Those of you who have traveled in Sicily recently can perhaps advise me on how to get there and home (Chicago ). I know how to do open jaw flights, but I just can’t seem to find the simplest way to arrange my flights. To complicate matters; I am considering adding on some days in Malta at the end probably. I am retired so timing does not cause problems. I am considering doing a RS tour of Sicily with extended time to see more of the country via a rental car. I’d appreciate hearing your experiences, tips and advice.
Posted by
Sweden
6865 posts
Those of you who have traveled in Sicily recently can perhaps advise
me on how to get there and home (Chicago).
The easiest would probably be to fly. There are a couple of airports on the island that are connected to most major European hubs.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7943 posts
We simply flew round trip to Rome, using a couple days to get acclimated at the beginning, and then a couple to ease into packing for home. We used Ryanair for flights within Italy (ITA was on hiatus in their switch from Alitalia), Rome to Palermo, then Catania to Naples. (train Naples to Rome). Malta is well served from both Catania and Palermo, and returns to Rome. Just a pro tip for Ryanair, just go ahead and pay for the Plus option, gets you a 20 kg checked bag, airport check-in, reserved seat, etc.; you will have no issues.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
484 posts
You can also work backwards from the Catania and/or Palermo airport websites. You can see possible Europe connection cities and your favorite airlines or their partners.
https://www.airport-catania.com/arrivals.php
https://www.airport-palermo.com/arrivals.php
https://www.airport-malta.com/arrivals.php
Of course those are just indicative for planning. You can then go to individual airline websites for more details as to what might work.
Posted by
NC
362 posts
Last September, we flew from the US to Rome and made a connecting flight to Catania via ITA. After exploring Sicily for ten days, we flew back to Rome from Palermo and stayed a few days before heading back home. Worked out great for us.
Posted by
Michigan
417 posts
We were in Sicily in the spring. Found it easiest to just book our RT from home in/out of Rome. Then we booked one way air from Rome to Palermo, and Catania to Naples (we added several days in Sorrento after the RS tour). We ended up with COVID, so did not finish the tour, but it was easy to change the Catania-Naples flight to a Palermo-Rome flight and continue the rest of our trip once we were negative.
Posted by
145 posts
To get to Sicily I flew to Rome and stayed at the Rome Hilton, right at the airport.
Had a great shower within an hour after landing, then walked back to the airport (5 minute walk) for some dinner and then to bed early to get rid of jet lag.
Next morning, nice and rested (and clean!) walked to my flight to Catania. No pressure about connecting flights, no hassle, really a great idea.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7057 posts
To avoid Rome’s airport we had layovers in Munich going over and Frankfurt coming back. We flew into and out of Catania.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2257 posts
We made two trips to Sicily. I checked for the cheapest European airport to fly into from our home. One year it was Brussels and one year it was Bonn. Then we took inexpensive intra-European airlines from there (one year to Palermo, one year to Catania).