Page 37 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

GETTING THERE

Budget airlines fly direct to Sicily from all over Europe and, outside peak holiday
periods, the taxes often exceed the price of the ticket. The island has two main
airports, at Palermo in the west and Catania in the east, though Ryanair and

others also use Trapani airport in the far west. In September 2013, a new airport
opened in the southeast at Comiso, served by Ryanair flights from Stansted,
Rome Ciampino and Brussels Charleroi. There are also airports on the main

outlying islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa.

No direct flights go to Sicily from the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand: the
main points of entry to Italy are Rome and Milan, from where it’s easy to pick up a
connection to any of the Sicilian airports. If you want to see some of France or Italy en
route, or are taking a vehicle, various overland combinations of ferry, rail and road
are possible, though these will nearly always work out pricier than flying direct.

European rail passes will save you some money, but most need to be purchased before
you leave. Finally, package holidays and tours can be good value – from beach
breaks to escorted historical tours – while airlines, travel agents and specialist
operators can all also provide car rental, hotel bookings and other useful services.

Air fares are seasonal, at their highest at Easter (a big celebration in Sicily),

Christmas and New Year (as Sicilian émigrés come home), and between June and
August (when the weather is hottest and the island the busiest). The cheapest flights
from the UK and Europe are usually with no-frills budget and certain charter airlines,
especially if you’re prepared to book several weeks in advance or chance a last-
minute deal. Budget airline tickets are sold on a one-way basis, so you may find the
outward or return leg of your journey significantly more expensive depending on
demand. Cheap flights also tend to have fixed dates and are non-changeable and non-

refundable. Major scheduled airlines are usually (though not always) more expensive,
but tickets remain valid for three months and usually have a degree of flexibility
should you need to change dates after booking.

A BETTER KIND OF TRAVEL

At Rough Guides we are passionately committed to travel. We believe it helps us
understand the world we live in and the people we share it with – and of course
tourism is vital to many developing economies. But the scale of modern tourism has
also damaged some places irreparably, and climate change is accelerated by most
forms of transport, especially flying. All Rough Guides’ flights are carbon-offset,

and every year we donate money to a variety of environmental charities.