We will be arriving in Palermo at about 2:30 pm on May 13, 2022. (So excited as our tour has been postponed twice.) I was told that it is better to take a train rather than a bus from the Palermo airport to Cefalu. Does anyone have info on how often the trains run and would we need to make a reservation ahead of time? Grazie for any info you can provide.
Patty Barber
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7514 posts
Train would be the easiest "do-it-yourself" option. From the airport, the train goes to Palermo Centrale, the main station. There are about 2 trains per hour, taking 60 to 75 minutes. At the main station you will need another train to Cefalu, you can purchase a single ticket at the airport, but will have to change trains at the main station. The trip to Cefalu takes another hour, trains run every hour, with a few extra sprinkled in.
You can look at Trenitalia.com for schedules, the airport station is Punta Raisi. No need to buy ahead or reserve, these are regional trains. I suppose if you will have cell service and data, you could buy ahead on the Trenitalia App for convenience.
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
We were going to take the train from Palermo to Cefalu last year, but canceled due to lockdown. We planned to reserve when we arrived. We were going to be in Palermo 4 nights. Hope this helps.
https://www.thetrainline.com/en-us/train-times/palermo-centrale-to-cefalu
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7514 posts
I am curious, why would one "need to take the bus"? It is an option, and the bus station is next to Centrale, but it would seem buying one ticket and taking the train would be a bit more efficient.
There are other options, a cab to Centrale, shared van, private driver all the way to Cefalu, in fact the OP's hotel in Cefalu can probably set up a transfer if cost is not an issue.
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
When you purchase Regional tickets either at the counter or at ticket machines, you must time-stamp them before getting on the train. There are better ways to start a vacation than a fine, even if I doubt any Sicilian conductor would fine a foreign tourist who has just arrived.
Trenitalia's official site is: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html Avoid resellers if you want to be 101% sure to see all schedules and fares
I am curious
Me too. There is No need to take a bus from the airport, unless one hates Regional trains. It took so long to bring the airport railway into the city center that taking polluting buses seems a pity.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7514 posts
I guess that is why I asked for clarification. I understand that the rail line was being worked on, some time ago, so I was not sure if maybe the advice was outdated, or I was missing something.
I hope to be in Palermo in a few weeks, and planned on taking the train in. Trenitalia shows a schedule for Punta Raisi, so I am assuming it is running.