Beach Beach · Elba edition
Not a glossy directory — a tool: where you park, what it costs, where the shade is, when it pays to walk on, and where the wind has a say. All checked on the ground, by us.
First-hand observation · 2026 season
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Model values for Elba (42.78 N, 10.24 E); water and wave for the open sea south of the island. The one block on this page that isn't from our own observation — computed, not measured. · Data: Open-Meteo
120 metres of sand and shingle with the rock pool that made Felciaio's name. Walk to the far end, wade the three metres across, and the next cove is nearly yours.
View beach profileShingle, not postcard sand — which is why it stays empty. The real Ortano only shows itself once you paddle 20 metres to the right. Supermarket on the way, coastal path to Rio Marina.
View beach profilePrivate Costa dei Gabbiani estate with a riding stable — Friday beach ride to Istia, horses into the water. Once you're up top, you stay all day.
View beach profileQuiet and alternative: rock and stone, driftwood huts, a walkable rocky shore, no bar. Water shoes and a parasol are must-haves.
View beach profileShingle beach in a lovely bay with a sailing school right on the sand. Competition instead of monopoly keeps prices down.
View beach profileMost people cluster near the bar. Walk to the far end and the next cove is yours. We write down where walking on pays off.
Parking fee plus Aperol index. Between Bagnaia and Felciaio the Aperol nearly doubles — where several bars compete, the espresso costs a normal counter price. We re-check the prices every season.
At Felciaio a south wind ruins the whole day. In the Gulf of Portoferraio it barely matters. We log it where we've checked it — as one value alongside parking, shade and price, not above them.
Everything on these pages comes from first-hand observation on the ground. What we haven't checked stays visibly blank — which is why Remaiolo still shows dashes for parking and bar prices. A visible gap beats a guessed figure.
One value among several — but the one no other guide writes down: the same beach is crystal-clear in a north wind and a bed of algae in a south wind. The Scirocco from the southeast pushes torn-loose Posidonia onto the south-coast beaches, while the east coast sits sheltered by the nearby mainland.
The wind lore shows, for all eight Mediterranean winds — from Tramontana to Maestrale — which coast is exposed and which lies in the lee. With an interactive map across 147 coastal segments. Where the maths is worthless, we say so.
The stamp would look good on a T-shirt. That's not reason enough to order a pallet of textiles. First the beaches, then the audience, then the print — if you're interested, you can leave a note.
Completely different from beach to beach: at Felciaio the day ticket is €10, at Ortano parking is free. Older figures online are often out of date — we re-check the prices on the ground every season.
In a Scirocco or Ostro — wind from the southeast and south: the long fetch across the Tyrrhenian Sea pushes torn-loose Posidonia onto the south coast. In a Tramontana from the north the same water is crystal-clear.
Rare and shifting — which is why we document, beach by beach, where and until when there's shade. At Felciaio in the morning by the wall, at Ortano only from 1 pm. Come outside those windows and you'll need your own parasol.