Sicily Car Rental

We were in Sicily for 3.5 weeks or so in April/May. Yes, car rental was outrageous. I searched all over and asked for help from people that live in Sicily. We ended up flying into Catania and after a night there, took the bus to Siracusa (day trip to Noto). Then we picked up a car in Siracusa (Avis) and used it to travel along the southern part of the island and into the middle a bit. We returned the car in Trapani. We used a driver to get to Palermo and from there on we used trains to eventually get back to Catania. We did use another driver in the Mt. Etna area. I thought the public transportation was just as good as in any other part of Italy.

When I traveled to Sicily in 2018, I traveled solely via public transportation.

Since I didn’t plan to rent a car, I had to figure out the most efficient way to get to my desired destinations given the train/ bus schedules available.

I suppose nothing beats the flexibility of having a car at one’s disposal, however, I just didn’t want to deal with the logistics of driving solo.

You may not necessarily need a car for the entire trip.
If you share your itinerary, we can give you a good idea if public transport will get you there, or not.

When is your trip?
Car rentals are high everywhere this year
Rent for just the days you really need or for a 30 day length look into leasing

Www.AutoEurope.com

This year, I've rented in Sicily, Kauai, Oahu and France. Prices are high everywhere, BUT, especially high in Sicily. Plus, there are certain cities (Palermo) in which I'd go insane with a car. It was so convenient to hop on a train. We rented a car to visit Ragusa, the Villa, Agrigento, Segusta and Selinunte. Everywhere else, I was very happy with public transportation.

We will set off for Sicily for a month on August 31. My original transportation plan was to fly into Catania, take public transport to Siracusa, then pick up a car there on the way out, and keep it for Ragusa, Romana del Casale, Caltagirone, Piazza Armerina, and Agrigento, and drop it off in Trapani. Flying home from Palermo, I planned to book a car and driver. After checking rental car prices for the three+ weeks we'd need the car, I booked private drivers for the itinerary above for a total 1230 euros, which also includes the Catania-Siracusa segment, and full daytrips from Trapani to Selinunte, Poggioreale and Cretti, Marsala and the salt flats near there, as well as our return to Palermo for the flight home. I was able to talk the cost down a bit by paying in cash for each segment rather using a than credit card. We used a driver for the first part of our Sicily trip last year, and I don't think I'll ever rent a car again, at least in Italy. Driving never used to bother me, but the older I get, the more it does. It's really nice not to have to worry about driving and missing scenery, parking, buying gas, schlepping our bags, etc, while all the while having interesting conversations with the drivers. Last year, we used only one company, but they were fully booked for our dates this year. It took a while to pull it all together, as I used a combination of several companies, private drivers and one friend of our Airbnb apartment in Trapani, but I'm hopeful it will work out well. Guess we'll find out soon.

Some of you have asked for our itinerary so advice can be more help:
Palermo (car not needed until we go to next destination)
then on to Roccamena and Agrigento
Octt 11 thru 16 Cefalo and Ganjo
Oct 16 thru 26 Taormina (Mt Etna) Mascali
Oct 26 thru 11/2 Ragunta Scili

fly out of Catania 11/2
So will public transit work for this itinerary, private driver or car is must have? Agains thanks in advance for sharing.

In 2018 we rented through Avis at Catania airport. Rental car prices are starting to come down. A couple days ago I cancelled a Scotland reservation I made in April and rebooked it, with a larger vehicle for £782 less. Maybe try making a reservation and keep checking to see if rates go down. Rebook if they do. Unfortunately, rates are what the are.

On our trip we only used a bus to go into Catania from Sigonella and from Monreale into Palermo. The Palermo bus was on time. The bus returning to Sigonella was cancelled so we had to it around and wait for the next one. Then it left from a different bus lane. Fortunately a driver we had spoken to early recognized us and told us where we needed to be.

Sherry,

Thanks for sharing your itinerary!

Wow! You’re going to some interesting places.

Have you visited Sicily before?

Some of your destinations are inland and there is limited public transportation (once a day bus and such) so it looks like you will need a car, or hire a driver.

Have you booked your accommodations already?

I’m intrigued, why did you choose Roccamena, Gangi, and Mascali?

Are you planning to visit some places along the way, such as Selinunte, Piazza Armerina (Villa Romana del Casale), Caltagirone, Modica, and Ortigia?

Wishing you a wonderful trip!