Italy- Sicily and the Amalfi coast - travel logistics
 

My husband and I will be traveling to Sicily from Lausanne Switzerland.
While I know my preferred airport to leave from is Geneva, I am having trouble finding decent flights to Sicily on any airline. Then once in Sicily, I will want to travel to the amalfi coast and from there back to chicago. Any info on airlines that service these areas (I assume Naples is best for Amalfi)? I am a little afraid of the super budget airlines and am planning to fly business class wherever possible.

Also, not sure how far things are in sicily- I assume we want to be near Catania but don't kow how far Palermo is in case I need to fly to or from there,

I did see that the is a ferry from Sicily to that area but not sure if this is a good idea. Is it a long ride, is the water rough, Am I better off flying????

Once I figure out the travel I can focus on best things to do in Sicily- will only have 4 or 5 days there.
We are not hikers, just want to see the beautiful and varied sights. Suggestions on the must see areas would be great.

I don't know why you are afraid of budget airlines. If you need more luggage than they allow for free you can pay to check it. Also, you can upgrade to seating with more leg room. Buying business class on most intra-European flights is a waste of money, and flying only legacy airlines limits your options drastically. Can't help with suggestions for getting from Switzerland to Sicily, but maybe someone else can.

Leaving Sicily, you are better off flying than ferry. You can go from either Catania or Palermo to Naples.

If you have 5 days or less you need to be selective about where you go in Sicily. It is overflowing with "beautiful and varied sights" but a great many of the "must sees are spread out all over the very large island, and less than 5 days means you can't seem them all. It's like asking someone to tell you the "must see sights" for 4 days in California. Take a look at a guidebook and pick a chunk of Sicily to enjoy.

Thanks sandralist
And if you only had 5 days which area of sicly would you choose?

I agree - flying to Naples is your best bet, then prearrange for a driver to take you to your hotel on the AC. Budget airlines may be your only option.

There are also overnight trains between various Sicilian towns like Catania and Palermo and Salerno - jumping off point for the Amalfi Coast but they may arrive in Salerno too early - day trains take 5-6 hours I think and in first class may be rather plush.

Where I would go might not fit your desires at all, and I would choose different places at different times of the year or for different reasons. Sicily has ancient ruins, traditional hilltowns, small art cities, volcanoes, wineries, byzantine and normal sites, beaches, palaces, large cities with important museums and unique rural traditions and crafts. It really isn't possible to enjoy more than two or three of these experiences in less than 5 days -- which is to say, if you would like to go to the beach and see ancient ruins, that's possible, and you can probably toss in either a trip to a great cathedral or a winery. Or you can go to food and craft markets and explore a volcano, plus visit a grand villa or an ancient Greek or Roman site. If you like large cities, you can do a couple of day trips as well.

Just no substitute for looking at a guidebook and figuring out what top 3 types of things you personally don't want to leave without experience. Hopefully they won't be too far apart!

Sandralist is quite right. While I am glad we went, I came home feeling deprived because our time in Sicily was so short, I saw very few of the things I hoped to see. Part was poor planing on our part. Part was just things happening. Mostly, it is the island is fairly large and things are spread out, so it takes time getting from place to place.

Once you research and decide what you want to see, you might consider allocating more time to Sicily. A good map of Sicily will also be handy for judging your travel there.

The overnight train from Catania or Palermo leaves Sicily about 10pm and get to Salerno abut 7 am - not as early as I thought - get a private compartment and bring any food or drink you want on board - www.trenitalia.com for fares and booking - day trains take about 7 hours and are direct. For lots of good stuff on Italian trains and night trains in general check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Not every can sleep well on night trains but unless a light sleeper it could be a neat way to go between Sicily and Salerno where you can get boats or buses to anywhere along the Amalfi Coast.

Oh about boats Sicily to Naples - it is a long voyages and the Med here IME of several boat rides can be rather rocky at times - you never know - take a car ferry if you have a choice as they I believe have larger stabilizers than catamarans, etc.

"Once I figure out the travel I can focus on best things to do in Sicily- will only have 4 or 5 days there."

That is a very short amount of time for Sicily. You can see some really wonderful things in that time, but not many, so I recommend that you consult some good guidebooks to decide what things are YOUR highest priorities and then plan around them.

"I did see that the is a ferry"

I took an overnight ferry from Catania to Naples and was very pleased with that decision. YMMV.

4-5 days in Sicily not enough but enough to hit some great places - Palermo (and Montreale on its edge), Taormina, Mt Etna, Syracuse - great Roman ruins, and my favorite Agrigento - well it not all of those most of them - base in Taormina and hit all but Palermo on day trips.

"base in Taormina"

I, personally, would not base in Taormina -- the views are spectacular, but the town can be wall-to-wall day-trippers.

There do seem to be other options to Taormina not far away. Ragazza for example on the side of Etna seems one of some nice little towns with good accom and scenery.

With so few days, choosing a base or two in Sicily will really depend on what the OP chooses to do. And with SO little time, choosing a base that either allows READY access to public transportation, or allows EASY access to parking, could be important. IME, Taormina offers neither. Palermo would provide decent access to some sites; Siracusa / Ortygia has good transportation connections, but parking could be an issue there; etc.

I based in Taormina but not up in the old hill town but in the Naxos ? seaside area where the train station is - lots of parking right at the string of hotels lining the coast - a great base IMO - went to Syracuse, Mt Etna and Catania from there and also has direct trains to Salerno and Amalfi area.

I can see how Giardini Naxos (which I don't think of as being part of Taormina) might work! I preferred other parts of Sicily, but as PalenQ notes, there is a train station there, and parking lots, too. With only a few days, it might give you a reasonable option.

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<<The overnight train from Catania or Palermo leaves Sicily about 10pm and get to Salerno abut 7 am>>
Why would anyone consider a long and tiring overnight train ride to get from Sicily to Napoli? Alitalia has daily flights from both Catania and Palermo that take just over an hour. Nothing wrong with Alitalia!

Oh, and I wouldn't base in Taormina either. The western half of the island is much more interesting and authentic, IMO. Palermo, Trapani, the salt pans of Marsala, Erice, Segesta, the beautiful beach at San Vito Lo Capo, Sciacca, Eraclea Minoa, Agrigento, ...

Why would anyone consider a long and tiring overnight train ride to get from Sicily to Napoli?>

Some folks like me actually enjoy such rides and think they are exciting and also save on the cost of a hotel.