Transport

AIR

The growth of low cost airlines will make a huge difference to Sicily, which up to now has been under-served. Those who prefer to travel with traditional companies offering ‘full’ services can use the daily flights from London to Catania with British Airways or Air Malta. But the competition from new lower cost competitors will mean prices coming down for all flights. Ryanair currently flies twice daily to Palermo and to Lamezia which is in Calabria and actually closer to the north-east Sicilian coast than Palermo. The Sicilian low-cost airline Windjet is looking to expand its operations, and provides a comprehensive route map that is ever growing. It can even be convient to enter the south-east of the country via Malta by ferry and take a low-cost flight to Malta.

Catania’s main airport (Fontanarossa) which is very close to Catania is finishing a new terminal building and has plans in the near future for a second runway which will allow larger aircraft and increase capacity.

At Comiso there is a new international airport due to open by May 2007, which is nestled in the scenic South east corner of Sicily meaning access to the southern baroque towns such as Ragusa, Noto and Modica and the Iblei mountains will be dramatically improved. Speculation is rife that Ryanair is poised to commence operations there.


ROAD

A new autostrada is currently under construction and due to open in the near future, linking all of the East coast down from the existing autostrada that finishes at Catania and across to Gela. This will mean much reduced journey times to many tourist destinations, assuming you want to travel quickly; you may prefer to enjoy the scenery and take the quieter country roads. The north coast autostrada was finished this year meaning journey times from Palermo and the west of the island to Messina are much quicker.

Generally road conditions are surprisingly good to those who have not visited Sicily before; rural roads which have been replaced by autostrada are generally quiet and can afford amazing views and driving experiences.

City driving in Catania and Palermo can be stressful to those used to a more organised environment; strong nerves or use of public transport is required.

CAR HIRE

The small print with car hire companies makes them notoriously difficult to compare.
For peace of mind we would recommend the additional payment of excess cover so that in the unfortunate event of damage there will no extra cost to you. There is a company that will provide you with an inclusive no excess damage policy that only costs £51 a year; if you are intending to hire a car more than twice a year it will pay for itself.

There can be a premium of 14% to pay if collecting the car from Catania’s airport rather than the city which costs €0.80 to get to on the bus!

A couple of examples of a small car (Fiat Punto) with air conditioning:
Nova - £145/week
Acarinitaly - £148/week
Easycar - £176/week

As a rule we have found the supposedly cheap internet price comparison companies worst value than traditional companies.

Booking whilst still in UK seems to always be cheaper.

RAIL

Very good value for money and punctuality are hallmarks of the rail service here.
Most towns are connected and relaxed, spectacular journeys can be had for little money.

New services are in the pipeline and the planned second high speed line on the east coast should mean drastically slashed journey times to the rest of Italy offering a real alternative to air travel.

Special car trains can also be used, allowing the benefit of no travel stresses and flexibility of car use at the destination.

FERRY

There is a choice of either ferries (Traghetti) or hydrofoils (Alisacfi). These can provide a very useful service either to destinations in other countries such as Malta (only 90 mins) or Tunisia.

Domestic destinations accessible by ferry or hydrofoil include Sardinia, Naples, Rome, Genoa and Reggio di Calabria.

The islands around Sicily can also be easily reached: Aeolian, Egadi, Pantelleria, Lampedusa, Linosa and Ustica.

There are two ferry companies operating the service between mainland Italy and Sicily (Villa San Giovanni and Messina) and they cost approximately €19 one way for a car and €25 return, passengers are free.

OTHER

• Catania has an underground metro system that can be useful.
  
• Coaches (Pullman) provide low cost and efficient travel between major centres.
  
• Cheap buses (Auto bus) link rural routes and operate in the cities.
  
• Taxis are available at all tourist areas.