Starting to research this trip for sometime in April, 2018. Just trying to figure out logistics, in terms of where to fly, taking buses from each place to another, etc. We might be there for 10-12 days; not sure.
I read somewhere about Interbus, going from Palermo to Catania. Any more detail on that would be helpful. We are hesitant to rent a car and drive ourselves, as a result of some previous harrowing experiences! We love trains in Italy, as well.
Thanks in advance,
D
Posted by
Washington DC
28453 posts
I visited Sicily via public transportation in 2015. It is completely doable, but of course it is not as efficient as having a car. A car will get you around the lovely Baroque villages in the southeast and the historic towns in the interior considerably faster than you can manage by bus and train. The rural driving did not look difficult from my seat on the bus. Roads can be narrowed by parked cars as you drive through villages, but traffic is not heavy outside the major cities.
One thing to keep in mind is that you will find few, if any, inter-city buses running on Sundays. That's a day you want to plan to see sights in your base city, or perhaps take a train somewhere.
Even with a car, 10-12 days is sub-optimal for Sicily. It has an incredible variety of sights scattered all over the place. I spent 17 days there and did not go to any of the Greek sites in the western part of the island. I also have absolutely no interest in beaches. If you cannot extend your trip, you'll need to make some tough decisions. Get yourself a comprehensive guide book to Sicily and dig in.
Catania's airport is larger than Palermo's. It will probably save you a bit of time to fly into one and out of the other. I noticed that a lot of the buses heading out of Catania for other cities stopped at the airport, so arriving at Catania and immediately departing for Siracusa or Taormina would probably work out OK.
Posted by
Portland, OR
1133 posts
We finished the RS Sicily tour a couple of weeks ago and highly recommend it.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/sicily
That being said, if you can’t do the tour, the itinerary is a great one to replicate.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Using the RS itinerary may be helpful, but keep in mind that it will take much longer to replicate it on your own.
I have taken Interbus several times, it's fine, as is SAIS and other long-distance buses. Usually bus stations have groups of bus companies which sell tickets, makes it easy to check schedules.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I can't help with buses, except to agree that many destinations in eastern Sicily have direct bus service to and from Catania's airport.
I also agree that it's usually best to fly into Palermo and out of Catania, or vice versa, if you want to see a large swathe of the island.
However, if you want to see what a friend and I saw and did, with a car and 10 nights in Sicily in April-May 2014, here's my VERY detailed trip report. It may give you some ideas, and all of the destinations except the agriturismo would be reachable by bus, although you wouldn't be able to get to them all in that amount of time. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina
Posted by
San Diego
1540 posts
Here is a great site with a lot of info for traveling in Sicily.
There is a section on public transportation: buses, trains, etc.
Posted by
east haven, ct
365 posts
We did 3 nights in Palermo, rented a car drove to Erice stayed 3 nights, drove to Piazza Armenia 2 nights, Syracuse 3 nights, drove to Taromina 4 nights. Returned the car in Taromina upon arrival relaxed a little then hired a driver to take us to Catania airport for the plane home to Connecticut. I thought we got to see quite a lot. Without unlimited time and money we had a wonderful vacation. If you want more info message me.
Lorieann