Spiaggia Cefalu

Located in the northern Sicilian town of Cefalu, Spiaggia Cefalu – also called Spiaggia di Cefalu, Lungomare di Cefalu, Lido di Cefalu, and Cefalu Beach – is a popular and beautiful half-mile-long curve-shaped beach with light brown sand and nearby rocky areas.

Time Out listed this sandy beach as one of the 9 best beaches in Sicily, and Conde Nast Traveller also listed this beach as one of Sicily’s best beaches.  In addition, Travel+Leisure magazine also listed this beach as one of the best beaches in Italy.     

This beach has also been awarded a Green Flag – which is a certification for beaches developed by Italian pediatricians – because of its cleanliness and child-friendly atmosphere.  This beach is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

Spiaggia Cefalu has lifeguards, and there are multiple private beach clubs here that offer many amenities to their customers including restrooms, changing rooms, and rental facilities for sun loungers and beach umbrellas – the fee for renting a beach umbrella and sun lounger here is around €15.  There are also few other amenities near the beach including a pier, public showers, and a walkway that has outdoor exercise equipment.  You can also find water sports equipment rental facilities near the beach.

Spiaggia Cefalu offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, surf-skiing, water-skiing, jet-skiing, parasailing, wakeboarding, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching. 

This beautiful beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because it usually has gentle and manageable waves.  In addition, slightly experienced surfers also visit this beach because it occasionally offers fun surfing waves.  If you are planning to swim, snorkel, or surf here, we recommend being careful because the water can sometimes have unpredictable rip currents.  In addition, the water here is also slightly cold in winters. 

While Spiaggia Cefalu is the main beach in Cefalu, you can explore many other interesting beaches in Cefalu and the nearby areas including Caldura Beach, Spiaggia di Sant’Ambrogio, and Spiaggia Santa Maria.  

If you like taking pictures with excellent views, Spiaggia Cefalu offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the northern Sicilian shoreline and the Tyrrhenian Sea.  If you are looking for a quieter beach experience, we recommend visiting this beach at the end of September and the beginning of October because it has fewer visitors at this time.

Cefalu Beach Sicily has wheelchair-friendly access ramps for visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Spiaggia Cefalu is easy – this beach is located along a road named Lungomare Giuseppe Giardina.  It is easily accessible from Cefalu’s town center and it is also accessible from a local highway named Strada Statale 113.  There are paid street parking spaces near the beach, which charge around €1 per hour for parking.  In addition, there are also paid parking lots nearby, which charge around €5 for half-a-day of parking, and €8 for a full day.

We recommend visiting this beach early during July and August because it can get crowded.

The beach and the town received their name – Cefalu – from the Ancient Greek word Kephaloidion, which roughly means “head” – Cefalu received this name because of the large head shaped rock that is located near the town.

There are many attractions near Spiaggia Cefalu.  Cefalu Cathedral – also called Duomo du Cefalu – is an iconic and beautiful cathedral that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – it has Byzantine, Arab, and Norman architectural influences and it was built between 1131 and 1240.  This cathedral also has beautiful mosaic artwork and it resembles a medieval fortress.  Lavatoio Medievale Fiume Cefalino is a historic wash-house that dates back to the Medieval era – this wash-house was built along the banks of the Cefalino river and water from this river was used to wash clothes here.  This wash-house was renovated in 1991 and it offers a unique insight into local history.  Rocca di Cefalu is a 268-meters high promontory that offers amazing views of the northern Sicilian shoreline and the Tyrrhenian Sea – the hiking trail leading to the top of this cliff offers a fun hiking experience.  In addition, you can also see multiple historic structures while hiking around this promontory including an ancient temple of the Greek goddess Diana and a 12th century castle called the Cefalu Castle. If you like shopping, Corso Ruggero is one of Cefalu’s major streets and it has many nearby shopping stores – these stores sell many interesting items including jewellery, ceramics, artworks, and clothing.  In addition, there are many beautiful historic buildings near this street.  Museo Mandralisca is a museum that showcases the antique collection of Italian politician Baron Mandralisca – the museum’s collection of antiquities includes antique coins, statues, Ancient Greek ceramics, and a collection of stuffed animals.  One of the museums’ iconic paintings is the iconic Portrait of an Unknown Man, which was created by artist Antonello da Messina in 1465.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Porta Pescara – also called Pescara Gate – is a historic gate that is located near Cefalu’s old port.  This gate was originally built between the 13th and the 14th centuries and it has Gothic-inspired architectural influences – it offers amazing photos of the Tyrrhenian Sea and Cefalu’s shoreline.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Spiaggia Cefalu.  Al Gabbiano is a waterfront restaurant that offers amazing Italian and local Sicilian seafood, along with a variety of other dishes including pizza, pasta, and carpaccio.  Qualia is an upscale restaurant that has a rustic-inspired ambience and it also offers many delicious dishes with local culinary influences – it has also been praised by the MICHELIN Guide.  Tinchite Taverna offers a variety of excellent Sicilian dishes including rigatoni alla norma, Sicilian black pork, steak, local seafood, and lamb chops.  Ristorante Antares offers a variety of great Italian and American-inspired dishes including steaks, pasta, burgers, salads, pizza, grilled fish, lobsters, and chicken dishes.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant nearby, Pasta e Pasti offers outstanding pasta, along with a variety of other dishes including steak, salads, and burrata.

If you are looking for a hotel near Spiaggia Cefalu, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Cefalu Sea Palace offers many amenities including a pool, a sundeck, a gym, a spa with a sauna, a hot tub, a rooftop sitting area, a restaurant, and a bar.  Another great upscale hotel is the 4-Star Astro Suite Cefalu Hotel RTA that offers many amenities including a gym, a private beach area, a bar, a play area for kids, a pool, a reading room, a hot tub, a garden, a restaurant, and complimentary breakfast.  Another great hotel is the 4-Star Victoria Palace Cefalu that offers many amenities including a garden, a pool, a bar, and complimentary breakfast.  Another great nearby upscale hotel is the Cefalu Le Calette Hotel.  A more affordable hotel is the Villa Cerniglia that offers many amenities including a garden, a lounge, a private beach area with sun loungers, and a rooftop area.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, Borgo Marino offers many amenities including a garden, a solarium, a pool, a sundeck, and complimentary breakfast.  Another great hotel is the 3-Star BlueBay Cefalu that offers many amenities including solarium terraces, a private beach area, and complimentary breakfast.