Do I need a licence to rent a scooter in Sicily? &more
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 530
Do I need a licence to rent a scooter in Sicily? &more
Hello there,
I have been trying to look up information regarding scooter rental and or various options for getting around sicily. I would really appreciate links or help with the following>
Do I need a driver's licence to rent a scooter/moped in sicily? im under the impression that this is not necessary in spain, for example.
Does anyone here have experience or weblinks for train or bus services going from palermo to the very southern tip, near Noto.
Has anyone ever flown to Trapani to make your way to palermo? can you offer an opinion?
I will be travelling in late August and will need to plan ahead for non-car driving options.
Thanks.
I have been trying to look up information regarding scooter rental and or various options for getting around sicily. I would really appreciate links or help with the following>
Do I need a driver's licence to rent a scooter/moped in sicily? im under the impression that this is not necessary in spain, for example.
Does anyone here have experience or weblinks for train or bus services going from palermo to the very southern tip, near Noto.
Has anyone ever flown to Trapani to make your way to palermo? can you offer an opinion?
I will be travelling in late August and will need to plan ahead for non-car driving options.
Thanks.
#2
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,017
>Do I need a driver's licence to rent a scooter/moped in sicily? im under the impression that this is not necessary in spain, for example.
The regulations are the same all over the EU. 50ccm and 50km/h max are what is o.k. with a standard "car" license.
Everything else will require a motorcycle license.
The regulations are the same all over the EU. 50ccm and 50km/h max are what is o.k. with a standard "car" license.
Everything else will require a motorcycle license.
#4
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,351
A helmet is also compulsory.
Have a look at http://www.scooterhire.it/cat.asp?Cat=1
Have a look at http://www.scooterhire.it/cat.asp?Cat=1
#5
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,505
There is a shuttle bus from Birgi airport to Trapani AST bus station and from there you can take a bus to Palermo. I did it last October the other way around (from Palermo to Trapani).
A taxi from Birgi to Trapani will cost €25/30.
I do not advise you to rent a scooter or a moped, driving is.... erm ..... peculiar in Sicily.
There is a very comfortable bus between Palermo and Syracuse :
www.interbus.it/interbushtm/homepage.asp
(enter Palermo and Siracusa)
and a bus or train to Noto (we went by train and came back with the bus)
A taxi from Birgi to Trapani will cost €25/30.
I do not advise you to rent a scooter or a moped, driving is.... erm ..... peculiar in Sicily.
There is a very comfortable bus between Palermo and Syracuse :
www.interbus.it/interbushtm/homepage.asp
(enter Palermo and Siracusa)
and a bus or train to Noto (we went by train and came back with the bus)
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 530
thanks for your replies. i was looking for alternatives to public transportation since i do not drive (i need to get from palermo to south of siracusa). however i have since looked at the interbus website which put my mind at ease about long, complicated routes. the journey will be around 3 hours which is fine. thank you Pvoyageuse! how much is the journey?
also i found a great value non-direct flight to palermo via skyscanner which means no ryanair-trapani needed. yay!
also i found a great value non-direct flight to palermo via skyscanner which means no ryanair-trapani needed. yay!
#8
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
You don;t drive and you were going to rent a scooter??? This is definitely close to madness. The only thing I know you can rent without a license is a bicycle. And what makes you think you would be able to ride a scooter - even if you were willing to take it out on a highway where it definitely doesn't belong?
#11
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,505
Travel buzzing :
I don't know how much is the bus ticket from Palermo to Siracuse. We rented a car in Trapani, drove to Agrigento, Siracusa, returned the car in Cefalu and took a train from Cefalu to Palermo.
Once we had safely parked the car in Siracuse (quite a feat !) we forgot about it and went to Noto by public transportation.
It is a pity you'll miss Trapani ..... in my opinion it is worth a visit (Ertice and Segeste especially) and not as crowded as the Eastern part of the island.
I don't know how much is the bus ticket from Palermo to Siracuse. We rented a car in Trapani, drove to Agrigento, Siracusa, returned the car in Cefalu and took a train from Cefalu to Palermo.
Once we had safely parked the car in Siracuse (quite a feat !) we forgot about it and went to Noto by public transportation.
It is a pity you'll miss Trapani ..... in my opinion it is worth a visit (Ertice and Segeste especially) and not as crowded as the Eastern part of the island.
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 530
Mmmm thanks everyone for the remarks which have gotten slightly out of hand. two words- band wagon.
Pvoyageuse, the trapani option would not have let me see that part of the island anyway since the flight wouldve arrived at 8pm and I wouldve gone straight to Palermo.
I have been to sicily before, loved it and my upcoming trip (for a friend's wedding in a beautiful spot outside Noto) will definitely not be the last.
Maybe one day I'll get my licence and do a motorbike tour
Pvoyageuse, the trapani option would not have let me see that part of the island anyway since the flight wouldve arrived at 8pm and I wouldve gone straight to Palermo.
I have been to sicily before, loved it and my upcoming trip (for a friend's wedding in a beautiful spot outside Noto) will definitely not be the last.
Maybe one day I'll get my licence and do a motorbike tour
#13
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,056
Actually, it's not such a silly question. Particularly with regards to scooters - at least in the past you have been able to hire one without a license in a lot of the tourist spots of Europe. It used to be quite common for teenagers to do this, and our teens don't get licenses young. Whether it's a smart idea to do so, or not, is another matter.
I did a quick hunt for you and came up with this on another forum from 2008. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...re-Sicily.html
There is a copy of the conditions for scooters from one hirer, which shows that actually you don't need a license for the smallest scooters. Anyone over 14 with valid ID can have one. They only mention licenses for machines over 50cc.
"1. Conditions to rent scooters and motorcycles
In order to rent a 50cc Scooter, the driver needs to be at least 14 years of age,have valid ID, and also be accompanied by a person of at least 18 years."
I did a quick hunt for you and came up with this on another forum from 2008. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...re-Sicily.html
There is a copy of the conditions for scooters from one hirer, which shows that actually you don't need a license for the smallest scooters. Anyone over 14 with valid ID can have one. They only mention licenses for machines over 50cc.
"1. Conditions to rent scooters and motorcycles
In order to rent a 50cc Scooter, the driver needs to be at least 14 years of age,have valid ID, and also be accompanied by a person of at least 18 years."
#14
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,351
I'm not sure you'd want to spend your holiday trying to get around on a 50cc scooter. My son and his GF went to Sicily a couple of years ago and got around just fine with public transport, and the occasional lift. They both have driving licences but being under 25 it was way too expensive for them to hire a car, and they wouldn't have dreamt of attempting Sicily on a scooter. Besides with camping gear as well a scooter would not have been very practical.
#15
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,017
>"1. Conditions to rent scooters and motorcycles
In order to rent a 50cc Scooter, the driver needs to be at least 14 years of age,have valid ID, and also be accompanied by a person of at least 18 years."
Which is total nonsense as you might have guessed. ;-) At least police and insurance company think differently.
In order to rent a 50cc Scooter, the driver needs to be at least 14 years of age,have valid ID, and also be accompanied by a person of at least 18 years."
Which is total nonsense as you might have guessed. ;-) At least police and insurance company think differently.
#16
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Yes - but the smallest scooters are really for kids tooting around their local town. They are not meant for use on the open road - with cars whizzing past at 80 mph.
(A friend of mine in college had a tiny Vespa - with a top speed of about 25, that was fun to drive - but we never took it off campus - just too dangerous).
(A friend of mine in college had a tiny Vespa - with a top speed of about 25, that was fun to drive - but we never took it off campus - just too dangerous).
#17
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,017
Yup, the license you need for scooters up to 50ccm (and 45kmh) is called a "class M license". You need to be at least 16 years old to get one and pass a test. No such scooter for kids under 16 years of age is legal!
Class M is included in any Class B license (=car), Class B also includes (most?) foreign (=US) licenses for cars!
Without any "license", kids can drive scooters with a maximum speed of 25km/h but the kids have to pass a 90 min driving test and a theoretical exam. This is more "relaxed" the further south you go
Class M is included in any Class B license (=car), Class B also includes (most?) foreign (=US) licenses for cars!
Without any "license", kids can drive scooters with a maximum speed of 25km/h but the kids have to pass a 90 min driving test and a theoretical exam. This is more "relaxed" the further south you go
