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Palermo Travel Tips


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Getting There By Air:

Falcone Borsellino (Punta Raisi) Airport
Tel: (091) 702 0111 or 800 541 880.
Website: www.gesap.it

Palermo airport is located 35km (22 miles) to the northwest of Palermo.

Airport facilities: There is a bank, bureau de change and five ATMs, a post office, a bar and self-service restaurant, a tourist information desk and various shops. Car hire is available from a number of operators, including Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Maggiore and Sixt.

Transport to the
city: There are regular trains linking the airport to the city center. The journey takes about an hour and trains run every 30 minutes peak times, every hour at other times. Coaches also serve the city center (tel: (091) 580 457), running every 30 minutes and leaving from just outside the arrivals terminal. Taxis are also available (tel: (091) 225 455).

Getting There By Water:

Grandi Navi Veloci (tel: (010) 209 4591; website: www.gnv.it) runs ferry services from the mainland to Palermo. There are daily sailings from Genoa and Rome (Civitavecchia) and three sailings a week from Livorno. From Naples, daily services are operated by Tirrenia (tel: (081) 017 1998; website: www.tirrenia.it).

Getting There By Road:

Driving in Italy is not for the faint-hearted but for travelers wishing to see many of the smaller or more remote sights, hiring a car is the best option. City driving is not recommended but elsewhere a car will enable you to travel, stop and sightsee at your own pace. For car hire companies, see Getting Around.

Palermo, in the northwest of the island, is connected to Catania via Enna by the A19. The A20 follows the northern coast of Sicily to the east via Cefalu and Capo d’Orlando, while the A29 goes west towards Trapani.

Drive on the right, overtake on the left. Driving licenses should be carried at all times. Speed limits are as follows: 50 kph (31 mph) in built-up areas, 90 kph (56 mph) on secondary roads, 110 kph (68 mph) on main roads, and 130 kph (81 mph) on motorways. Motorways are known as autostrades and indicated by a green sign. Petrol (benzina) is expensive in Sicily.

Emergency breakdown services in Sicily are run by the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) (website: www.aci.it). The cost can be quite high, so hiring a reliable car from a reputable firm is essential.

Emergency breakdown service: ACI (tel: 116).

Coach services: SAIS Autolinee (tel: (091) 616 6028; website: www.saisautolinee.it) has modern, comfortable coaches that serve most of the major cities and towns in Sicily, including Cefalu, Messina, Enna, Caltanissetta, Catania and Siracusa. Segesta (tel: (091) 304 106; website: www.segesta.it) serves Trapani and Cuffaro (tel: (091) 616 1510) serves Agrigento. Most services depart from Via P Balsamo. Call individual operators for more information.

Getting There By Rail:

Trenitalia operates all services in mainland Italy and Sicily (tel: 892 021, in Italy only; website: www.trenitalia.it). Visitors traveling from mainland Italy can catch a train from Rome or Naples (the train will be loaded on a ferry to cross the Straits of Messina). The main railway lines in Sicily are efficient enough, and there are regular departures from Palermo to all major towns on the island, including Cefalu, Messina, Catania, Siracusa, Enna, Caltanissetta, Agrigento and Trapani.

Palermo Centrale is the main train station in Palermo (tel: (091) 603 1111). For tickets and bookings, call (091) 603 3173.

Getting Around:




Public Transport
Buses, operated by Amat (tel: 848 800 817 (info line) or (091) 690 2690; website: www.amat.pa.it), are easy to use and serve every corner of Palermo, including Monreale and Mondello. Buy tickets in Amat kiosks, tabacchi or any shop displaying the Amat sign in their window. Tickets must be validated upon boarding the bus or a penalty might be incurred.

Minibus services on the Linea Gialla and Linea Rossa (yellow and red line respectively) run from the train station and stop at the most frequented tourist destinations.

The metro goes round the historic center from Central Station, running approximately every 30 minutes. Since stops are not conveniently located for tourists, it is not the best way to get around.

Taxis
Taxis are fairly expensive in Palermo. Taxi ranks can be found throughout the city, outside the main station, in Via Roma and at most of the main squares. Otherwise, cabs can be ordererd by phone from Autoradio Taxis (tel: (091) 513 311; website: www.autoradiotaxi.it) or Radio Taxi Trinacria (tel: (091) 682 5441 or 225 455).

Driving in the City
Attempting to drive in Palermo during the week is unwise - confusing road signs, hefty traffic jams and aggressive drivers combine to make it a trying experience. The situation improves at weekends, but parking is always a problem.

If your hotel doesn’t have a car park, leave your car at one of the garages scattered around the city (there are several located by the main railway station and around the main piazzas). Never leave valuables in your car.

Car Hire
Car hire is available from the following: Avis (tel: (091) 586 940; website: www.avis.com), Europcar (tel: (091) 301 825; website: www.europcar.it), Hertz (tel: (091) 331 668; website: www.hertz.it), Maggiore (tel: (091) 681 0801 or 683 0584; website: www.maggiore.it) and Sixt (tel: (091) 682 3557 or 683 1887; website: www.e-sixt.it).

Bicycle Hire
Rent a Scooter, Via San Meccio 10 (tel: (091) 336 804) offers mopeds and vespas for the day. Bike hire is available from Kursaal Kalhesa, Foro Umberto I 21 (tel: (091) 616 2828) and Toto Cannatella, Via Papireto 14 (tel: (091) 322 425).


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