How to get around Sicily: scenic train rides, ferries and countryside drives

15.03.2024 - 13:29 / lonelyplanet.com

The 19th-century chestnut ‘The journey is the destination: really doesn’t do justice to the epic-scaled scenery that accompanies every trip in Sicily, big or small. This Italian island straddling three seas might be modest in size, but its varied landscapes are larger than life. Bus, boat, car, train or two wheels: however you get around, Sicily throws up stupendous coastline, mountain and volcano scenery in spades. Going slow is key – but even then, you’ll struggle to ingest a fraction of the natural grandeur en route.

Palermo and Catania – Sicily’s largest cities – are petite. And bewitching. Join locals for a morning mooch around an open-air food market or ritual passeggiata (afternoon stroll), and you’ll instantly understand why exploring on foot is the only sensible way to get under the skin of these chaotic, soul-stirring urban beauties. Offshore, on the back-to-basics Aeolian islands, it’s three-wheeled Ape taxis (Stromboli), posh electric golf carts (Panarea) and donkeys (Alicudi) that fly.

With world-famous sites such as Selinunte’s ancient Greek temples and Segesta’s must-see archaeological ruins tucked well away from any urban center, renting a car is the most convenient option. To explore the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains in the island’s remote interior or modern art marvels like Cretto di Buri tumbling down a hillside in the off-track Valle dei Belice, a car is a necessity. Ditto for wilder beaches, old-timer fishing villages, nature reserves and wineries on Sicily’s south-eastern tip and Ionian Coast.

Reserve wheels well in advance. Major car-rental agencies have desks at Palermo, Catania and Trapani airports. To rent wheels, you must be over 21 and possess a credit card. Driving licenses from EU member states are recognized, but drivers with licenses from elsewhere need an International Driving Permit.

Once on the road (always on the right), you’ll require nerves of steel. Even among Italians, Sicilians have a reputation for being the most unpredictable drivers in the country. Motorways (autostrada) and bigger secondary roads (SS/SP) are generally in good condition, but smaller roads can be pot-holed and poorly maintained. Tolls are charged on the A18 (Messina–Catania) and A20 (Messina–Palermo); have cash at hand in case the machine doesn’t like your card.

Planning Tip: Hire the smallest rental car you can to reduce the stress of squeezing your vehicle through impossibly narrow streets and into tight parking spaces. 

Chugging along the Tyrrhenian Coast by train between Palermo, Cefalù, Messina and Milazzo, and south from Messina to Catania on the Ionian Coast is a breeze – with breathtaking sea views to boot.

Trains operated by Trenitalia are frequent, cheap and dependable. Advance