Getting to Sicily, Italy. Flights, Trains and boats
Catania, Palermo & Messina).
Flights
and flying to Sicily, Italy
Virgin Express Airline
Flights
into Catania & Palermo, Sicily from Brussels,
Belgium.
Visit the website
here
Meridiana
airline
Flights
into Catania, Sicily from the Italian mainland - also
connecting flights from London and some other cities
in Europe.
Visit the website
here
My-Air
Budget
flights between Catania and Madrid or Milan.
Visit the website
here
Hapag-Lloyd
Express airline
Budget
flights from Germany to Sicily.
Fly to Catania, Sicily from: Hanover
Fly to Palermo, Sicily from: Hanover, Cologne/Bonn
and Stuttgart
Visit the website
here
British
Airways - (Low cost fares)
As from Spring 2004, BA started flying direct
into Catania, Sicily from London. This could be a
great option from people flying from outside of Europe
of from the UK. Fares are very reasonable and comparable
with budget airlines.
Visit the website
here
Fly to: Catania from all over the world. From London
though, the fares are very cheap.
AirOne airline
Fly into Palermo and Catania in Sicily from mainland
Italy.
Visit the website
here
View route
map here
Ryanair airline
Ryanair fly from London Stanstead direct
to Palermo. Ryanair often offer very cheap flights.
Visit the website
here
Air Malta
Air Malta sometimes offer good priced flights
into Sicily via Malta. Maybe worth taking a quick
look at this site. Air malta NOW fly direct between
Catania and London.
Visit the website
here
Alitalia
The national airline for Italy offer frequent
flights into Sicily to both Catania and Palermo. Flights
are not usually that cheap but they fly often.
Visit the site
here
Windjet airline
Budget flights between Sicily (Catania and Palermo
airports) and several Italian and European cities.
Visit the site
here
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TRAINS
and RAIL services to SICILY
For many visitors, this is the most convenient way
to reach Sicily from the Italian mainland. Trains
with connections from all over Europe, including Rome
and Naples, arrive at the port of Villa San Giovanni,
near Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy.
Trains roll onto enormous barges for the 1/2-hour
crossing into eastern Sicily. Passengers remain in
their seats during the short voyage across the Straits
of Messina, eventually rolling back onto the tracks
once they reach Sicily. The train from Rome to Palermo
takes about 13 hours, 11 to Catania, 14 to Siracusa.
The rail route from Naples to Palermo takes about
10 hours. It is possible also to travel by night,
booking a place on a bunk bed. As an island, Sicily
is well connected via sea links to mainland Italy.
For fares and information see http://www.trenitalia.com
New electric trains have made travel between France
and Italy faster and more comfortable than ever. France's
TGVs travel at speeds of up to 185 miles per hour
and have cut travel time between Paris and Turin from
7 to 5 1/2 hours and between Paris and Milan from
7 1/2 to 6 3/4 hours. Italy's ETRs travel at speeds
of up to 145 miles per hour and currently run between
Milan and Lyon (5 hr.), with a stop in Turin.
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Boats & Ferry to Sicily,
Italy
As an island, Sicily is well connected via sea links
to mainland Sicily. The major connection is from Villa
San Giovanni in Calabria, the last mainland city approached
before the ferry trip over to Messina in eastern Sicily.
Ferries -- called traghetti -- depart frequently from
Villa San Giovanni, making the trip of 12km (7 1/2
miles) across the Straits. If you don't have a car,
the fastest way to go is by hydrofoil from Reggio
Calabria.
If you're in the north of Italy, you can also sail
to Palermo from Genoa. Grandi Navi Veloci, Via Fieschi
1 (tel. 010-589331), runs daily service to Palermo
from July 8 to September 21 (Mon-Sat otherwise). The
journey takes 20 hours, costing 101€ for foot
passengers or 170€ per person for those bringing
a vehicle. Ferries in Genoa depart from Nuovo Terminale
Traghetti.
Grand Navi Veloci, Varco Galvali (tel. 0586-409804),
also operates ferries to Palermo from the port of
Livorno. Three ferry departures a week make the 17-hour
run. Foot passengers are charged 75€ one-way;
a person in a vehicle pays 121€.
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