the state property agency last said so in July 2025. We haven't seen it reopen, so don't count on it.
5. Spot Il Fungo
Il Fungo is the mushroom-shaped rock on Lacco Ameno's waterfront, and it's the town's symbol. It's a photo stop rather than an activity, and five minutes is plenty, so pair it with a drink on the square, a stroll along the front towards the old port, and then get on with the day.
6. Soak at Negombo (in season)
Negombo is a landscaped thermal garden in San Montano bay, with pools at different temperatures set among sculptures and plants. It's one of the island's two headline thermal parks. Our guide to the Ischia thermal parks compares them in full.
It's closed now, and the official site says the 2027 season opens on 23 April and runs daily to 13 October. Secondary sources put a 2026 full day at €70 in high season and €55 in low season, but the price list we found was a PDF we could not read, so check the site.
Book at prenotazioni.negombo.it, or phone 081 986152, and check the 2027 dates against the weeks you plan to travel before you commit to anything.
Tip: pay the afternoon rate
Both big Ischia thermal parks sell a cheaper afternoon ticket. Poseidon's afternoon entry from 13:00 was €45 against €50 for the full day. Negombo's afternoon rate, from 16:00, was reported at €35 in high season, against €70 for the day, which is a much bigger saving.
If you plan to spend the whole day in the water anyway, the full ticket makes sense. If you just want a soak before dinner, the afternoon rate wins.
Forio and the west coast
Forio is the biggest town on the west side of Ischia, and it is where the island feels most like a place people actually live. The sunsets are the draw, and the lanes behind the harbour are the reason to stay for dinner.
7. Soak at Poseidon Gardens
Poseidon is the biggest thermal park on Ischia, set on Citara beach. A full day cost €50 in 2026 (about $55), and the afternoon ticket from 13:00 cost €45. Children under 12 are not allowed in the thermal area.
The 2026 season ran from 18 April to 31 October, so today is the last day. We could not confirm the 2027 reopening date for Poseidon, though official entry tickets are sold through GetYourGuide, with 875 reviews on the page when we checked.
8. Wander Giardini La Mortella
La Mortella is the garden that Lady Susana Walton built with her husband, the composer William Walton, after they moved to Ischia in 1949. Landscape architect Russell Page drew up the layout in 1956, and she opened the garden to the public in 1991.
It's open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 19:00, with last entry at 18:00. A ticket costs €15, or €12 reduced, and the 2026 season ends on Sunday 1 November, so you have a day or two left, and after that it is guided visits by appointment only.
No booking is needed for individuals, and EAV buses 171 and 198 serve it from Ischia Porto and Lacco Ameno. Skip the guide unless you love botany. The paths speak for themselves.
9. Watch the sunset from the Chiesa del Soccorso
The white church of the Soccorso sits on a headland above Forio, and it's where the town gathers at sunset. The view over the sea is the point, and the church is the foreground.
We could not confirm interior hours, so treat this as a viewpoint. Get there 40 minutes before sunset, then walk back into town for dinner.
10. Take the stairs to Sorgeto Bay
Sorgeto is a small cove where hot springs bubble up through the rocks and mix with the sea, so the sea at your feet can be warm even when the air is not. It's free and open at any hour, all year, and it is the best thermal experience on Ischia if you are here after the parks close.
You walk down about 200 steps from the road at Panza, and then you walk back up. The pools run up to around 37°C (99°F), and the temperature shifts with the tide. Bring water shoes. The rocks are slippery, and in summer you should go early.
There's a paid car park at the top, reported at about €3 to €4 a day in 2024. A summer taxi boat also runs from Sant'Angelo.
The south coast of Ischia is the island's wild side, with steam rising out of the beach and a village you can only reach on foot. Mount Epomeo looms over all of it from the island's centre.
11. Stroll car-free Sant'Angelo
Sant'Angelo is a fishing village on a small peninsula with no cars at all. The road ends at a transport area outside the village, and you walk in. It's pretty, and it gets crowded in summer once the day-trippers arrive from Naples, Sorrento and Capri on the late-morning boats, so go early, or stay on for the evening when the boats have left.
Water taxis connect it with Maronti beach and Sorgeto in season, at around €3 to €5 per person each way, and the boats wait until they have four to six passengers. Chiaia di Rose is the beach nearest the village.
12. Cook an egg on Maronti's Fumarole
Maronti is the island's longest sand beach, and at its western end the sand itself steams. The fumaroles reach about 100°C (212°F), and locals bury foil-wrapped potatoes and eggs in the hot sand to cook them.
Keep your distance from the vents, and don't dig where the sand is too hot to touch, because the surface can look harmless while the layer a few centimetres down is close to boiling. The fumaroles sit about a 10-minute walk from Sant'Angelo, and the beach has free and paid sections, and we could not confirm sunbed prices.
13. Try Aphrodite Apollon (if it's open)
Aphrodite Apollon is a smaller thermal garden within the Hotel Miramare complex at Sant'Angelo, with around a dozen pools. It is a quieter alternative to Poseidon in Forio. For the full comparison, see our Ischia thermal parks guide.
Prices conflict between sources, at €30 to €40 for a full day, and we could not reach the official site. It very likely closed around 20 October, so treat it as shut and check before you go.
14. Book the Nitrodi spring
The Fonte delle Ninfe Nitrodi is a spring-fed garden in Barano, with 28°C water taken straight from the source. A basic day pass was listed at €28, falling to €24 after 14:00 and €18 after 16:00. Reservation is required, so call +39 081 990528 before you set out.
Its season seems to run from April into November. The listed hours conflict, from 10:00 to 18:30 on one page and 10:30 to 17:30 on another, so call first.
15. Hike Monte Epomeo
Epomeo is the high point of Ischia, at about 789 metres (2,589 feet), and the climb is the best half-day outing here. Start from Fontana, at around 460 metres, where EAV buses CS and CD stop, and the path from there is the shortest and most direct way up. The path is free.
You climb about 330 metres, which takes 60 to 75 minutes if you are fit and up to 90 if you are not. The way down takes roughly 50 minutes, which is easier on the lungs and harder on the knees. Wet tuff is slippery, so wear shoes with grip and carry water. Don't go in flip-flops.
There's no mountain hut at the top, only a trattoria, La Grotta da Fiore, reported open from April to October at €25 to €35 a head. It's probably shut now. The carved-tuff church of San Nicola stands nearby, dating to the 15th century or earlier, and the saint's feast on 6 December brings a statue up the mountain.
This guided Epomeo hike is the product we could verify, though it only has seven reviews on its page.
Wine, food and the water
16. Taste Ischia's volcanic wines
Ischia's DOC dates to 1966, and the whites are Biancolella and Forastera, and the red is Piedirosso, which locals call Per'e Palummo (the name means "pigeon's foot"). Many cellars are dug into the green tuff.
Casa d'Ambra at Panza was reported to run Frassitelli vineyard tours at around €60 without transfer, on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings, booked a day ahead.
Its farm museum was listed at €15 with an audio guide and two glasses. Pietratorcia in Forio opens April to November, by reservation only.
All of that came from a single secondary source, so phone before you go.
This wine hike is the booked option we could verify.
17. Order coniglio all'ischitana
Rabbit cooked in a terracotta pot is the signature dish of Ischia, usually a Sunday lunch.
The sauce is cherry tomatoes, white wine, garlic, chilli and herbs, and it's often served with the pasta course first.
Locals say the rabbits live in burrows dug underground, which firms the meat, but that's a local belief, not a documented origin.
Book ahead in winter, when many restaurants close. We could not verify which ones stay open, so ask your hotel to phone ahead.
18. Circle the island by boat
Seeing Ischia from the water is the best way to understand the island's cliffs, caves and hot-spring coves, because several of the coves are easier to reach by sea than by road. Worth it.
One operator's round-island tour was listed from €25 per person, at around 3.5 hours with a stop at Sant'Angelo, from April to October.
This lunch cruise with swimming stops is the one we could verify, rated 4.95 from 132 reviews on its page. In winter, no tour runs.
One rental operator advertises 40 hp boats with no licence needed for drivers aged 18 and over, from about €150 a day.
We could not confirm the legal basis, so ask before you book.
19. Hop to Procida
Procida is the pastel-coloured island next door to Ischia, and it's a short crossing.
Caremar's timetable shows about 30 minutes by ferry and about 20 by hydrofoil, and sailings run all year. Fares were reported at around €8 to €11, so check the operator.
You'd come for Marina Corricella, the fishermen's village where Il Postino was filmed, and Terra Murata, the fortified old town.
The Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo is by guided tour only and may be closed in low season.
This small-group boat tour to Procida from Ischia has a perfect rating from 83 reviews on its page. For Capri, see Capri vs Ischia.
20. Take the minibus tour (if short on days)
Ischia's roads are narrow and the buses can be slow.
If you only have an afternoon, this island minibus tour covers the highlights without the logistics. It's rated 4.0 from 33 reviews on the page.
It's a compromise, and if you have two or three days, the circular bus and a hike are better.
How many days do you need on Ischia?
Three nights is a fair first visit to Ischia, because that gives you a castle day, a hike or boat day, and one slow day for the springs, which covers the best things to do in Ischia without rushing.
One day works from Naples if you pick two stops, such as the castle and Sorgeto.
The thermal parks alone take half a day, so do not try to fit all three themes in. Our Ischia travel guide has sample routes, and we don't repeat them here.
If you're adding Naples before or after, start with the Naples travel guide and our day trips from Naples, where Pompeii is the obvious pairing for a mainland day.
Getting to and around Ischia
Hydrofoils and ferries to Ischia run from Naples (Molo Beverello and Porta di Massa) and from Pozzuoli.
A hydrofoil takes about 45 to 60 minutes and a ferry about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 40, based on a 2026 secondary source. Winter timetables are lighter, so check the day before. Compare sailings on Ferryscanner or read our Naples to Ischia ferry guide.
From Naples airport, the Alibus to the port costs about €5 and takes around 35 minutes, per a secondary source, so check the ANM site.
If you would rather not juggle it, book an airport or port transfer.
On the island, EAV runs two circular lines, CS (anticlockwise) and CD (clockwise), from the Ischia Porto bus station, plus numbered lines to places like Sant'Angelo and Maronti.
A single ticket is about €2 and a day ticket about €5, but we could not verify 2026 fares, so check EAV. Buy before you board and stamp the ticket, because fines apply and the rule is enforced as written.
You don't need a car on Ischia.
The Prefettura di Napoli's vehicle ban targets cars registered to Campania residents, not tourists with other plates, and its season normally ends on 31 October. We could not confirm how it treats rental cars, so ask your rental company.
Where to stay on Ischia
Pick your base on Ischia by what you want to do, not by price. Each town suits a different trip.
Our best hotels in Ischia page covers every budget.
- Sant'Angelo: car-free and scenic, with Miramare Sea Resort & Spa, rated 8.8 from 257 reviews on Booking, or Hotel Ferdinando Beach & Thermal Spa, rated 8.9 from 142.
- Lacco Ameno: quiet and upmarket, with Regina Isabella Resort Spa, rated 9.7 from 75 reviews.
- Forio: sunsets and gardens, with Botania Relais & Spa, rated 9.5 from 84.
- Ischia Porto: the easiest for ferries and buses, but we could not verify a hotel here that we'd recommend.
Ischia town's 2026 tourist tax runs at about €3 to €5 per person per night, depending on the type of stay and the season.
Other comuni set their own rates, which we could not confirm.
What to do in Ischia when it rains
On Ischia, start at the Pithecusae museum, then book a tuff-cellar tasting.
Casa d'Ambra's farm museum was listed as open Monday to Saturday. Phone first. A hotel spa is the other wet-weather answer, since thermal treatments continue in winter at the island's thermal hotels, although we could not verify day-pass prices, opening hours or whether non-guests are accepted in any given month, so phone ahead. Rain is not a disaster here.
Plan your Ischia trip
- Hotel: Booking.com, for a thermal hotel in Sant'Angelo.
- Tours and tickets: the castle, the boat and the hike above.
- Transfer: Welcome Pickups for Naples airport or port.
- Ferry: Ferryscanner.
- eSIM: Yesim.
- Insurance: Visitors Coverage.
- Nearby: things to do in Naples, things to do in Capri, things to do in Positano, things to do in Sorrento and things to do on the Amalfi Coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ischia worth visiting in winter?
Yes, if you pick your plans well, but it is not the same island. The big thermal parks and the boat tours have closed, and many hotels shut between November and March. The castle, Sorgeto Bay, Epomeo and the hotel spas stay available, and the crowds disappear, so winter suits a quiet, slow trip.
Is Ischia better than Capri or Positano?
It depends on what you want. Ischia suits you if you like thermal pools, hikes and a slower pace, while Capri and Positano win on glamour and photo-ready views. Ischia is also the one with hot springs in the sea at Sorgeto. Our Capri vs Ischia page compares them head to head.
What is Ischia best known for?
Ischia is best known for its thermal springs and gardens, the Castello Aragonese, Monte Epomeo and its volcanic wines. It is also a film island: The Talented Mr. Ripley used Ischia Ponte as its fictional Mongibello, and the TV series My Brilliant Friend shot scenes at the castle and Ischia Ponte in 2018.
Can you visit Ischia as a day trip from Naples?
Yes. A hydrofoil from Naples takes about 45 to 60 minutes each way, so a day trip works if you plan two stops, such as the castle and Sorgeto Bay, not five. Check the last sailing back to Naples before you commit, because a missed boat on a winter evening means an overnight stay.
Can you take a car to Ischia?
You can bring a vehicle with non-Campania plates, as far as the decree we read says, but you do not need one. The Prefettura di Napoli ban targets Campania-registered cars, normally until 31 October, and we could not confirm the rental-car rules, so ask your rental company before you book.
How big is Ischia?
Ischia covers about 46 square kilometres and has around 62,000 residents across six comuni. Its highest point is Monte Epomeo at roughly 790 metres, so distances look short on a map, but winding roads and hills make them slower than they look, especially on a crowded summer bus.
What was filmed on Ischia?
The Talented Mr. Ripley used Ischia Ponte as the fictional Mongibello, and the 2018 TV series My Brilliant Friend filmed at Ischia Ponte and the Castello Aragonese. Il Postino was shot on neighbouring Procida, at Marina Corricella. Two sources also say Cleopatra (1963) filmed barge scenes on Ischia.
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