Getting around in Sicily

Do you think the idea of a car-free holiday in Bagheria and Santa Flavia is great? But would you also like to visit Mount Etna?

Then why not just let yourself be driven. You've earned it! After all, there's a transfer service for that kind of thing.

It is also perfect for getting from the airport to the holiday lettings.

Important: A reputable transfer service runs at a fixed price. The holiday lettings provider Solemar Sicilia recommends the NANDO transfer service to its guests:

... free of charge! Yes, there is such a thing in Santa Flavia! The municipality also wants to promote the idea of car-free holidays in its town.

This is because there is always a bit of chaos in the car parks of some of the city's beaches in summer. The shuttle therefore connects the beaches with the train station and the urban centres.

And if you have a holiday letting right there, you can of course also use the shuttle to get to the station easily.

Up the mountain in the morning with an unforgettable sea view, lunch and siesta in your apartment, to the beach in the afternoon and to the new trendy pizzeria in town in the evening.

These routes are perfect for a bike - or rather for the right bike like the one in the photo above. Because you can even get up the mountain on one - and you don't have to be an athlete to do so.

Hint: A hire service for quality bikes is currently being set up in Bagheria and Santa Flavia. We will be happy to inform you as soon as it is available.

Long-distance buses connect many places in Sicily and are therefore interesting for excursions. Many of them depart from Palermo railway station. And in the larger cities such as Palermo, there is a well-developed city bus system that allows you to travel around the city in comfort.

The best-known long-distance bus providers are:

• Autoservizi Russo
• Autoservizi Salemi
• Interbus
• Prestia and Comandè
• SAIS Autolinee
• Terravision

A railway line winds along the north coast of Sicily from Palermo in the west to Messina in the east. Regional trains run here every hour during the day.

Some of the railway stations are located directly in the city, such as Bagheria and Santa Flavia. This is perfect for self-organised day trips.

Also practical: The online timetable, the ticket machines and, of course, the train staff "speak" English. The announcement on the train is also available in an English version.

Important: The names of the railway stations do not always correspond exactly to those of the town. For example, the railway station of Santa Flavia is called "S. Flavia-Solunto-Porticello".

Airport hire cars are annoying. They are expensive and every little scratch is exploited to drive the price higher. Even in Sicily.

But if you want to explore the interior of the country or more distant sights on your own, there's no getting around a car.

Fortunately, Bagheria and Santa Flavia now offer a solution to the problem: simply hire a car by the day. The rental company will even bring it to your holiday letting.

Hint: The online presence of the car hire company is currently under construction. If you have rented a holiday letting from Solemar Sicilia, they will be happy to help you with the rental.

Sicily has three airports: Palermo, Catania and Trapani and is served by many airlines. By car, you have to take the ferry from Genoa or Naples, for example, or a short hop across the strait at Messina. Sicily can also be easily reached by train with overnight train connections.