Page 131 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

City transport from the port Bus #139 connects the port with Stazione Centrale,
though it is rather infrequent, so it is better to walk up Via E. Amari to Piazza
Politeama from where buses #101 or #102, and the linea rossa, run regularly to the
train station.

Schedules The ferry and hydrofoil services detailed here refer to the period from June
to Sept; expect frequencies to be greatly reduced or suspended outside these months.
Ferry details are available on aferry.it, while all hydrofoils are run by Ustica Lines

( usticalines.it).

Ferry destinations Cagliari (1 or less weekly; 14hr 30min); Civitavecchia (up to 3
weekly; 17hr); Genoa (1 daily; 20hr); Naples (1–2 daily; 11hr); Tunis (1–2 weekly;
10hr; Ustica (1 daily; 2hr 20min).

Hydrofoil destinations Aeolian Islands (all 1 daily) – Alicudi (2hr), Filicudi (2hr

30min), Rinella (3hr 15min), Santa Marina Salina (3hr 30min), Lipari (4hr), Vulcano
(4hr 25min), Panarea (4hr 40min), Stromboli (5hr 15min); Ustica (2 daily; 90min).

GETTING AROUND

BY BUS

AMAT buses City buses (AMAT; 091 350 111, infoline 848 800 817 or from a
mobile 199 240 800, amat.pa.it) cover every corner of Palermo as well as
Monreale and Mondello.

Fares and tickets There’s a flat fare of €1.30 valid for 90min, or you can buy an all-
day ticket for €3.50, while tickets for the linea gialla, linea rossa and linea verde,

and the circolare minibus services (which all weave in and out and over the centro
storico), cost just €0.52 for a day’s use. Buy them from AMAT booths outside
Stazione Centrale, at the southern end of Viale della Libertà, in tabacchi and
anywhere else you see the AMAT sign, or, if you forget, from the driver for a
supplement of €0.40. Validate tickets in the machine at the back of the bus as you
board – there has recently been a clampdown on people travelling without tickets,
with spot checks carried out by plainclothes inspectors. The main city bus rank is
outside Stazione Centrale and buses run until midnight (11.30pm on Sun).

BY CAR

City driving It’s far better not to drive in Palermo – you won’t need a car to get
around, and can pick up a rental car on the day you leave. Driving into the city can be
a bit traumatic, as directional signs are confusing and the traffic unforgiving of first-
time visitors. Following signs for “Stazione Centrale” – or anything that reads

“Centro” – should at least get you into the city, while Piazza Politeama is a convenient