Saving Money on Airfare
Flights from the US to Catania can sometimes be very expensive.
A fun alternative is to take an inexpensive flight to a major European hub city (London, Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Amsterdam) and take a budget flight to Catania.
This is generally several hundred dollars cheaper.
There are many low-cost inter-European carriers offering great deals on flights. You can take advantage of the extra leg and spend a few days exploring!
When flying with budget carriers, please note that many have very stringent luggage requirements.
Make sure to read their luggage policies when calculating the cost of your ticket.
Make sure you check which airport you’re flying from. Some carriers fly from nearby towns or airports on the other side of town. For example, maybe you are arriving into London Heathrow, but your Easyjet flight leaves from London Gatwick! It is not difficult to transfer, but please check before you go so you can plan accordingly.
You can save a significant amount of money traveling with budget carriers, but please read the fine print!
You’re welcome to contact us if you have any questions.
Budget Carriers Flying to Catania
Easyjet. – http://www.easyjet.com
They fly from London Gatwick, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Milan Malpensa and other cities.
Windjet – http://w3.volawindjet.it
They fly from all Milan airports, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Amsterdam, and other cities.
Blu Express – http://www.blu-express.com
They fly from Rome Fiucmicino and other cities.
Meridiana – http://www.meridiana.it
They fly from Rome Fiumicino and other cities in Italy.
Alitalia– http://www.alitalia.com
They’re not necessarily budget, but occasionally offer cheap flights. It’s worth checking their site.
Edreams or Govolo – http://www.edreams.net or http://www.govolo.com
They offer discounted prices on Alitialia and other tickets – they are a great place to comparatively shop for deals.
All right – go get ‘em!
Traveling on your own
You may want to continue exploring Sicily before or after your trip – it’s easy to get around in Sicily.
Catania
Catania is the second largest city in Sicily, a major transport hub, economic center and a university city with a busy downtown and an active nightlife. The city is also well known for its interesting Baroque architecture and urban design It sits at the foot of Mount Etna, Europe’s largest volcano and is easily connected to the Riviera dei Ciclopi, a string of historic seaside resort towns including Taormina and Giardini Naxos to the north.
To reach downtown Catania from the Catania “Fontanarossa” Airport, take the AMT “Alibus” Line 457 which picks up just outside the airport and drops off at the Catania train station, among other destinations. It runs every 20 minutes from 5 am to midnight, takes 20 minutes, and costs €2-4.
To reach downtown Catania from Syracuse, take the Interbus bus from Syracuse Bus Terminal to Catania. It stops just in front of the Catania train station. It runs almost every half hour from 5:30 am to 7 pm, takes 75 minutes, and costs €6.
Taormina
Taormina is a gorgeous hillside town north of Catania. It has dramatic views of Mount Etna and an exquisite Greek Theater still in use today for performances & concerts.
To reach downtown Taormina from Catania, take the Express Bus from the Catania central station. The bus drops off just outside the pedestrian area of downtown. Buses take 40-60 minutes and cost €4.