Catania to Cefalu in Sicily, transportation suggestions?

We took the train the reverse direction (though we included a stop enroute). I think from Catania you would have your choice of going through Messina then along the North Coast, or toward Palermo, but changing trains in Termini Imerese.

I am sure there are bus connections as well, likely more efficient heading toward Palermo, but not sure where a connection would be made, and probably not any faster.

Trenitalia.com shows quite a few rail departures taking between 4 hr. and 4 hr. 33 min. Most run along the coast. There's at least one that takes your through the interior. It looks as though a car service would cut that time approximately in half, and you'd also save the time needed to travel between your lodgings and the train stations. It's 110 miles, though, so I don't imagine that sort of service would be inexpensive.

I think it's unlikely buses would be significantly faster than trains here.

Yes, there are private drivers but they will be much more expensive, as in a couple hundred Euros, however that gives you the advantage that you can arrange for some scenic stops along the way and plan the route with your driver. If you choose to go with a driver, just ask again here on the forum for recommendations or do searches online. Public transportation is reliable and cheap. The trenitalia website shows multiple trains a day on that Catania to Cefalu route. You will have to change trains once, the transfer place depends on the time and route you select. Time ranges from 3 1/2 to 5 hours and about 14-21€. I did not buy any of my train tickets in advance. Just purchased them from the machines when I got to the station on my day of travel. I did not check the bus schedules or fares for you but probably similar. I have taken both busses and trains on my travels around Sicily. The busses were air conditioned. Most of the trains were not. Both were easy to do, comfortable and cheap. The busses were all modern, trains not so much but were fine.

Grazie mille!

Are you going from the airport? There’s super easy bus service direct from there right outside the terminal. Tickets on site. Generally speaking, busses in Sicily kind of beat out the trains. I found Rome2rio extremely handy in sussing out the bus schedules, especially vs trains.