I am looking for information about transport from Cefalu, Sicily to Milazzo, Sicily in late April. We are traveling without a rental car and need to get to Milazzo to take a ferry to the Aeolian Islands (Lipari). I have seen mention of a train which runs along the northern coast and also that Sicily has great bus transportation. Any insights into this will be very much appreciated!
Posted by
Washington DC
28417 posts
You can check train schedules and fares on Trenitalia.com. I checked a random weekday in April and found trains were rather frequent and many did not require a transfer.
A lot of the departures have rather similar running times, but all trains are not created equal. For intercity trains the ticket will come with a seat reservation. Those trains can theoretically sell out; I don't know how likely that is, but it might be a risk around Easter. The regional trains don't have reserved seats and cannot sell out. If the train is full, you get to stand until someone gets off and vacates a seat.
There's no need to buy a regional train ticket before you get to Italy. You might want to buy the intercity ticket in advance if that's the type of train you choose, because there's a potential to save money with early purchase. However, the "economy" tickets are not refundable if you change your mind about your schedule, and the "super economy" tickets are not even changeable.
Regional tickets need to be validated before you get on the train; look for a little machine between the ticket window and the platform. A non-validated ticket is the same as no ticket at all and will cost you a fine.
It can be harder to pin down Sicilian bus schedules with accuracy on the Internet, so I'd always recommend a train if you can find one that works for you.
Posted by
North Italy
400 posts
The train station in Milazzo is about four kilometres from the port. There's a somewhat erratic bus service (it doesn't wait for the train if the train is late) to get to the port, or otherwise there always seem to be plenty of taxis around (cost ten euros September 2017)
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2019/05/milazzo-trip-report-september-2017.html?m=1
Posted by
California 🦋
5298 posts
Lady Sunshine,
As Acraven has mentioned, there are frequent trains traveling this route. I'd suggest taking the direct train (Regionale Veloce or Intercity) from Cefalù to Milazzo.
Once you get to Milazzo, you can take a taxi, or a city bus, to the port.
I took bus#5, right outside the train station, which traveled directly to the port.
Here’s my trip report if you’re interested: My trip to Sicily- In Zoe’s memory
Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
OP
Wisconsin
10 posts
Thanks so much to the three persons who responded to my question. Your insights were really helpful and reassuring. Lady Sunshine.