Sicily
Catania
Eastern Sicily's arrival airport doubles as a two- or three-night baroque base, with Etna and Taormina as day trips and an early call on whether you want a hire car or the train.
Best length
2-3 nights as an Etna/Taormina base
Airport
Catania Fontanarossa (CTA), ~5km south of the centre
Airport to centre
Alibus ~20-30 min to Catania Centrale, about €4
Best base
Centro Storico around Piazza del Duomo
In short
Catania at a glance
Catania is eastern Sicily's arrival airport and the natural base for Etna and Taormina, not a city you fly to for its own sake. Stay two or three nights in the baroque centre around Piazza del Duomo, treat the volcano and Taormina as day trips, and decide early whether you want a hire car or you are happy with the train and organised tours.
The short version
- Use Catania as a base: most people give it one full day in the centre and the rest to Etna, Taormina and the coast.
- Stay in the Centro Storico around Piazza del Duomo and La Pescheria for walkable baroque streets and the best street food.
- The Alibus runs the 20-30 minutes from Fontanarossa airport into Catania Centrale for about €4, so a taxi is rarely worth it.
- Taormina is a 35-50 minute direct train for roughly €5-10 each way; you do not need a car or a tour to see it.
- A hire car earns its keep only if you want Etna at your own pace, the wine villages or quieter coast; the centre itself is better without one.
Catania is the working city you fly into to reach the best of eastern Sicily, and it pays to treat it that way. Fontanarossa airport is barely 5km from the centre, Etna fills the skyline at the end of Via Etnea, and Taormina is a short train ride up the coast. The mistake is trying to make Catania the holiday in its own right: it is built from black lava stone, grand and slightly gritty, and it rewards one focused day rather than four. Spend that day on Piazza del Duomo, the morning chaos of La Pescheria fish market, and a granita on Via Etnea, then point the rest of your trip at the volcano and the coast.
The biggest planning decision is the volcano. You can reach Rifugio Sapienza at 1,900m by bus or car and walk the lower craters for nothing, or pay €55-€82 for the cable car and 4x4 up towards 2,900m — worth knowing the difference before you arrive rather than being upsold at the base station. The second call is the car: brilliant for Etna’s wine villages and quiet coves, a parking headache in the centre, so most people pick it up on the day they leave town. Taormina needs neither — a direct train does the job for the price of a couple of granitas.
Two or three nights is the right length, based in the Centro Storico around the Duomo so you can walk to the market each morning. The structured planning below — where to stay, what arriving really costs, the Etna and Taormina day trips, and a budget in pounds — picks up from here.
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Catania
Catania Cathedral
The cathedral itself — the Duomo di Sant'Agata on Piazza del Duomo — is free to walk into, so don't pay an agency for 'entry'. Pop in for ten minutes to see the Baroque interior rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake and Bellini's tomb, then spend your money on the separate Diocesan Museum next door (about €7) if you want the rooftop terrace looking over the piazza to Etna. The black lava-stone elephant fountain out front, u Liotru, is the photo everyone actually comes for, and it costs nothing.
Ursino Castle
Check before you build a plan around it: Ursino Castle's museum closed to the public on 7 February 2025, with physical works starting in March 2025, for a roughly two-year, €4m renovation — so you cannot tour the rooms or the civic museum inside right now. The collection has moved a few minutes' walk to the Pinacoteca Santa Chiara on Via Castello Ursino 10, and the restored moat round the castle stays open on a marked route. As a standalone trip it's no longer worth it; as a 15–20 minute stop on a walk south of Piazza del Duomo, the squat 13th-century fortress is still striking from the moat.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Centro Storico (Piazza del Duomo)
££ mid-rangeThe default base: walkable baroque streets, La Pescheria, the cafes of Via Etnea and the train station all within ten minutes. Lively rather than quiet, so ask for a room off the main piazzas if you are a light sleeper.
Best for: First-timers, short stays, street food
Via Etnea (upper end)
£ valueStill central but a few minutes north of the busiest piazzas, with the Villa Bellini gardens nearby. Better value than the Duomo itself and a slightly calmer evening, while keeping everything walkable.
Best for: Value, walkability, longer stays
Aci Castello / Aci Trezza
££ mid-rangeCoastal villages 10-20 minutes north by bus or car, with lava-rock swimming and seafood. Choose this only if a beach or sea base matters more than being able to walk to the market each morning.
Best for: Families, sea swimming, slower trips
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alibus to Catania Centrale | ~20-30 min | about €4 single (valid 90 min on AMT buses) | Simplest option with luggage |
| Taxi to the centre | ~15-20 min | usually €25-€35 | Worth it late at night or in a group |
| Pre-booked transfer | ~15-20 min | from about €30-€40 | Door-to-door if your stay is outside the centre |
| Hire car pick-up at the airport | drive ~15 min | from about £25-£40/day in season | Best if Etna and the coast are the plan |
When to go
Sweet spot: Late April to mid-June and September to October are the sweet spot: warm walking and Etna weather without the August furnace, and Taormina day trips that are not shoulder-to-shoulder.
July and August are hot (regularly 33C+), busy and pricier, and the Etna summit can be closed or smoky on bad days. Winter is mild and cheap for the city and the market, but a poor bet for high-altitude volcano walks or the coast.
What it costs
UK return flights to Catania are often £40-£120 outside school holidays when booked ahead on Ryanair, easyJet or Jet2; July, August and late booking push fares well above £150.
Daily budget per person
Catania is one of the cheaper Italian city bases: arancini run €3-5, granita with brioche €3-4, and a sit-down pasta €10-12. The volcano is where the money goes, so decide between the free lower-crater walk and the €55-€82 cable car packages before you arrive.
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