Sicily transportation

By all means, fly Rome to Palermo. The train is ridiculous. You can fly out of Catania easily.

We flew Alitalia last year into Catania and out of Palermo. It was basic, but with no problems and very reasonable. The airporter bus from the Palermo airport into Palermo is a great way to get into the city- very direct and not expensive.

Thank you !

A few additional thoughts. I purchased Alitalia's Economy Classic fare so I could choose my seats and carry on my roller bag. I believe it also allows a checked bag. Thought the small additional cost was well worth it. The airport bus to the train station stop left just a short walk to the tour hotel, and luggage for those going all the way to the train station was stored in separate compartment under the bus. I arrived in Palermo a couple of days early (after a couple of days in Rome) and was glad I did as there are some great sights not included in the tour itinerary. Tour members that spent an extra day in Catania at the end of the tour (I didn't) said they were glad they did.

Good tips thanks ! Where else did you visit in Palermo that you enjoyed?

The Norman Castle and its Palatina Chapel were my favorite. The chapel has limited hours, so plan your visit accordingly. I walked though the markets, which was fun (there are 3 and the tour only visits one). Generally, I looked for sights not included in the tour and picked a few of interest to me. I had previously seen the Teatro Massimo and nearby archaeological museum, so I didn't revisit those. Il Maestro del Brodo was my favorite restaurant, but it's mostly open for lunch and only a couple of nights a week for dinner. Excellent seafood but other dishes too, and quite reasonable. A lot of local families were dining together the night I went.

We were on this tour in April 2016. Before the tour, we spent some time in Rome, then flew on Alitalia to Palermo the day before the tour started. In Palermo we enjoyed the Modern Art museum which covers the 18th century and later. At the end of the tour we flew on Alitalia from Catania to Rome, stayed overnight in Rome, and flew home the next day. It was nice not having to rush out of town at the end of the tour; having to do so might have broken the magic spell that surrounds the tour experience.

Most Americans have limited vacation time, so spending a full day on a train to Sicily would be at the expense of time spent in Sicily (or Rome), seeing things not being covered by the tour. If not for that limitation, I think the train would be fine for a patient traveler. But absolutely not the night train, which I made the mistake of taking in 2015. It was more miserable than an overnight flight to Europe; I got not one wink of sleep in my couchette, apparently due to the rough condition of the rails.

True. Limited time does dictate arrangements. But lack of sleep and comfort makes me lean toward flying in early and spending time in Palermo. Does Alitalia fly out of Fiumicina to Sicily?

I appreciate all the great suggestions!

Both of my Alitalia flights were between Fiumicino (FCO) and Sicily. Note that you can buy tickets on Alitalia's US website in USD rather than Euro, saving a transaction fee on many people's credit cards.

I enjoyed the archeological museum in Palermo before the tour:
http://www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/salinas

Rome to Palermo, and Catania back to Rome on Alitalia worked well.

I would caution against buying in USD instead of euro on a European site. It's likely the company is using an exchange rate that will be higher than your bank would use. I have also heard that some banks will charge a foreign transaction fee on such a purchase anyway. Ideally you have a card that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.