mdvari1

Hello everyone. Shocked at how difficult it seems to go from Sicily to St. Tropez. I can fly into Nice or Marseilles in terms of France. In terms of Sicily, I can arrange my trip to either go from Palermo (i will be in Marsala) or Taormina. But there seem to be few direct non stop flights! I am beginning to think of giving up, and do Sicily when I will be in Italy (rome or milan) and just stick to france for this.

Grateful for help. Thanks in advance.!

HappyTrvlr

You want a non stop flight from Palermo or Catania to St-Tropez? You are lucky if you find one into Nice. Then arrange a driver service or rent a car.

Envierges

When are you going? St. Tropez is almost impossible to reach directly unless you are arriving via private plane or yacht. Many flights from Sicily close down after the summer vacation season

gooster

From Marsala, your best bet is to head to Palermo and take Volotea (if in season). Otherwise it will be a connecting flight. Rent a car in NCE, as St Tropez is best enjoyed with access to a car as it is isolated. However, at peak season, traffic becomes an issue. Better, retarget Sicily for when you'll be in Roma --- plenty of flights to Palermo and an easy drive to Marsala and Trapani.

kja

You should be able to identify your options on rome2rio.com; just be sure to follow through on all the links, as the main site is not sensitive to seasonal variation.

Man_in_seat_61

1. Train Palermo/Siracuse/Catania to Rome from €19, Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia - this goes across the Straits of Messina on the train ferry, a unique experience. Overnight stop in Rome.

2. Train Rome-Genoa & Genoa-Nice, from €29.90 + €15 Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia

3. Train Nice-St Raphael, www.trainline.eu, then bus to St Tropez, which hasn't a station.

An adventure. Not just a flight. ;0)

neckervd

Volotea has direct flights from Palermo to Nice (twice weekly).
Otherwise tons of flights with plane change at Rome (less than 4 hrs for the whole journey).

You may also travel by train:
Marsala dp 6.00 - Palermo 11.23/12.30 - overnight train with sleeping cars and cuccette - Genova 8.39/8.56 - Thello - Nice 11.59/12.23 - St. Raph ar 13.16

TDudette

I saw the Volotea link also, neckervd: VOLOTEA - Direct flights Nice Palermo from only ?19.00

Anyone used this service???

PalenQ

An adventure. Not just a flight. ;0)>

adventure? 30+ hours on trains with multiple changes - I usually give rail options but not in this case = sounds like a complete horror to me! Sure, if OP had several days going by train could be neat but not to go straight thru - probably even cost more than cheap flights.

neckervd

Train ride Palermo - Nice: there is just 1 change at Genova PP.
The travel through Sicily, by train ferry over the strait of Messina and then along the Calabrian coast is rather scenic. Afterwards it will get night.
La Spezia - Genova - Nice is only a thing for tunnel lovers, however.

BTW: I travelled more than once from Switzerland by train/overnight train to Palermo resp Trapani, by boat from there to Tunis and then by train to either Sfax - Tozeur or Ghardimaou - Annaba - Constantine - Biskra and enjoyed it.

PalenQ

Yes but OP obviously wants to fly - I've done night train Taormina-Genoa too and was fine but then getting off in morning and doing at least two more trains - if OP had several days a nce route - but if interested in doing trains check www.seat61.com - Man in Seat 61 who posts above his commercial site - BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com - all tell what to expect on overnight trains. 19 euro ticket Man 61 hypes is no doubt for a six-person couchette place - not fun for many - private compartments cost much more and can be rather relaxing - bring any food, drink aboard and chill.

mjs

I think you have your planning priorities out of order. Keeping travel arrangements simple and as inexpensive and as short as possible goes a long way in making a holiday as smooth as possible. If Sicily is your major destination and you have extra time, go somewhere else you are interested in where the connections work better.

kerouac

I see nothing wrong with staying in Sicily. Saint Tropez is just a questionable hangout for sleazy VIPs. Is that really what attracts you?

PalenQ

Yes, why St-Tropez? Been there nice beaches and so-so town - good for beach vacation but poor base for visiting things along French Riviera. Will you have a car once there - then there are some nice day trips nearby but if public transit rather remote. St-Tropez like Cannes is world-renown for beaches mainly and St-Tropez but much better places along Cote d'Azur to base - unless into beaches.

Christina

Sounds like the OP mainly wants to go to France and somehow threw Sicily in as a sideline, since when it becomes difficult, the first choice is just to drop Sicily and only stay in France. Perhaps there is some real reason of needing to be in St Tropez, family or something.

I would either drop Sicily or drop France. But expecting a direct flight from Sicily to Marseille or Nice is not that likely, except for the one cited. I don't see the big problem if transferring in Rome that much myself or maybe look for a flight to Genoa instead. There are definitely nonstop flights to Genoa from Palermo, then the train from there would be direct, I think. That doesn't sound that bad. Maybe different days than the ones to Nice, I'd check both schedules (flights by Volotea).

thursdaysd

There's also an overnight ferry from Palermo to Genoa, but it's not cheap. Run by GNV.

PalenQ

There are definitely nonstop flights to Genoa from Palermo, then the train from there would be direct, I think.>

Not to San Raphael for boats and buses to St-Tropez I believe as only a few trains (Thello trains) cross border from Milan, Genoa to Nice. Otherwise change at Ventimgilia to coastal trains.

kawh

I'm a tiny bit unclear on your question, so maybe you know this already... but EasyJet has a nonstop from Catania to Nice... however, it's only a couple/few times a week. Have you looked into that one? Does it fit your schedule?

neckervd

I don't understand this discussion any longer.
There are daily flight connections from Palermno to Nice which don't last longer than about 4 hrs (with short stop over at Rome or Barcelona,
several weekly non stop flights Palermo - Marseille
twice weekly non stop flights Palermo - Nice,
daily overnight trains with only 1 change (at Genoa),
etc. etc.