Difficulty with transport Malta - Sicily return
 

Hi, hoping someone may have caught the ferry between Malta and Sicily as we are planning and can offer advice. We have 3 weeks in Sept/Oct and are going to Malta and hoped to have about 5 days in Sicily as part of the trip. It seems more difficult that it should be - the ferries go to Pozallo or Catania in Sicily. Catania would suit us better as public transport links seem better to get to Taormina and Siracusa for a few nights each, plus it's closer. But the ferry to Catania leaves Malta at 5.00am and they don't run every day. If we catch the ferry to Pozallo which arrives at 9.30am, it seems the next train to Siracusa or Catania is not until 2.45pm. I have also read to avoid travelling on a Sunday as public trpt is almost non existent. We are not keen on hiring a car having experienced mad Italian drivers before.

Any help gratefully received. We have considered the one day Sicily tours offered by Virtu Ferries but prefer to have more than a one day visit. Flying seems an expensive option.
Help!
Kay

No replies yet so I wonder if I've been a bit vague.

If anyone has caught the ferry between Malta and Sicily could you please let me know of your experience (and what transport is like at the other end in Sicily).

Also has anyone done the one day tour to Sicily from Malta and what was it iike?

I'm grateful for any help.
Kay

Kay - This link gives the bus timetable between Pozzallo and Catania.

http://www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it/

It currently lists the winter timetable - so I'd guess the service might be more frequent in summer.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Please forgive me if this is not what you want.
If you haven't yet booked your flights to Sicily then consider doing so with Air Malta because you have to route through Malta and could take a stopover there at no extra cost.

KayF - I did the one day trip from Malta to Sicily when I spent a week in Malta back in June 2003.

It was a very long day but very enjoyable. At the time, I didn't see myself getting back to Sicily in the near future and so that was the reason I went. Obviously you don't get to spend a lot of time in the different places but it was good to see Mount Etna and we spent some time in Taormina.

I think it was a very early start (5am) and we didn't return to the hotel until 1am the next morning. The catamaran journey is ahout 1.5 hours to Pozzallo in Sicily. There is also quite a lot of coach travel in Sicily but it was very comfortable.

However, if you have 3 weeks I would strongly suggest you spend more than a day in Sicily. A week was plenty for me to see a lot of Malta so in two weeks you could see Malta and Gozo quite leisurely. That would leave you a week to spend in Sicily.

Thanks very much for all your answers.

Steve - thanks for the bus link. I've looked at a few similar sites and they are mostly in Italian and I'm not sure enough of my grasp of the language to rely on it.

Frances - we are flying to Malta via Dubai which is the most direct route from Australia. Sicily will be an add-on and I thought the ferry seemed quick and easy. Thanks for the thought.

Where2Travel - the one day tour sounds even longer than Virtu Ferries advertise! I would definitely prefer about 5 days in Sicily if I can get my head around the transport issues. I'm sure it can't be that hard to organise :)

Kay

KayF - just a note about my timings. They were quoted as pick-up from the hotel and drop-off back at the hotel which was some time and distance from the port.

i have taken this ferry.

pozallo is a very sleepy town.dont go there there unless you have your own car/coach waiting.there 'train station' is just an empty platform.you have to buy tickets from a different part in the village, which is open for certain hours only.

in good weather pozallo is only 1hr15mn away.the catania ferry takes 3hrs each way.in rough weather things can get ugly inside the hydrofoil cabin.

i took the virtu ferry day trip and enjoyed it.it starts in pozallo.the guide gave a good commentary.they take you onto the crater of mt etna.be warned: the day after we came back the volcano erupted.it does this rather frequently.

hello pps

i too was goin on a day trip to sicily with virtu ferries but on my own without the tour. i was plannin on goin to catania to do some shoppin there and then round noon or bit later take a bus to visit taormina or mount etna. is the bus stop far from the shopin mall at catania and can anyone give me the link for the bus shedule pls? tks

Hi SCam - You can find bus timetables between Catania and Taormina on:

http://www.etnatrasporti.it/

Hope this helps ...

Steve