Scala dei Turchi
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE

Italy · Realmonte, Sicily · #3 of Italy's ten by fame

Scala dei Turchi

A white cliff you may look at, in timed slots, but not lie on.

How we rated it: up one for third place on the fame list, down one because entry to the cliff is capped and restricted. Photo: philippe.hemmel · CC BY 2.0

The hang

Scala dei Turchi is a white cliff above a beach near Realmonte, about 15 minutes from Agrigento. Entry to the cliff path is capped at 50 people every 20 minutes, 1,800 a day, for €6 a person, free for children up to 12. On the cliff itself, sunbathing, loitering and laying out towels are strictly prohibited, and climbing it vertically is banned. Swimming and towels belong on the free beaches and the beach clubs next to it. The sources disagree on the ticket: one page updated in October 2026 says it is sold only on site, another from June says to book a timed slot online.

The real intel

Status, dated 2026-10-16: Under a Realmonte ordinance of 8 May 2025 only the lower part of the cliff is open, on a one-way marked route; the upper part and the famous steps are closed after documented collapses. Timed tickets and a daily cap apply.

Best months · warmest sea
September (26.2 °C), then July and August. Coolest: February (15.6 °C). One year of data, 2025.
Best months · emptiest
No crowd data by month. One guide says the cap makes it far less crowded than in its viral heyday.
Getting there
Near Realmonte, about 15 minutes from Agrigento. On foot down the staircase at Lido Scala dei Turchi, or along the beach from Lounge Beach or Lido Majata.
Cost reality
Cliff-path ticket €6 a person, free for children up to 12.
The catch nobody tells you
No sunbathing, towels or loitering on the cliff, no climbing it, and a timed ticket to walk on it. The sources disagree on whether you buy it on site or online.

The year at Scala dei Turchi

Warmest sea in September. Fewest wet days in July. Pick your fight.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sea (°C)
16.1
15.6
16
16.7
19
23.5
25.2
24.7
26.2
22.2
19.5
16.9
Air (°C)
12.2
11.9
14.8
15.1
19.4
24.8
27.3
26.1
23.9
19
15.1
13.2
Sun (h/day)
8.1
8.3
9.5
10.6
12.2
13.9
13.7
12.6
11.4
9
8.5
7.7
Rain (days)
11
13
14
11
7
3
1
2
5
13
10
7

One year of data, 2025, from Open-Meteo at this beach's coordinates. A rain day is 1 mm or more. The red bar is the month to aim for in each row.

The neighbours

6 beaches within 6 km, as the gull flies.

  1. 602 mSpiaggia di Punta Grande639 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  2. 1.7 kmSpiaggia di Marinella1,197 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  3. 2.1 kmSpiaggia di Capo Rossello635 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  4. 3.0 kmLido Azzurro2,201 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  5. 4.1 kmSpiaggia di Pergole335 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  6. 5.4 kmLa Spiaggetta681 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.

Straight-line distances from the mapped beach shapes (OpenStreetMap). Roads are longer, and in Bali they are much longer.

The crowd

Far less crowded than in its viral heyday, thanks to the cap.

The facts · we measured

Length
878 m
Mean width
26 m
Area
22,808 m²
Warmest sea (2025)
26.2 °C in Sep
Coldest sea (2025)
15.6 °C in Feb
Sea by month, °C
Jan 16.1 · Feb 15.6 · Mar 16.0 · Apr 16.7 · May 19.0 · Jun 23.5 · Jul 25.2 · Aug 24.7 · Sep 26.2 · Oct 22.2 · Nov 19.5 · Dec 16.9

Questions people ask

Can you go on the Scala dei Turchi?

Yes, with a ticket: €6 a person, free up to age 12, in timed slots of 50 people every 20 minutes, up to 1,800 a day. Sunbathing and towels on the cliff are prohibited.

Do you need to book Scala dei Turchi?

The sources disagree. One page, updated in October 2026, says tickets are sold only on site; another, from June 2026, says to book a timed slot online.

Sources

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