How to get to Palermo in Sicily

Hi Soph,

There are a couple of options which spring to mind. I've done the all train option myself (starting in Palermo), but I've heard good things about the ferry as well.

London to Palermo by train

Probably the easiest way to get to Palermo is to do the entire journey by train. There are a couple of options if you want to stop over in Paris, Milan or Naples, which gives you a clue about the itinerary. Non-stop from London St Pancras (you imagine right) to Palermo Centrale can be done in around 30 hours with the following route:

1. London- Paris Gare du Nord by Eurostar

Price guide: Eurostar £39 one-way via Loco2 (same as everywhere else)

1. Change trains in Paris Gare du Nord to Gare Lyon via RER

2. Paris-Milan by night train Night trains from Paris to Italy (called the Thello) currently operate on the Paris-Milan-Verona-Venice route only. The Artesia was discontinued at the end of 2011 and the new service, to Florence and Rome, isn't due to open for booking until mid-July (exact date not yet announced). So for destinations in Southern Italy it's currently necessary to change trains in Milan.

Price guide: Thello night train, available on Loco2 but currently cheapest via the Thello website, approximately €80. Read Jamie's post about booking the Thello night train

1. Milan to Naples by train Plenty of trains running throughout the day direct to Naples. It takes around 5 hours.

Price guide: Train from Milan to Naples: £92 via Loco2. Cheaper on Trenitalia who do a €39 mini-fare

1. Naples to Palermo by train The last leg of the journey takes around 8 hours.

Price guide:Train from Naples to Milan £49.50 via Loco2. I have searched Trenitalia and it's coming back as "The travel solution has at least a segment not purchasable" so attempts to find a cheaper fare there failed.

London to Palermo by train & ferry Another route would be the same as above, steps 1-4, then hop on the ferry from Palermo to Naples. I don't know lots about the ferry (I'm a train girl see ;-) but I imagine it would be a fab route. It takes a little longer, the crossing is around 10 hours overnight, and costs €76 return. I looked at Direct Ferries. The other thing you'd have to consider is how long it will take to get from the train station to the ferry port. Input from anyone who knows the route much appreciated. Perhaps do the train one way and ferry on the way back for the sake of variety.

There are other ferry routes which stop in Sicily but none which look convenient for train connections from Western Europe. I was hoping for one from Cote d'Azur but nothing's come up yet.

Hope this helps! Let us know how you get on. Also, worth noting that some of these routes are showing as available before the normal 90 day booking horizon so it's worth searching now if you're going in July as you might be able to get a bargain.

Hi sophontrack

Looks like Sicily is the place to be. I thought this previous thread on Sicily might be of help to you too!

Happy railing!

Hi,

I've done the ferry from Italy to Sicily - to Messina which is the main connecting port I think. It's about half an hour. I wouldn't say take the longer ferry! Who wants to be stuck in the ferry all the time. Better be out and about - in a train or car at least you can see something of the country! FYI, if you do take the longer ferry, you can see a list of the routes here:

http://www.aferry.co.uk/ferry-to-sicily-ferries-uk.htm

They don't offer the short route to Messina which is weird - I just turned up at the port and left - I don't remember the cost but it was not worth thinking about.

One thing - don't stay overnight in Messina!! It's not the place to stay! industrial and I heard gun shots in the night!!