We are going to Sicily next February and want to include Rome too. So, need help figuring out if we should book a ticket to Rome and then find a cheap flight from Rome to Palermo? And is it cheaper to book the Rome-Palermo flight before you leave the states? Any ideas are very welcome!
Posted by
Campbell River, Canada
361 posts
Hi Jana,
We just returned from Sicily May 29th. Used EasyJet ( a U.K. company) from Palermo to Rome. Very cheap, very easy 1hr, 10 min. flight in sparkling clean aircraft. We checked 1 bag (too much shopping over 6 weeks) but prepaid the checked bag when we booked the flight from home. Be sure to read all the rules regarding carry-on, cancellation etc. The earlier that you book, the cheaper it is. Palermo airport isn't that big so easy to navigate. You can take the train or bus to the airport from Palermo. Hope that this helps. Sherry
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32318 posts
Jana, I'll be making that trip later this year, and will be using the same method that Sherry suggested, again using EasyJet. I've found their service to be great, so I try to book with them whenever possible. They currently have Rome - Palermo flights listed in February 2013 as low as €24.49 PP (plus a few "fees" of course). As mentioned, it's a really good idea to pay for excess luggage charges during booking, rather then at check-in. The costs are considerably more favourable! Also note that usually only ONE carry-on item is allowed, of the approved size (and they will check). Be sure to read the "Terms & Conditions" carefully. Definitely book your flights well in advance, as many budget airlines use a "sliding scale", with the prices increasing as the flight fills up. Happy travels!
Posted by
Victoria, BC, Canada
372 posts
I flew Windjet from Rome to Palermo. 51 Euros, booked well in advance, and that included 14 Euro charge to check a bag (paid in advance at time of booking.) I checked out all the options for travel between Rome and Palermo and for me, flying made the most sense (as opposed to train or ferry from Naples)
Posted by
OP
Mahtomedi, Minnesota, USA
9 posts
Thanks to you all for your advice and insights. I appreciate your help so much!
Posted by
San Francisco, CA, USA
1 posts
Are the airfares being quoted above one-way or roundtrip?
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Do you need to get back to Rome? You may need to double the quoted fares in previous posts. I flew Alitalia one-way last summer from Naples to Palermo and did not have to pay for my checked bag. I think it was about 100 euro; I used the alitalia.it site instead of alitalia.com - it's in Italian but lists lower fare options (I couldn't find anything under 250 euro on the .com site). Be sure you add in all the additional fees and baggage check costs for the other carriers mentioned.
Posted by
OP
Mahtomedi, Minnesota, USA
9 posts
Thanks for the information. I did book a flight with Alitalia. I found that using the UK site I got a much cheaper flight though the amount is in pounds but Am Express just converted the amount to dollars. The roundtrip from Rome to Palermo was 261 dollars vs. more than $500 on the US site! I did call Alitalia after booking to make sure I had the seats and make sure they had all the info they needed from me.
Posted by
Pueblo, CO
31 posts
Have you thought about the train? It would probably be an all day trip. We took the train from Naples to Taormina, Sicily 2 years ago. It was fun. The train stops in a little town in southern Italy and some of the cars are loaded onto a ferry which crosses over to Sicily. Some of the cars then proceed to Taormina and a couple go to Palermo. It probably depends on how much time you have and how adventureous you feel