Airports
There are 4 airports in Sicily:
Palermo – Aeroporto internazionale “Falcone-Borsellino”, the biggest and better linked, on the northern coast of Sicily.
Catania – Aeroporto internazionale “Fontanarossa”, on the eastern coast.
Trapani – Aeroporto internazionale “Vincenzo Florio”, on the western coast.
Comiso (RG) – “Aeroporto internazionale di Comiso”, on the south coast.
– Palermo’s airport is the most important airport in the island. It is served by several national and european airlines such as Alitalia, British Airways (direct filghts from/to Heathrow), Air One, Blu Panorama (Blu Express with flights from/to Russia), Meridiana, KLM, Air Berlin, Lufthansa, Vueling, Air France, Transavia, XL Airways, Bussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, SAS, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Volotea (with flights from/to France), as well as many Low-Cost airlines such as Ryan Air, Easy Jet, and many other companies operating also Charter flights. This makes the airport well connected to almost every Country in the world. The airport is at only 15 minutes drive from Palermo and just about one hour from Cefalù. The airport is also quite well connected by public transport with trains and buses to Palermo and other locations every 30 minutes (from 5 am to midnight).
– Catania’s airport is also well served by both national and international airlines, roughly the same companies serving Palermo’s airport plus Airmalta, TAP-Air, airBaltic, Darwin Airline, and is well connected to the city. It is about 90 minutes drive from Cefalù and 2 hours drive from Palermo. There are buses departing to several locations and to Palermo about every hour (from 4,55 am to 8,40 pm).
– Trapani’s airport (Birgi) is a small airport but is served by Low-Cost airlines such as Ryan Air, with several origins/destinations, which connect it to many cities in Europe, often offering very good deals! Trapani’s airport is 90 minutes drive from Palermo and 2 hours from Cefalù. There are buses going to Palermo and other locations about every 2 hours (from 6,20 am to 11 pm) .
– Comiso ’s airport (Aeroporto degli Iblei) is a small and brand new airport served mainly by Ryan Air and Alitalia, with departures/arrivals to and from European cities such as Bruxelles, London, Dublin, Kaunas, Frankfurt and other Italian cities. Comiso’s airport is less than 3 hours drive from Palermo and 2,5 hours from Cefalù. There are car hire offices in the airport, please check our Car Hire page.
Ferry
The main ferry ports in Sicily are those in Palermo, Trapani, Agrigento, Catania and Messina, the latter connecting Sicily to the rest of Italy with frequent ferry boats.
There are several connections to Naples, Rome (Civitavecchia), Livorno (Tuscany) and Genova (very good for those coming by car from France and northern Europe). Main companies are GNV (Grandi Navi Veloci), Tirrenia, SNAV, Siremar and Caronte & Tourist, the latter serving Termini Imerese which is closer to Cefalù.
There are also regular hydrofoils from Sicily to its Islands, although these are somewhat reduced off season so it’s better to check this before if you are planning to visit the Islands off season. Main companies are SIREMAR, Ustica Lines and NGI.
The Aeolian Islands can be reached from Milazzo all over the year. In Summer there are also hydrofoils from Cefalu, Palermo, Messina and Napoli.
Ustica can be reached from Palermo’s port.
The Egadi Islands and Pantelleria can be reached from Trapani’s port.
Lampedusa and Linosa can be reached from Porto Empedocle (near Agrigento).
Sicily offers also a good internal transportation network, with motorways, railways, ferry ports and bus lines covering almost every corner of the mainland and the small islands (Eolian, Egadi, Panelleria, Lampedusa, etc).
Roads network
Main roads are generally good, with four motorways, Messina-Palermo, Catania-Palermo, Palermo-Mazzara (Trapani), Catania-Ragusa (Noto), most of which are toll-free with only some stretches with cheap tolls.
A20 Messina – Palermo
A19 Palermo – Catania
A18 Messina – Catania
A18 Catania – Siracusa (now reaching also Noto)
A18 Siracusa – Ragusa
A29 Palermo – Mazzara (Trapani)
Motorways are continuosly expanding and new connections are under construction, so expect to find roadworks sometimes.
Little roads, mainly in the mountains, offer great views and lead to all smaller villages.
Generally, hiring a car is the most convenient and cheap way to travel around Sicily. You can book a Car hire from the biggest brands and at the lowest prices on our Car Hire Section.
Railway network
The main railways are spread along the northern and eastern coasts, connecting Palermo to Messina and Messina to Syracuse with stops in many of the cities villages along the way, including Cefalù, Milazzo (for ferry connections with the Eolian Islands), Taormina, Catania. Other minor, and slower, railways connect the remaining part of the island, these include the Palermo-Trapani, Palermo-Catania and Palermo-Agrigento.
Trains are quite frequent along the main railways so it’s quite easy to move around with it. There is usually a reduced service during Saturday and, especially, Sundays so it’s always good to have a timetable in your hand if you plan to make a day trip by train.
Bus network
The Bus network is also generally good, with buses serving all the airports, main cities and most of the smaller cities and villages. The main bus stations are located in Palermo, Messina and Catania. There are also many other bus lines connecting smaller villages although these offer a reduced service with only a few routes per day. Again, if you plan to make a day trip by bus it’s good to get the timetables ready at hand.