In the fall I will be driving down the coast of Italy and ending up in Sicily. Our first destination there will be Palermo. I have two questions: what is the fastest way to get over to Sicily from the mainland with a car and end up in Palermo (for example, is it better to drive further south on the mainland and take the shortest ferry ride say to Messina and then drive from there to Palermo)? My second question is coming back from Sicily we will be flying back to the U.S. In Sicily we will be near Messina. Where do you recommend taking the ferry back to and where do you suggest flying home from (for example, if it's possible take a ferry to Naples and fly home from there?) Thank you.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Ferry from Naples to Palermo is about ten hours. If you are renting a car, make sure you can take it to Sicily.
You could drive to Villa San Giovanni and take the ferry to Messina there (crossing time is about 20 minutes but all the cars, buses and train carriages have to get loaded so figure an hour).
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15798 posts
I booked my int'l flights on Alitalia, connecting from Rome to Palermo. Then I'm renting a car and ending up in Catania. From there I'm taking a short flight to another mainland city and ending in Rome for my flight home. You may be able to do something similar in reverse, flying from ??? to one side of Sicily, then driving to the other side and connecting home through Rome. Or just take two internal flights to/from Sicily. There are several options, at least 3 airlines and multiple destinations. My internal flight to Bologna is a "whopping" €60, including one checked bag.
If you aren't taking a connecting flight from Sicily, then I suggest you plan to stay overnight on the mainland before your flight. The flights from Sicily can be delayed (Meridiana just notified me that they've delayed my departure time by 90 minutes).
I looked into ferries and trains but they are all too slow (felt I'd just waste time). If you are allowed to take the rental car to Sicily check the ferry rate for the car! I would bet that if you want to drop the car in Sicily, there'll be a hefty drop-off charge.
Posted by
Spokane, WA, USA
191 posts
In 2012, we flew into Catania, rented a car, spent a night at Piazza Armerina then drove to the mainland for a week. We turned in the car at Lamezia airport and flew back to Rome from there. There is no problem driving from the mainland to Sicily, as Sicily is part of Italy. There was no exorbitant fee to turn the car in at a different location. The ferry from Calabria to Messina is inexpensive, frequent and fast (it is not too far) and it is a lovely drive from Messina to Palermo, probably one of the most beautiful in the world,. The airport at Catania will be your best bet to drop your car and fly to wherever you want to go. Vueling Air has some pretty cheap rates.
Have fun!
Jan B
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
If you want to drive most of the coast of Italy and keep the same car, then there's no ferry or shortcut that's as practical as the Villa S. Giovanni-Messina route. If you're searching for a flight, I would request a "multi-city itinerary" and see whether you prefer the schedules and price to come home from Catania, Messina, or Palermo, etc, not form the mainland. Many flights from Sicily to the US will include another connection in Rome.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15798 posts
Just as an experiment, I went to the Hertz website. For exactly the same time period (13 days Sept-Oct), it's almost €150 more to rent a car in Rome (city) and return it in Palermo (city or airport) than in Rome. They don't call it a drop-off fee, but it's there.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
€ 150 is still way less than the costs of driving back (fuel + tolls + ferry) and using a whole day for that (+ 1 night hotel), or the costs of taking an overnight ferry.