Rabbit Beach

Located on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, Rabbit Beach – also called Spiaggia dei Conigli – is a popular curve-shaped beautiful beach with white sand, many pebbles, and nearby oceanfront cliffs.  This beach was listed as the second-best beach in the world by TripAdvisor as part of its Travelers’ Choice award in 2024.  In addition, it was listed as one of the best beaches in Sicily by Lonely Planet and Conde Nast Traveller magazines – and it is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  The beach and the area around it are a part of a natural reserve named Riserva naturale orientata Isola di Lampedusa.

This beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, except a nearby rental facility for beach chairs and umbrellas, so please plan accordingly.

Rabbit Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.  

This beach is ideal for slightly less-experienced swimmers because the water here is known to have gentle waves.  This sandy beach is popular with snorkelers, who visit here to explore its vibrant biodiversity.  If you plan to swim, snorkel, or canoe here, we recommend being careful because the clear water here has unpredictable rip currents.  If you are a less-experienced swimmer, we recommend visiting this beach when the northwestern wind is blowing because the crystal clear water here is calmer during this time.  Please also note that sailing, fishing, and scuba diving are prohibited here.  

If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, Rabbit Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Lampedusa shoreline and the Mediterranean Sea.  Loggerhead sea turtles also use this beach as a seasonal nesting site and lay their eggs here between May and September.

Rabbit Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities, so please plan accordingly.

Getting to Rabbit Beach is easy – this beach is easily accessible from a nearby town – that is also called Lampedusa – through a road named Strada di Ponente.  Strada di Ponente will eventually lead you to a small paid parking lot – the parking lot here costs € 0.7 per hour for motorcycles and €1 per hour for cars.  Once you park at this parking lot, you need to then walk along a kilometer-long rugged, steep, and winding walking path to reach Rabbit Beach.  We recommend visiting this beach early in the summer because it can sometimes get crowded during this time of the year. 

Please note that the local authorities only allow around 500 people per day to access this beach, and you might need to make an online reservation. For more information regarding the reservation rules, visit a website managed by a non-profit organization named Legambiente Sicilia. 

If you are traveling to Lampedusa from mainland Sicily, you can take a ferry to the island from the port town of Porto Empedocle.  In addition, Lampedusa also has an airport and you can get planes for this island from the Sicilian towns of Palermo and Catania.

There are multiple theories on how this beach received its name – some say this beach was named Rabbit Beach because the nearby islet of Isola dei Conigli had many rabbits.  However, others claim that this beach was named “Rabbit Beach” by British admiral William Smith – this name is most likely a corruption of the label “Rabit Island.”  The term “rabit” means “connection” in Arabic and refers to the isthmus that sometimes appears near the beach.  In addition, the famous Italian singer Domenico Modugno owned a villa near Rabbit Beach – Modugno called this beach “God’s Swimming Pool”

There are many great attractions near Rabbit Beach Lampedusa.  Isola dei Conigli – also called Rabbit Island – is an islet near the beach that is home to many kinds of animals including rabbits, sea turtles, and gulls.  Isola dei Conigli Rabbit Island offers a unique insight into local biodiversity, and it is sometimes accessible by foot at low tide.  Scala Colorata is a unique rainbow-colored staircase that symbolizes the need for diversity and tolerance between humans – this staircase offers some amazing photos.  Cala Tabaccara – also called La Tabaccara – is a bay that has clear and calm turquoise-colored water.  This bay is accessible by boat and it offers many fun activities including swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving.  Santuario della Madonna di Porto Salvo is a church that was initially built in the 12th century and the current church was built in the mid 19th century.  This church has a beautiful garden and a religious festival honoring the Christian figure Mary is celebrated here on September 22nd.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Porta d'Europa is an oceanfront 16-and-a-half feet tall artwork designed by sculptor Mimmo Paladino in 2008.  This artwork serves as a monument to the migrants who died while struggling to cross the Mediterranean Sea to enter Italy.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Rabbit Beach.  Trattoria Pizzeria Da Nicola is known for serving excellent pizza and it also offers other dishes including pastas and seafood.  Ristorante Cavalluccio Marino is an upscale restaurant that offers a variety of excellent gourmet dishes with International culinary influences – it has also been praised by the MICHELIN Guide.  Trattoria La Risacca has a rustic ambiance and it offers a variety of excellent dishes including seafood, pasta, gnocchi, and desserts.  L'Angolo del Mare is known for serving excellent local Sicilian and Italian dishes including seafood, spaghetti carbonara, and antipasti.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Isola delle Rose is a restaurant that offers many amazing dishes including local baked desserts, pasta, fries, and gelato.

If you are looking for a hotel near the beach, there are many great nearby Rabbit Beach Sicily hotels.  The 4-Star Hotel Medusa offers many amenities including a restaurant, rental facilities for boats and cars, a gym, hot tubs, and a solarium.  The 4-Star Cupola Bianca Resort offers many amenities including an infinity pool, a terrace, a garden, a hot tub, rental facilities for cars and scooters, and  a pool bar.  The 4-Star Hotel Baia Turchese is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a restaurant, an outdoor common area, and rental facilities for cars, scooters, and bikes.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star O’Scia Hotel that offers many amenities including bike and car rental services, two common areas, massage services, and beach towel loaner facilities.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Hotel Macondo offers many amenities including a pool, a gym, bike rental facilities, a restaurant, bike and car rental facilities, and a sauna.