Getting Around Catania

Catania, Italy

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Getting Around Catania

Catania is the second-largest city in Sicily and the centre of the island's most densely populated conurbation. It sits on the east coast facing the Ionian Sea, at the base of Mount Etna, and its historic core is a compact, late-baroque "old town" rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For a visitor, that compactness matters: much of what you'll want to see is within easy walking distance, and public transport is mainly useful for reaching the airport, the railway stations, outlying accommodation, and the towns and sights beyond the city.

Walking

The centre of Catania is compact, and the most convenient way to explore it is simply on foot. The main railway station, Catania Centrale, is a short walk east of the city centre, which makes arriving by train and continuing on foot straightforward.

Metro

Catania has a metro, run by the same company as the Ferrovia Circumetnea railway. It is one of the shortest metro systems in the world. The line begins at Stesicoro in midtown, runs east to the main transport hub at Giovanni XXIII, then turns west; it ends at the suburb of Nesima, where there is Park & Ride. For visitors, the most useful thing about it is the connection to the Circumetnea railway: get off at Borgo for that service.

The metro runs Monday to Saturday, roughly from early morning until around 21:00, with trains every 10–15 minutes. There is no service on Sundays or public holidays.

Buses and Other Public Transport

Urban buses are run by AMTS (Azienda Metropolitana Trasporti Catania). You'll need them mainly to reach outlying accommodation or the university; the company publishes an interactive map you can use to find the relevant lines.

Rail: Mainline and the Circumetnea

Catania Centrale is the city's main station, on Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII, about a ten-minute walk east of the centre. It has a small cafe and tobacconist. Wheelchair access to platforms 2–5 involves crossing over the tracks. Left luggage is available at the informatik kiosk in front of the building (open daily, morning and late afternoon), with another left-luggage service a short distance away at Atripical on Piazza Duca di Genova.

From Centrale, trains run roughly hourly along the east coast via Taormina-Giardini to Messina. A few of these continue direct to Naples and Rome, crossing the Straits by ferry. Other trains run inland via Enna to Palermo, and south to Syracuse, with some onward connections to Pozzallo. A scenic inland route also runs to Caltagirone, continuing by replacement bus to Gela.

There are two small stations to the north, Catania Europa and Catania Ognina, which visitors are unlikely to use. To the south there is a stop at Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa, from which the airport can be reached by a short walk or a shuttle bus.

The Ferrovia Circumetnea (FCE) is a narrow-gauge railway that loops around the western flanks of Etna and returns to the coast and the mainline at Giarre-Riposto, north of Catania. Its Catania terminus is Borgo, which has a metro connection to Centrale and downtown. Trains run Monday to Saturday, hourly from Catania Borgo; most reach Adrano, and a few continue to Bronte and Randazzo, where the south-side trains terminate. To complete the circuit you change at Randazzo to the north-side train through Linguaglossa to Giarre-Riposto. At Giarre the Circumetnea and mainline stations sit side by side, with Circumetnea trains continuing a short distance to terminate at Riposto. There is no Sunday or public holiday service on the Circumetnea line.

Taxis and Ride-Hailing

The source material does not cover taxis or ride-hailing services in Catania, so no specific guidance on operators, apps, or fares can be given here. In practice, the airport arrivals area has a taxi rank, and the Alibus stop is directly outside arrivals.

Driving and Parking

Driving in the centre is difficult because of congestion, one-way systems, and pedestrianised areas. The town centre has a small limited traffic zone (ZTL), and most vehicles are prohibited from entering it at any time. There are ten main parking lots around the city, plus others serving the airport. Park & Ride is available at the airport and at Nesima metro station west of the city.

Getting In from the Airport

Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (Vincenzo Bellini, code CTA) is the largest airport in Southern Italy and the main airport of Sicily. It sits on the coast just south of central Catania. Note that eruptions of Mount Etna and Stromboli can cause flight disruptions.

On arrival, exit straight ahead for the Alibus stop and the taxi rank. Turn right (east) through the arrivals hall for car hire desks, the tourist information office, and intercity buses and ticket booths. The airport also has a cafe, shop, currency exchange, and ATMs, and an airport hotel a short distance north. On departure, the airside area is a large hall with shops and two cafes; the non-Schengen area is small, with toilets and a shop but no cafes, so it's worth delaying passport control until about an hour before departure.

By Alibus: the simplest way into central Catania is the AMTS Alibus. It runs daily from early morning until midnight, roughly every 25 minutes, and takes about 25 minutes from the airport via the sea-port to the railway station. Coming back, allow about 30 minutes, because from the railway station the bus makes a city-centre loop before returning to the station roundabout. If you see a red and blue Alibus standing at the station plaza, take it; otherwise go to the bus stop Giovanni XXIII Sturzo, at the corner of Via Luigi Sturzo and Viale della Liberta. That stop is only marked by a small sign under the pedestrian crossing sign, so be ready to wave the bus down as it approaches. The fare is €4, payable on board by debit or credit card, and it is valid for 90 minutes including urban bus lines, or via the app.

By intercity bus: because the airport is so close to the city, the intercity buses running to Catania also call at the airport, so you can often get a direct connection onward. Buses to nearby towns and villages run by AST mostly do not call at the airport, so you'll need to go downtown to change; however, local buses to Donnalucata, Modica, and Carlentini do call, as the airport happens to be on their route. Buy bus tickets from the kiosks by the east exit of the arrivals hall.

By train: the stop "Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa" is served by rail, and the airport can be reached from it by a short walk or a shuttle bus.

Long-Distance Buses

The transport hub of Catania is the large roundabout Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII, where the metro station and the main railway station are located; just north is the Stazione AST bus station. The main bus terminal is on the south side of Via Archimede, at the corner with Viale della Liberta, but there are no facilities there, and you need to buy your ticket from the ticket offices along Via D'Amico, a short block north. Coach parking spreads over the adjacent blocks, but the only other active pick-up and drop-off areas are for some SAIS long-distance services, facing Via D'Amico.

The main bus companies operating from here are:

Arriving by Ferry

Most travellers from mainland Italy use the short shuttle between Villa San Giovanni and Messina, and there are also frequent ferries from Reggio to Messina. A car ferry runs every night between Naples and Catania, operated by TTT Lines. Other ferries sail from the mainland to Palermo.

A car ferry also runs between Pozzallo, south of Catania, and Valletta, Malta, operated by Virtu Ferries. Day-trips are possible from Malta every day, and from Sicily on Wednesday and Friday. On Friday, Saturday, and Monday there is a connecting coach between Catania and Pozzallo; it is timed for day-trips from Malta, so if you want to day-trip from Sicily you need to make your own way to Pozzallo.

Sources

  1. Catania
  2. Wikivoyage: Catania

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