The Sicilian railways network covers, with its 1400 Km lenght, the nine provinces of the island with stations in all main towns. Besides the regional network which is served only by Trenitalia trains, there are also the Circumetnea train, a local line which connects the towns around Mt. Etna (from Catania to Giarre-Riposto) and the subways of Catania and Palermo.

Moving by train in Sicily

The train is not always the best choice to move in Sicily using the public transport. Some parts of the railway network are old and trains move very slow (compared to the regional busses). There are also few trains compared to other parts of Italy. We always suggest to plan your trip in advance and to check the train timetable online on the website of Trenitalia (also with English language version). Trains can be a good option in the northeast of the island, e.g. to move between Catania and Giardini Naxos-Taormina. In the southeastern part of Sicily trains are suggested only on small sections (e.g. Syracuse-Noto). For greater distances, e.g. to move between Syracuse and Ragusa, the travel times are long and suggested only if you have a lot of time and if you like slow traveling, enjoying the panorama. The panorama from the trains is often beautiful, along the coastside or countryside and during the high season there are often special touristic trains like the "treno del barocco", the baroque train which connects Syracuse with Ragusa and Modica including also guided tours on place.

Moving to/from other Italian regions

There are several trains from the main Sicilian stations to the most important towns in Italy but it's not suggested to move by train because at the same price it's possible to find flights which are much faster. In Messina the trains are loaded on a ferry to move to Villa San Giovanni in Calabria or it's necessary to get off and take an other train in Calabria.

Airport connections

At present only the airport of Palermo - Punta Raisi is connected by train. A connection is planned also with the Catania Fontanarossa airport: a new train station should be built on the line Siracusa - Fontanarossa - Catania and also the local subway of Catania should arrive to the airport. There are no train connections with the airports of Comiso and Trapani.

Historic and touristic trains

The Fondazione FS organizes various touristic trains during the high season. There isn't a yearly timetable but every season or on the occasion of special events special trains are organized. It's possible to find more information on our webpages or on the website of the Fondazione FS. The main touristic and historic trains in Sicily are:

- The train of the baroque: which connects Syracuse with Noto, Modica, Ragusa and Donnafugata's castle.

- The train of the wine: between Messina and Giarre.

- The train of the temples: from Caltanissetta to the Volcano temple in Agrigento and to Porto Empedocle.

Often historic coaches of the beginning of the 20th century are used and the tickets include also food tastings of guided tours.

A special train is the Circumetnea which connects the towns at the feet of Mt. Etna. The final stations are Giarre/Riposto and Catania Borgo. We have published a post about visiting the Etna with the Circumetnea train.

Train tickets and timetable

It's possible to buy the train tickets also online (for a specific date and time) on the website of Trenitalia but it's necessary to print the tickets. It's also possible to buy tickets at the ticket office at the train stations (also automated ticket machines), at some Tabacchi shops and travel agencies. Tickets must be clipped before boarding the train at the machines in the stations. Prices of the tickets vary depending the distance and the train category (regional, intercity etc.) but the travel time is similar. Sometimes there could be a substitutive bus service.

The map below shows the Sicilian railway network and the main stations (credits: A.Taverna/Wikicommons)

The quality of the trains is variable: along some routes there are modern "minuetto" trains and on minor routes there are also old coaches without toilets. Only few stations are open during the night.

The complete timetable of the trains in Sicily for the current season is published on the official website at this link.

Photo credits: Dalibri/Wikicommons; A.Taverna/Wikicommons