How much time should we allow to get from Cefalu to the airport in Palermo at the end of the Rick Steves tour? Can we make a 10:30 am flight out of Palermo, or are we better off leaving the next day? We would take a flight from Palermo to Rome, to JFK. Thanks!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16243 posts
I haven't done his tours but if the tours ends in the morning you won't have enough time. You need to get to the airport by 9am and since there is traffic along the tangenziale (beltway) at that time you need to leave by 7am at the latest
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14995 posts
Although I have not been on Rick's Sicily tour, there is never an agenda on the last day, just breakfast. On many of the tours I have been on people said their goodbyes the night before as some leave before breakfast to catch their flights.
Posted by
OP
Connecticut
337 posts
Thank you both! So we should allow at least 2 hours to get to the Palermo airport from Cefalu? that's exactly what I needed to know!
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
There's a train every hour from Cefalu to Palermo Centrale, then a train, bus or cab to the airport. The train from Cefalu to Palermo takes anywhere from about 45-75 minutes, depending on the train type. There are trains as early as 6ish in the morning, you should be fine taking the train from Cefalu. Personally, I prefer to stay the night in the city I am departing from, but I am a little compulsive about transportation.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16243 posts
I drove my rental car from Cefalu to the airport to catch a flight. It wasn't during rush hour and there was no traffic at all, but between the drive, the gas refill and the paperwork for the rental return it took me well over 1.5 hours. Since you are at the end of a tour, then you probably don't have a car, so you must rely on trains + buses/taxi. Zoe said the train takes 45 to 75 min. Then from the station which is downtown, it's another 35-40 min at least by taxi. If you take the bus from the station, it takes certainly longer since it stops at the Politeama and a few more places. So check the train schedule before you make any plans. You should try to arrive at the train station by 8 - 8:15 so that you can be at the airport by 9 (by taxi).
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Pam is correct that probably half the tour members (all those who are flying out on the last day) do tend to skip the hotel breakfast in order to make an early flight. This year's Sicily tour itinerary gives you about half a day and one night for Cefalu. If you have another day available, it's a relaxing town in which to add a day.