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Making my plane in Palermo - too tight?

In early April I will (finally) get to visit Agrigento. What do you suggest as a good plan to get from Agrigento to the Palermo airport? My flight to FCO leaves just after 1:00 o'clock. How challenging would it be to leave Agrigento early in the morning and arrive comfortably at PMO? Train? Bus? Car service?
As an alternate plan, where would be a good place to spend the previous night near the airport?

Posted by
2816 posts

I looked and there is a train leaving Agrigento at 7:15 am that arrives in Palermo Centrale 2 hours later. There is then a 25 minute layover for train to the airport which gets you at airport at 10:30 am.

We took the train to and from the airport and found it was reliable. Other trains we took in Sicily ran on time as well but we did not visit Agrigento by train.

Are you staying in Rome such that worst thing you are risking is paying for another ticket to Rome or are you connecting to another flight?

Posted by
3513 posts

Beth has a point.
If you do miss your PMO to FCO flight, it could end up being very costly for you.
We took trains in Sicily this April and they were fine, but there is always the possibility of a strike, an emergency on the train, something on the track, etc.
If it were me I would stay in Palermo on my last night, and find somewhere within walking distance of the Centrale rail station.
We were in an apartment in Palermo, near the station, so I don’t know about the hotels around there.
Perfectly safe area.
There are also buses that go from just behind Centrale to the airport, but I would book that in advance if you choose that route.
Trains don’t sell out.

Posted by
1065 posts

Thanks for the quick and appropriate replies! After leaving Sicily, I still have another 3 weeks in Italy so missing a flight connection is not a problem. Well, not that day at least. On the day that I have to fly home it will be a different story. They'll have to put me on the plane kicking and screaming!

Posted by
1045 posts

Palermo has pretty small airport. I think the longest walk was from the train station to the terminal. If you take the train described above I think you’d be fine.

Posted by
2816 posts

If you are staying in Italy, it is a reasonable risk. I would do it. But never if involves an international flight.

Posted by
3513 posts

Is your PMO to FCO on the same ticket as your Italy- to-home flight three weeks later?
If so, and you miss the first flight, there is a remote possibility that your flight home three weeks later would be automatically cancelled as you were a no-show on the first one.
Better check into that!!