Palermo Getting there

Palermo is the first city in Sicily and it is well served by highways and trains and also has an international airport.

By car

From Taormina take highway A18 up to Catania and continue on A19 Palermo-Catania up to destination (260 Km). From Agrigento take Statale 189 which travels through Sicily taking a fascinating course that leads to Palermo (127 Km). From Siracusa take state highway 114 up to Catania and continue on A19 Palermo-Catania up to destination (258 Km). Those coming from Continental Italy must continue on highway A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria and exit on Villa San Giovanni to get to the ferries that go to Messina. From Messina highway A20 takes you to Palermo.

Palermo's traffic is heavy and rather chaotic, it would be best to leave your car in a guarded parking lot and to visit the city on foot or with public transport.

By boat

It is a convenient way to get to Palermo and bring your car along. There are two companies offering the connection services.

• Grandi Navi Veloci offers three connections. From Genoa, daily, duration: 20 h. From Livorno three times a week; duration: 19 h. From Rome Civitavecchia, daily; duration: 12 h.

• Tirrenia connects Palermo and Naples every day; duration: app. 10 h

By train

Palermo is connected by trains to all the major destinations in Sicily, such as Taormina, Catania and Siracusa. For some destinations it is necessary to change trains. From Rome there are some direct trains for Palermo via Naples, the trip lasts 11 to 13 hours. For times please consult the Trenitalia site or call the green number 89 20 21.

By plane

Palermo "Falcone Borsellino" (PMO) Airport offers direct flights from all major Italian airports and has low-cost links with some European cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Cologne, London and others. From the airport, the "Trinacria Express" shuttle train connects to Palermo's central station every hour. Another option is to take the shuttle bus which leaves every 30 minutes.