Sicily questions

Utilizing the Skyscanner.com website and random random flight dates in October from Rome (FCO), Ryanair has some very cheap non-stop roundtrip flights to Palermo and Catania. I've flown Ryanair in the past. It's just OK, but I would fly again. Just be very mindful of additional costs and read/understand the fine print).

If you haven’t purchased your tickets to Rome yet, why not get flights to your destination city in Sicily? A number of airlines partner with Alitalia and that way if your flight from the US arrives late and you miss your connecting flight, they’ll get you on the next available one at no charge. You’ll also be able to check your baggage through to your final destination. When searching for flights, you can fly into Palermo or Catania.

Your best bet for moving around Sicily via public transportation is by bus, not train. However, there are several different bus companies, so it depends on where you are leaving from and what your destination is. If you use rome2rio.com to research transportation options, you will probably get information on which bus company you will need. The train can be used for some places, but buses are more plentiful and travel to more destinations. As far as a coastal town, I personally love Cefalu...beautiful town, good food, relaxed atmosphere, nice beach. Good luck and buon viaggio!

Buses in Sicily are a little tricky, since there are several different bus companies, with schedules that change with the season. Sometimes we would wait until we arrived in a town and ask our hotel to help us determine how to get to the next place.

There aren't many (any?) trains in the interior of Sicily, but there is one that runs from Palermo, across the top of the island to Messina, then south along the eastern coast to Siracusa. Train schedules are a little easier than buses to determine in advance.

My suggestion for your two-week down time in October would be Ortigia, a small island that is the historical center of Siracusa. We stayed there 5 days once and wished we had longer. It's beautiful, very walkable, a great place to wander. You have day trip options to nearby places like Noto and Ragusa. And you can walk (or take the shuttle) into Siracusa to the archeological park and other attractions.

Another of our favorite places was the island of Lipari, but I don't know what it would be like for two weeks in October. It was wonderful for 5 days in April and again we could have stayed longer. It's small, but you can do day trips to the other Aeolian islands and into Milazzo. If you go, I highly recommend Residence Acanto (and ask for apartment Malva 103).

I select airlines based on price and convenience only, especially for short flights like these. Given the size of Sicily and the attractions spread throughout the island, you'll likely need more than one base selected since you won't be able to reach many sites only from a single base. Public transportation is very limited on Sundays, but fine otherwise (slow but inexpensive). The choice to use train or bus depends on the location of the (bus OR rail) station relative to where you need to go, schedule, and cost. For some locations, the bus is clearly more convenient, as in the case of Taormina. For others, either mode will do because they are more or less co-located. You should consider Siracusa as one of your bases because it will allow you to see many towns in southeastern Sicily easily by either bus or train (Noto, Modica, Ragusa, Scicli, etc.)

Outside of the big cities, like Palermo, a car would be good to have. Several bus companies operate bus service at the various locations p, if you decide against renting a car.
Without a car you should base yourself in at least 3 bases.
Palermo and Siracusa are two must go bases. Taormina or nearby Giardini Naxos could be a third base.

Go to Wikipedia and go to the site pages for both Palermo “Falcone & Borsellino” Airport (PMO) and Catania “Bellini” Airport (CTA).
Wikipedia will list the Airlines and respective destinations operated from the two airports.

Here is great site with loads of info about all if Sicily
Best of Sicily

Thanks for all the responses. We are looking into all our options for our flights at this point. I've found some flying into Rome that are several hundred dollars less than those directly to Palermo or Catania. We're just trying to get the best price possible and certainly aren't bothered by the thought of spending a day or so in Rome coming or going. I'll check out all the suggestions. Thanks again!

I used Alitalia for flights to and from Sicily. Prices were good and flights were perfectly fine. I booked one flight on the Italian website and one on the US website. Check both websites to make sure you get the lowest price.

Another vote to base yourself in Ortigia. Very walkable, lots of history, and great restaurants. We were on a tour several years ago that started in Rome>Southern Italy>Sicily. Our tour ended in lovely Taormina. We extended our trip independently by train to Ortigia. Spent 5 days there and did a private day trip to Noto, Ragusa and Modica. Highly recommend staying in Ortigia for an extended visit. It was our favorite area. We took the train back to Catania and spent another day before flying home. Sicily is a special place you don't want to rush. Hope to return.

Unless you are set going in and out of Rome, we had good flights ($$) going in and out of Milan along with favorable fares on EasyJet. Just need to be aware of all the rules and restrictions on any discount airline.

Another vote for Ortigia, we only spent 3 nights there and it would be a wonderful base for a week.

Maybe fly into Palermo and work your way by bus to Siracuse/Ortigna (sp). Highly recommend day trips to Noto. Will be easy to get from Siracuse to Catania to fly out. Also, Cefalu, near Palermo, is a nice beach town with a great historic center.

We got a good connection to Catania on United from Washington. Going, we have a layover in Munich. On the return, the layover is in Frankfurt. On our upcoming trip we have a rental car. Our longest stays are near Catania and in Erice. We also have stays in Taormina, Agrigento, Marsala, Cefalu, and Monreale.