Sicily without a car

[u/miruna_geo]

Hi! I'm visiting Sicily for a week at the end of June, landing in Catania. I'd like to see as much of the island as possible without renting a car, including the cities and beaches. I've seen that there are a few trains that run between the big cities, but would be possible to also reach the most beautiful beaches only by public transport? Also, what would be the best area to stay in order to have a nice beach nearby and also have good public transport connections?

Thank you!

[u/DivineAlmond]

I was able to do a lot of stuff via trains

You can access Cefalu, Syracuse, Noto and Ragusa via trains for example and the first two have beaches. I'm sure the best beaches require a car but you can 100% do Sicily essentials via train.

[u/Same_Rip8054 → u/DivineAlmond]

In Sicily and traveled by train. Very easy. Download the Trenitalia app to easily book your tickets. Agree about Cefalù and the beach Visiting friends in Milazzo which is East of Cefalù by 1+ hour by train. You can take either a ferry or hydrofoil from Milazzo to one of the Aeolian Islands such as Lipari and go to the beach there. Going there tomorrow- it’s approximately $70 round trip on the hydrofoil for 65 minutes each way. Ferry price is less. June and September are best to visit- fewer tourists and not as July and August

[u/newmvbergen]

Coaches (buses) are also an option. You can always use them. On the ground, depending the journey, you will mix trains and coaches/buses.

[u/War1today]

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and for that reason if you are arriving and departing from Catania, and only have a week, I recommend staying on the eastern side of Sicily. The buses and trains can take you to Naxos and Taormina north of Catania, as well as Siracusa/Ortigia to the south. You will find beaches up and down the coast.

Consider going to the main page of this group and using the search tab at the top of the page and enter search words like “itinerary without car”, “Sicily without car”, “Taormina”, “Ortigia”…, and you will get a lot of posts asking questions as well as helpful suggestions from members of this group. You can compare those searches to what you receive here.

[u/Thesorus]

It's possible, but you'll have to manage your time.

Train/Bus schedule, waiting for taxis ...

A car makes it much more easier if you want to "see it all".

[u/Royal-Morning-4865]

Buses are more frequent than trains sometimes. I’m staying in Catania for a month without a car. Buses and trains between towns are punctual but not the local buses within Catania. And there’s no way to track it… even when you arrive at the bus stop, the board can be totally off

[u/MacRoBu]

Hello, I have been there for about a week and I had the same question and got some great answers. I also updated the post after the trip. you can check it here https://www.reddit.com/r/sicily/comments/1t9wtsp/comment/ol5sg72/?screen_view_count=4

[u/miruna_geo → u/MacRoBu]

Thank you!

[u/thompythomp]

If you find your way to Santa Flavia, Porticello, Sant’Elia I own a bicycle rental shop! We would be happy to get you a bike for a couple of days. Send me a message if you’re interested!

[u/davcon22]

Use interbus app