Ortigia

Julia, I stayed at Hotel Posta in Ortygia in July, a single was 60 euro including breakfast and private bath. The free minibus to the mainland stops right outside the hotel door, and in the next block is a bus terminal of sorts (parking lot with some city buses). The hotel was lovely, access to the internet on the hotel's computer if you don't have your own. There is a major street market a block or two away. It's not directly on the sea but it's very close.

You might look at Acropoli B&B (www.bbsiracusaortigia.it). It's not by the sea, but it has some common areas that I think would be very useful for a longer stay such as you have in mind.

For the second question, there are about 13 buses a day from the Catania airport which arrive in Piazza della Posta (also known as Riva della Posta) just over the bridge in Ortigia. It takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

We will be arriving on a sunday afternoon and I am not sure how the buses are running at that time,it being Sunday and Italy, etc. it is hard for me to get an idea from the bus schedule as it is in Italian and I thought better not leave to chance as I will be with a young baby and will have had a long trip. The on line taxi sites seem very steep in price, so I am also wondering what to do. Any experience with hotels or B and B's picking you up and if so what has the cost been? While I am asking questions, anyone there in late January, early February as far as what to expect from the weather?
thanks

Julia, Sunday bus routes are much less frequent. I think one of the companies is Etna. Piazza della Posta is just steps away from the B&B Hotel Posta.

The bus website (interbus.it) only lets you search a trip in the current month, but I entered the last Sunday of October and there were eight buses from Catania airport to Siracusa (one every two hours until about 6:00 p.m., then one during the 7:00 hour and one during the 8:00 hour). Your option is the train. You can take city bus #457, also labelled Alibus, from Catania airport to the train station. It's every 20 minutes from 5:00 a.m. to midnight. As far as I can tell, this includes Sunday. Bus tickets must be bought at a booth just outside the terminal building. Tickets must be validated in machines inside the bus, which put a time-and-date stamp on the ticket. Then from the Siracusa train station to your hotel you'd probably want to taxi. GoingSicily.com offers taxi service from the airport to Siracusa for euro 65.

P.S. To taxi from the airport to the Catania train station would be about euro 25, so if you were going to go that route (plus taxi on the other end), you'd probably be better off with the private taxi service direct to Ortigia. Weather Underground shows high temperature 58 and low 41 for the period, with perhaps half the days being rainy or foggy.

Thanks for all of this info re taxis, buses, trains- I will check into all of it and fortunately I have some time. Has anyone stayed in L Via Della Giudecca or Porto Turistico B and B. Both have given me reasonable rates of 60-70 Euros night for the 3 of us- 2 adults and a baby for our 6 night stay
I have read Trip Advisor but am never sure if I can trust it or not. They have good reviews there. Julia