Travelling to Sicily

Sicily is an island in the Mediterranean, south-west of Southern Italy and just off the coast of Calabria. Most visitors will fly to Sicily, though it is also possible to arrive by car, train and ferry.

Main airports for Sicily

There are two main airports in Sicily: Palermo "Falcone Borsellino" (PMO) and and Catania "Fontanarossa" (CTA). Palermo is in the west of the island while Catania is in the east, so you should choose your airport according to your holiday destination.

Palermo "Falcone Borsellino" airport is about 35 km from Palermo and is one of the oldest Italian airports. It is reached by international connections, and also has daily flights connecting it to the main Italian cities. You can also fly to Lampedusa and Pantelleria from Palermo airport.

Catania "Fontanarossa" is the main airport for Sicily and carries a high volume of international air traffic from European and intercontinental destinations. It is located 4.3 km southwest of Catania.

If you fly to Sicily you will usually hire a car to explore the island. Have a look at our advice on Hiring a car in Italy and our notes on International Driving Licence in Italy

Driving to Sicily

It is possible to drive to Sicily if you're travelling from within Europe - but be aware that driving the length of Italy is quite a task. A good starting point is our page of Driving to Italy from the UK where we discuss driving from London to Tuscany, a distance of around 1000 miles, or 1600 km. Driving to Sicily is the same distance again, a further 1000 miles!

Ferry to Sicily

If you do drive to Sicily you'll need to cross the "Stretto di Messina" to reach the island. a crossing that takes around 20 minutes and will cost approximately €40 each way.

Ferries Calabria-Messina

You could also get a ferry from Salerno, near Naples, and shorten your driving distance. A Ferry from Salerno to Messina takes around 9 hours and will cost around €125 with a car.

Ferries Salerno-Messina

Getting to Sicily by train

You can also travel to Sicily by train, either travelling down to cross the Straits of Messina, or taking a ferry from Naples or Salerno over to Sicily.

As usual, the man in Seat 61 has done a fabulous job of documenting the details for the various train options for reaching Sicily so I'll just point you at his webpage:

Man in Seat61 advice on reaching Sicily by train

Where to stay in Sicily

We'd always recommend staying in a villa in Sicily, it's the best way to experience the food and the landscape. You can find all our villas here:

Villas for rent in Sicily

tangi-aperol-spritz
Enjoying an Aperol Spritz in Villa Tangi, Sicily