Elba Island, in general, is a pretty safe location to visit. Far away from all of the hype and hysteria of larger cities, there is a more laid back attitude on the island. The people on the island who work and live there year-round are there to serve you and make your visit enjoyable, so you should feel in good hands. Still, when visiting a popular tourist destination, like anywhere you travel, you need to be aware of your surorundings. There might be people who try to swindle you or pick your pockets if you aren’t paying attention. You should never, under any circumstance, leave your wallet out on a table. Even if it is only for one minute, an experienced pick pocketer can come up and snatch it. Never leave your passport behind in the room, and don’t leave your camera slung around your neck. If you ever do get in trouble contact the polizia or the United States Embassy.

From beaches to museums to active pursuits, there’s plenty to do on Elba.

Beaches: Elba’s has a plethora of beaches, some favorites are Biodola, Sansone, Sant’Andrea, Fetovaia, Cavolia, and Felciaio. Most beaches on the island have free areas, or you can pay to rent a lounge chair and umbrealla. The water is beautiful and warm enough to swim from June to mid-October.

Outdoors Activities: Snorkeling, diving, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding are all very popular water activities in the beautiful surrounding waters. Inland, hiking and mountain biking trails offer challenges for adventure seekers. There are also two nin-hole golf courses on the island.

Museums: Visit the Villa dei Muliniand the National Museum of Napoleonic Residences to explore Napoleon’s home in Portoferraio. Linguella Archaeological Museum, a settlement on the waterfront, is located inside the ancient salt warehouse of the Linguella and exhibits archaeological artefacts found in the Tuscan archipelago. The Elba Museum of Minerals and Mineral Art in Rio Marina is home to an important collection of minerals with numerous exceptional beauty samples placed in an environment that recreats the blacksmiths workshop with tools and original materials found in the abandoned mining sites. Lastly, at Capoliveri, the Maritime Museum looks at the history of sailing and shipwrecks around Elba.

Other attractions: A unique, bird-cage like cable car takes riders to the top of Mount Capanne, from where they can hike or ride back down. Near Rio nell’Elba, the Volterraio Fortress is the oldest on the island, while the Medici Fortress in Portoferraio is a maze of bastions and has great views of the coast and town.

Elba Island has always been a place for fun holidays, especially during summer, with a great number of venues open in the months of July and August. In this period there are many celebrations and beach parties, in addition to outdoors concerts which are generally free and take place in the squares of the villages or in the major beaches of the island, such as the ones of Marina di Campo and Procchio.

In the summer season there are many chances to have fun and choose among the various venues where to spend a nice and enjoyable evening. Just before the night falls, after a long day at the beach and before going for dinner, it is nice to relax and enjoy an aperitivo in one of the several bars that offer excellent appetizers with chance to have an “apericena” thanks to the numerous and delicious food offered.

While if you wish to have an aperitivo by the beach, on a more relaxing atmosphere during your romantic getaway, we suggest you to visit one of the many beach resorts of Elba which generally include a bar among their services.

After dinner, a visit to the village of Porto Azzurro of Marina di Campo are great areas to enjoy. Here you’ll find many bars and pubs to enjoy delicious cocktails and listen to some good live music.

For the late night crowd there are disco pubs, discos and piano bars located predominantly in the middle of Elba, of which a good part are in the municipality of Campo nell’Elba. Ex Tinello Disco Pub (Buttefly), Giannino Live Music and Disco Club 64 are definitely places that do not disappoint, always very crowded in high season, for late nights in the company of your friends.

The currency of Italy is the Euro, US dollars are not accepted.

Elba puts on a wine festival in September or October at Le Ghiaie beach behind Portoferraio. During the July and August high season, every town puts on some sort of small festa; in Marciana Alta, it’s an August medieval pageant that robes the locals in costume and fills the streets with artisans offering old-fashioned crafts. Portoferraio’s weekly Friday market is held on Viale Zambelli.

The climate of the island is predominantly Mediterranean, except for Mount Capanne, where winters tend to be moderately cold. Peak season on the island begins in the spring, concentrates in the summer months (July and August) and, thanks to its mild climate, continues in the early fall. Every season in Elba Island has its dedicated activities.

Since it’s a destination for beach vacations, many hotels and restaurants close for the winter. Elba is best visited from April to October, with July and August being the most crowded months on the island.

The food on the island is the same philosophy of simple and genuine food of the Tuscan cuisine. Fresh ingredients, directly from the garden or from the sea, to create simple yet amazing tasting dishes. Being an island, Elba has several fish restaurants. Every morning, fishermen go offshore and fish all day. Then, in the late afternoon, they bring their catch to the restaurants of the islands.

Make sure to try the Rio style stockfish, an exquisite dish. Some other popular dishes are the cozze alla marinara, linguine allo scoglio and calamari alla griglia.