Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Interbus
( 093 16 67 10;
www.interbus.it
)
runs buses to Catania (€6, 1½ hours, 15 daily
Monday to Saturday, eight on Sunday) and its airport, Noto (€3.40, 55 minutes, two to
four daily) and Palermo (€12, 3¼ hours, three daily).
AST
( 093 146 27 11;
www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it
)
offers services to Piazza Armerina (€8.80,
four hours, one daily) and Ragusa (€6.90, 2¼ hours, four daily Monday to Saturday, two
Sunday).
CAR & MOTORCYCLE
The modern A18 and SS114 highways connect Syracuse with Catania and points north,
while the SS115 runs south to Noto and Modica. Arriving by car, exit onto the eastbound
SS124 and follow signs to Syracuse and Ortygia.
Traffic on Ortygia is restricted; you're better off parking and walking once you arrive
on the island. The large Talete parking garage on Ortygia's north side is a bargain - free
between 5am and 9pm, and only €1 for overnight parking.
TRAIN
From Syracuse's
train station
(Via Francesco Crispi)
, several trains depart daily for Messina (In-
terCity/regional train €18.50/9.70, 2½ to 3¼ hours) via Catania (€9.50/6.35, 1¼ hours).
Some go on to Rome, Turin and Milan as well as other long-distance destinations. For
Palermo, the bus is a better option. There are also local trains from Syracuse to Noto
(€3.45, 30 minutes) and Ragusa (€7.65, 2¼ hours).
Getting Around
For travel between the bus and train stations and Ortygia, catch the free AST shuttle bus
20 (every 20 to 60 minutes). To reach Parco Archeologico della Neapolis from Ortygia,
take AST city bus 1, 3 or 12 (two-hour ticket €1.10), departing from Ortygia's Piazza Pan-
cali.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Noto
POP 23,800 / ELEV 160M
Flattened by the devastating earthquake of 1693, Noto was grandly rebuilt by its nobles
into the finest baroque town in Sicily. Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, the town is es-
pecially impressive in the early evening, when its golden-hued sandstone buildings seem
