Hi,
We are visiting Sicily in September for the first time. Can anyone give help on travelling fTrom Sicily to Naples. I'm at the beginning stage of researching where we will stay and I am leaning towards Taormina. Which is best train or ferry to Naples?

"best" depends on a lot of things.

for trains, look at trenitalia.it, for ferries http://www.directferries.co.uk/

you can also fly - try easyjet.co.uk

for taormina, you should fly into Cantania.

I took the train from Naples to Siracusa a few years back (click on my name for my Sicily TR). While it was certainly interesting to be on a train on a ferry, it is a long ride and much of the mainland section wasn't very scenic. I was glad to fly back (not on Easyjet, on Air One). Another option is the overnight ferry (see http://www.directferries.co.uk/sicily.htm ).

As per http://flyairone.com it appears that they don't fly Catania-Naples (not now anyway - who knows about next season?).

As per http://www.portal.gesac.it/portal/pa...zioniCompagnie you can fly with Alitalia or Meridiana from Catania to Naples, or with Alitalia from Palermo to Naples.

For the ferries you can look here: www.traghetti.com/traghettisicilia.htm

I took an overnight ferry from Milazzo to Naples and that worked well for me. In general, I think The Rough Guide provided the best information on transportation options in the area.

If you search this board, you will find a variety of reactions to Taormina. And whether one likes it or not, it is not a convenient base for most of Sicily -- depending on what you want to see and experience, you are more likely to need at least 3 if not 4 bases.

Hope that helps!

Run don't walk and stay in Ortigia, the ancient section of Siracusa just south of Catania. It is a mile by a mile and a half all around with limited cars allowed on the island (connected to Siracusa by a bridge where you leave your cars).In ancient times, it was the second largest city behind Athens.
My daughter lived there for 6 months and the best location for a hotel for me is the Hotel Roma right near the Duomo. I also love the Hotel Gutkowski overlooking the water.
You will absolutely love Sicily-wonderful people,fabulous food and wine and lots of history!

Meridiana/Air Italy flies Catania-Naples a couple of times a day at low fares. In July I did the round trip, lasting about an hour each way. The planes were a little shabby but no problems. They appear to be rebranding as a consolidation.
For low-cost carriers in Europe, use www.skyscanner.com