Europe has 87 volcanoes in our database including Iceland — 73 still active in the Holocene, with 521 recorded eruptions. Iceland dominates with 44, followed by Italy (15), Türkiye (12) and Greece (7). Most people picture Europe as geologically calm, but Etna and Stromboli are erupting right now, Iceland is primed for its next eruption, and a supervolcano stirs beneath Naples.
In Our Database
87 volcanoes
Active (Holocene)
73
Recorded Eruptions
521
Most Volcanoes
Iceland (44)
By VolcanoDB Research Team. Counts computed from our Smithsonian GVP dataset (geographic Europe incl. Iceland; Canary Islands excluded). Live status from IMO, INGV, and Greece's monitoring agencies.
How Many Volcanoes Does Europe Have?
The honest answer is: it depends where you draw the line. Counting geographic Europe including Iceland, our database holds 87 volcanoes, of which 73 have erupted during the Holocene. If you use the narrow Smithsonian "European Volcanic Regions" grouping — the Mediterranean belt only — the number drops to 33, because Iceland (44 volcanoes) gets filed under the Atlantic. We lead with 87 because that's what most people mean by "volcanoes in Europe," but it's worth knowing the definition changes the headline number.
Europe's volcanism comes from three very different engines. In the Mediterranean, the African Plate is grinding north into Eurasia, generating the magma that feeds Italy and Greece. Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent boundary where the continent is literally splitting apart. And scattered fields in Germany, France, and the Caucasus are fed by deep mantle sources far from any plate edge.
European Volcanoes by Country
Here's the full breakdown from our database. Iceland accounts for more than half of all European volcanoes on its own.
Country
Volcanoes
Notable
Iceland
44
Mid-Atlantic Ridge — Europe's most active volcanic zone
Italy
15
Etna, Vesuvius, Stromboli, Campi Flegrei
Türkiye
12
Anatolian volcanic fields incl. Mount Ararat
Greece
7
Santorini, Nisyros, Methana
Spain
2
Olot field (mainland); Canaries listed separately
Georgia
2
Lesser Caucasus volcanic highlands
Armenia
2
Armenian Highlands
Germany
1
West Eifel Volcanic Field
France
1
Chaîne des Puys (dormant, UNESCO)
Russia (Caucasus)
1
Elbrus, Europe's highest peak
Counts from our Smithsonian GVP dataset, geographic Europe (lat 34–67°N, lon 25°W–45°E). The Canary Islands (Spain) sit off Africa and are counted separately — see below.
Active Volcanoes in Europe: 2026 Status
At any given moment, several European volcanoes are erupting or restless. Here's where the continent's most closely watched volcanoes stood in mid-2026.
Longest repose since 1500 AD. 3 million people in the danger zone.
Iceland: Europe's Eruption Engine (2026 Update)
Iceland has produced Europe's most dramatic recent volcanism. The Sundhnúkur crater row on the Reykjanes Peninsula erupted nine times between December 2023 and mid-2025, repeatedly threatening the town of Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon. Since the last eruption ended, roughly 27.5 million m³ of magma has re-accumulated beneath the Svartsengi system — more than preceded any of the previous nine eruptions.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office describes a fresh eruption as the "most likely scenario," with warning times in this series ranging from as little as 20 minutes to a few hours. For the full picture — all 44 Icelandic volcanoes and the live Reykjanes timeline — see our Iceland volcano guide.
Europe's Most Famous Volcanoes
Europe's volcanoes carry more human history than almost any others on Earth. Vesuvius buried Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD, freezing an entire Roman town in ash. Etna — at 3,357 m, Europe's tallest active volcano — has been erupting for half a million years and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Stromboli has glowed as a natural lighthouse for two millennia and gave its name to the "Strombolian" eruption style used worldwide.
Greece's Santorini produced one of the largest eruptions of the last 10,000 years around 1600 BCE, an event so vast it may have helped end the Minoan civilization and inspired the legend of Atlantis. And in 2010, Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull reminded modern Europe of its volcanic underside, grounding more than 100,000 flights and stranding millions of travelers with a single ash cloud.
Europe's Volcanic Regions
The Mediterranean belt(Italy, Greece, Türkiye) hosts the continent's most dangerous urban volcanoes, driven by the slow collision of Africa and Eurasia — see our Italy guide for the densest cluster. Iceland straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where two plates pull apart and magma wells up through the gap. Continental fields— Germany's Eifel, France's Chaîne des Puys (a dormant UNESCO site), and the Caucasus — are quieter but not necessarily extinct. The Eifel's Laacher See erupted about 12,900 years ago and the region still vents volcanic CO₂ today.
One important footnote: Spain's Canary Islands are politically European but geologically sit on an Atlantic hotspot off the coast of Africa. La Palma's Cumbre Vieja erupted dramatically in 2021, destroying thousands of buildings — so if you include the Canaries, Europe's active-volcano tally climbs higher still.
Visiting Europe's Volcanoes
Europe has arguably the best volcano tourism infrastructure anywhere — most of these are a short drive or ferry from a major city, with real food and wine waiting at the bottom. Here are the standouts.
Mount Etna, Sicily
Europe's tallest active volcano and its most accessible. Cable car to 2,500 m, then guided 4×4 to the summit craters. The lower slopes grow Etna DOC wine on volcanic soil. Summit access can close without notice during eruptions.
The most-visited volcanic crater on Earth. A 30-minute paved walk reaches the 1,281 m rim, with sweeping views over the Bay of Naples. Pair it with Pompeii, a 10-minute drive away.
Guided night hikes to watch explosive eruptions every 15–20 minutes — glowing bombs arcing over the Sciara del Fuoco in the dark. A certified guide is mandatory since 2019.
Boat tours cross the flooded caldera to the smoldering islet of Nea Kameni, where you hike to the crater and swim in warm sulfur springs. The whole crescent island is the rim of the Bronze Age eruption.
Ground zero for Iceland's ongoing eruption series. Between eruptions you can walk cooled 2023–2024 lava fields and soak at the Blue Lagoon, built into a lava flow. Eruption-site access depends on live hazard status.
Our database catalogs 87 volcanoes across geographic Europe including Iceland — 73 of them active in the Holocene (the last ~11,700 years) — with 521 recorded eruptions. Iceland has the most by far (44), followed by Italy (15), Türkiye (12) and Greece (7). The count depends on where you draw Europe's edge: Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and is sometimes catalogued separately, and the Canary Islands (geographically off Africa) are excluded from the 87.
What is the most dangerous volcano in Europe?
Vesuvius, near Naples, is widely considered Europe's most dangerous volcano because roughly 3 million people live within 20 km of a volcano capable of Plinian eruptions — the type that buried Pompeii in 79 AD. Campi Flegrei, a restless supervolcano caldera on the other side of Naples with 500,000 residents inside it, is arguably an even larger threat if it reawakens. Both are intensively monitored by Italy's INGV.
When was the last volcanic eruption in Europe?
Europe has volcanoes erupting essentially all the time. Mount Etna in Sicily and Stromboli off its coast are erupting in 2026, as they are most years. Iceland's Sundhnúkur crater row erupted repeatedly from 2023 through mid-2025, and roughly 27.5 million m³ of magma has since re-accumulated beneath Svartsengi, making another eruption the most likely scenario.
Is there a supervolcano in Europe?
Yes — Campi Flegrei, a 13 km-wide caldera west of Naples, is Europe's supervolcano. Its largest past eruption (the Campanian Ignimbrite, ~39,000 years ago) was one of the biggest in the last 200,000 years. It has been in a state of unrest since 2005, with ongoing ground uplift and earthquake swarms, though scientists have not detected signs of imminent magma ascent.
Can you visit active volcanoes in Europe?
Europe has some of the best volcano tourism in the world. You can take a cable car up Etna (€35+), walk into Vesuvius's crater (€10), hike Stromboli at night to watch explosions (€28–80 with a guide), boat across Santorini's caldera (€25–45), or explore Iceland's Reykjanes lava fields. Always check the official alert level before you go — summit access closes without warning during eruptions.
Could Vesuvius erupt again?
Almost certainly — the only question is when. Vesuvius has erupted dozens of times in the past 2,000 years, and its quiet spell since 1944 is the longest since 1500 AD. Historically, longer dormancy at Vesuvius correlates with more violent eruptions. Italy maintains an evacuation plan for the ~700,000 people in the 'red zone,' but it depends on days to weeks of warning from monitoring instruments.