Sicily - Italy - page 545

Ferries to & from the Island
You can reach Sicily by ferry from Naples, Genoa, Livorno, and Reggio di Calabria
through these major ferry lines:
u Traghettionline ( % 010-582080; www.traghettionline.net)
u Grandi Navi Veloci ( % 058-6409894 in Livorno, % 010-589331 in Genoa,
% 091-587404 in Palermo; www1.gnv.it)
u Tirrenia Navigazione ( % 199-123199; www.tirrenia.it)
u Trenitalia ( % 090-661674; www.trenitalia.it; runs 20 boats a day from
Reggio di Calabria to Messina)
u TTT Lines ( % 095-7462187; www.tttlines.it)
Most visitors take the overnight ferry from Naples. The cost to Palermo is € 40
per person for a deck seat (add € 75 per person for a private cabin with bathroom)
and € 80 for a compact car. Those going overnight from Naples to Catánia pay
more for a deck seat or a berth in a private cabin; cars on this ferry are € 100.
The car ferry across the Straits of Messina (from Calabria to Sicily) is a shorter,
25-minute ride, with departures every 20 minutes or so throughout the day.
Tickets can be purchased at Villa San Giovanni in Calabria (you'll have to jump out
of your car and run to the little house with your car-rental form and license-plate
number) and cost from € 17 per car, or just € 1 for foot passengers. Ferry infor-
mation can be had from Tourist Ferry Boat s.p.a. ( % 090-3718510 in Messina,
or 090-361292 in Villa San Giovanni).

Alitalia (www.alitalia.com) and Airone (www.airone.com) are the other major
players on these routes, with the following average round-trip rates:

€ 85- € 105 Rome to Palermo (price varies by day of week and time of day),

u

€

150 Florence to Palermo,

u

€ 220 Milan to Palermo.
From Falcone-Borsellino Airport, it's simple enough to hop a Trinacria express
train (running every half-hour 5:30am-10pm for the 1-hr. ride to Palermo; cost
€

u

4.50). A local bus also leaves the main terminal every half-hour from 8:45am to
11pm, and, if traffic is light, takes the same amount of time as the train (cost
€

50, though, depending on traffic, you
may get where you're going a bit faster this way.
GETTING AROUND THE ISLAND
It's a snap to hop from one town to another, thanks to efficient rail and bus lines.
Local trains are run by Trenitalia ( % 892021; www.trenitalia.it), which has a very
helpful and easy-to-use website in English. Bus service on the island is not quite
as reliable as train service, except within towns. For public transportation, try
www.sicilia.indettaglio.it , which has a searchable database for bus routes, or ask
for tickets and information at tabacchi in individual towns.

4.80). Taxis to Palermo are pricey at

€