Page 309 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

INFORMATION

Tourist office The most convenient tourist offices are located up by the side of the
Villa Bellini gardens at Via Beato Bernardo 5 (Mon–Fri 9am–1pm, plus Wed 3–7pm;
095 747 7415), and close to the Duomo at Via Vittorio Emanuele II 172 (Mon–Sat

8.15am–1.15pm; 800 841 042 or 095 742 5573,
www.comune.catania.it/turismo).

Listings information For what’s on check out the Catania editions of daily
newspapers Giornale di Sicilia, La Sicilia and the Gazzetta del Sud, and the
comprehensive, free fortnightly arts and entertainment leaflet, Lapis ( lapisnet.it),
available at the tourist offices and elsewhere.

CATANIA CITY TOURS AND ETNA EXCURSIONS

To see a lot of Catania in a short time and without too much walking, join one of the
bus tours operated by Katane Live ( 095 354 704, katanelive.it), which offers a

hop-on hop-off service (daily 9am–7pm; €5, plus €2 for audioguide; tickets sold on
board) around the centre, taking in Via Etnea, Piazza del Duomo and Villa Bellini,
with additional stops at the train station, Piazza Stesicoro and Piazza Verga, among
other places. Alternatively, there’s the Trenino Turistico ( 095 820 4281), a mini-
train on wheels, of special appeal to children, which leaves from Piazza Duomo and
performs a wide 35min circuit of the centre including Via Vittorio Emanuele II, Via

Etnea and Via Crociferi (€5, €3.50 for children over 7).

Of the numerous tours to Etna, Geo Etna Explorer ( 349 610 9957,
geoetnaexplorer.it) and Etna Experience ( 349 305 3021, etnaexperience.com)
offer a range of half- and full-day tours from around €55, with pick-up points in the
city centre (some operators will pick you up from your hotel). Ask the tourist office
for the full list of Etna excursions.

ACCOMMODATION

Catania’s hotels have raised their game in recent years, with grubby old pensioni
replaced by renovated three- and four-star hotels and a few stylish boutique places.

It’s always wise to reserve in advance, especially in July and August and during the
Sant’Agata celebrations, with prices usually determined by availability. There’s also
a burgeoning number of city-centre B&Bs – you’ll see several signposted just by
walking up Via Etnea – and a couple of excellent central youth hostels. Catania is the

first city in Sicily to introduce a tourist tax of €1–1.50 per day (for the first three
days), depending on the kind of hotel or B&B you stay in.

HOTELS AND B&BS