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Travel to Messina
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    By plane

     
      Closest airoport to Messina are Reggio Calabria or Catania Airports; Palermo Airport is a little bit far away (3 hours by train from Central Train Station).

      Sometime could be cheaper to reach first Milan, Rome or Naples with a low cost company like SkyEurope, WizzAir or RyanAir and then reach Messina
    by train or taking another flight. The internet site www.zingarate.com is so far the best to check to get informations about low cost flights. 

     
    Reggio Calabria is very small airport very bad connected to Messina city. For this reason we suggest you all to find a flight to Catania Airports. Anyway it's connected through low cost companies MyAir ; and by traditional airlines Alitalia and AirMalta. 

       Catania is big airport quite near to Messina. REMEMBER LAST BUS TO MESSINA IS AT 20:30 (08:30 p.m.), THEN THERE IS A TRAIN FROM CATANIA MAIN STATION AT 22:04, AFTER THIS THERE IS NO WAY TO REACH MESSINA FROM CATANIA, REALLY NO WAY. Here a list of all the companies that actually flight to Catania airport (www.aeroporto.catania.it).

     
    Palermo is a little bit far away, but RyanAir flyes there.

      Trapani is on the other side of sicily, but we know many low cost flights land there.

     

    Connections from airports to Messina


      From Airport "Dello Stretto" in Reggio Calabria: The Airport of Reggio Calabria is very bad connected to Messina. From airport there to arrive in Messina you get 4 options:
    - Take the Hidrofoil (kind of fast ferry) directly from the airport to Messina. Ask for the direction to the Hidrofoil ("Aliscafo" in italian) boarding quay. It is a very new route, but, at the moment it is going on. The ticket costs 9 euro and the departure timetable from Reggio Calabria airport is: 06.30 - 09.30 - 13.00 - 15.00 - 19.00. It takes only 35 minutes to arrive in Messina.
    - Take the local bus n.105 to Reggio Calabria train station, then the train to Villa San Giovanni and the Ferry to Messina (be sure you get on the one going to Messina city and NOT Tremestieri). The ferry departs from inside the very train station, just get down the stairs ang go to "Imbarchi" (turn left).
    - Take the local bus n.105 to Reggio Calabria harbour, then the hydrofoil (ticket 3.50 euro) to Messina. Hidrofoil from Reggio Calabria to Messina: 06.15, 06.55, 07.40, 08.25, 09.10, 10.05, 11.20, 12.40, 13.50, 14.40, 16.35, 17.55, 19.15, 19.35.
    - take the bus "Autolinee Federico"(ticket 4 euro) to Villa San Giovanni (it stops just in front the Caronte ferry terminal) and then the Ferry Boat to Messina (be sure you get on the one going to Messina city and NOT Tremestieri). Bus Federico from Reggio Calabria airport: 10.50 - 14.40 - 23.10. Bus ticket 4 euro. Caronte ferry just raised the price from 1 euro to 5 euro o.O'' (long story plenty of polemic within the ferry company and the government), but if you walk a 200 meters to the train station, there you can take the train company ferry for a very reasonable price of "around 1 euro".

      From Airport "Fontana Rossa" in Catania:
    Airport "Fontana Rossa" of Catania: take the bus of " SAIS Autolinee" www.saisautolinee.it (site only in italian) to Messina and get off at the last stop: Piazza Repubblica - main train station (Stazione Centrale), it takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes and the ticket costs 8,30 euro.
      Bus from Catania Airport to Messina at: 7:10 08:40 9:40 10:40 11:45 12:40 13.10 13.40 14:10 14:40 17:10 19:10 20:30 (less routes on week-end and anyway check the timetable on internet because it could change according to the season).
      REMEMBER LAST BUS TO MESSINA IS AT 20:30 (08:30 p.m.),THEN THERE IS A TRAIN FROM CATANIA MAIN STATION AT 22:04, AFTER, NOT EVERY DAY, THERE IS AN OPTION AT 02.55 a.m., CHECK IT AS FOLLOW; OTHERWISE THERE IS NO WAY TO REACH MESSINA FROM CATANIA, REALLY NO WAY..
    It seems that from the 1st August there will be a bus service at 2.55 a.m. (by trenitalia, so it's like a train, a kind of substitution alternative service, it will leave from train station and you get on it with a train ticket). It leaves from Catania train station to Messina train station (arrival 05.05). The service is not available on Sunday and Holiday.
    From Catania Airport you can reach Catania train station with the normal Catania city transport "AMT" city company bus. The bus number is the "457 Alibus", it will take around 20/25 minutes to get you to the train station and the last routes are at 22.50 - 23.10 - 23.30 - 23.50 - 24.10. The bus stop is at the exit of the arrival terminal, on the street on the right and NOT in the bus parking place in front the terminal, where instead you have to take the bus to Messina.
      To Catania aiport, departures from Messina: 4:30 (this will arrive in only 1 hour and 20 minutes and do not stop in Catania city) 5:15 6:15 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:30 15:00 16:45 17:05 18:20 19:30(less routes on week-end and anyway check the timetable on internet because it could change according to the season).

      From Airport "Punta Raisi" in Palermo:
    First you need to reach Palermo Train Station. You can do this in 2 ways:
    - Take Train “Trinacria Express” to Palermo Centrale (Palermo c.le). Departure form Palermo train station every half an hour from 4.45 a.m. till 20.09; from the airport first at 5.54, last one at 22.05. It takes 1 hour to arrive. Train ticket euro 5,50.
    - Take the bus “Prestia e Comandè” (tel. +39 091 580457) every half an hour from Palermo city (just at the train station square) from 4.00 to 23.00. Departures from the airport, first at 5.00 to 24.00. Arrival 50 minutes later. Ticket costs 5,60 euro.

      Then to arrive to Messina you can take a bus “SAIS company" or the train (check at www.trenitalia.it for the timetable). Train ticket costs from euro 10,55 to 15,24 it depends from which kind of train you choose.
      SAIS Bus from PALERMO to Messina. Departure in Via P.Balsamo 16 (just at the train station, exit from the station at your right):
    5:00 7:00 9:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 19:30
    Arrival in messina 2:40 hours later. Ticket costs 14,80 euro
    ATTENTION bus is faster but slightly more expensive…cause train are always in delay and they usually take 3 hours to arrive in Messina….but on the other side there are a lot of trains every day to arrive in messina from Palermo.

     From Airport "Vincenzo Florio" in Trapani-Birgi: First you need to reach Palermo train station by bus, here is the timetable, it takes 2 hours and the ticket costs 12 euro.
    Then to arrive to Messina you can take a bus “SAIS company" or the train (check at www.trenitalia.it for the timetable). Train ticket costs from euro 10,55 to 15,24 it depends from which kind of train you choose. SAIS Bus from PALERMO to Messina. Departure in Via P.Balsamo 16 (just at the train station, exit from the station at your right): 5:00 7:00 9:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 19:30 Arrival in messina 2:40 hours later. Ticket costs 14,80 euro ATTENTION bus is faster but slightly more expensive…cause train are always in delay and they usually take 3 hours to arrive in Messina….but on the other side there are a lot of trains every day to arrive in messina from Palermo.

     From Airport in Lamezia Terme - Calabria (not in Sicily): From arport take the city bus to central train station (bus linea number 4). Then just take a train to Messina. If not shortly available any train to Messina you can also check the train to VILLA SAN GIOVANNI (in Calabria just in front of Messina…then with the same train ticket if you bought one with destination messina; or buying a special ticket of 1 euro directly in Villa San Giovanni) you can take the ferry to go to Messina Train Station (specify you have to go to train station, because some ferrys, very few of them, go to Tremestieri and these are the wrong one). The ferries leave direct from the train station…you do not need to go out of the station: just go down the stairs, turn right, walk for 10-20 metres (it depends on which platform you arrived) and the ferry is in front of you.

    By Bus from Rome, Naples, Bari and Brindisi


       The bus station in Messina is in Piazza Repubblica just in front of the main train station. br>
      From Rome: Piazzale Tiburtina (in front of Tiburtina train station):
      SAIS Trasporti bus company www.saistrasporti.it  (so to find them search and ask for SAIS). Ticket costs 41 euro, 36 euro if you are less than 26 years old.
      Tiburtina train station is another train station in Rome (the main one is Termini) reachable both by metro (Metro line B - blue) or by train.
     
       From Naples: Naples - Piazza Garibaldi (in front of train stations Napoli Centrale and Piazza Garibaldi, both train stations are in the same place just different floors). SAIS Trasporti bus company www.saistrasporti.it (so to find them search and ask for SAIS). Ticket costs 32 euro, 29 euro for younger than 26.
     
       From Brindisi:
    Interbus-Etna Trasporti bus company www.interbus.it . Departure in Viale Arno (in front of the city cemetery). Cost around 30/40 euro, you can buy the ticket directly on the bus.
     
       From Bari
    Interbus-Etna Trasporti bus company www.interbus.it
    Departure in Via Capruzzi (Largo Sorrentino). At 8.00 a.m. and at 22.00; arrival in Messina respectively at 16.00 and 05.15 a.m. You can buy the ticket directly on the bus, if any place available, but usually no problem.. if you want, shortly in advance remind us and we can call them to be sure and, in case, ask for a booking, if possible. It costs around 35/40 euro, you can buy it online with a little discount (8%), but the site is only in Italian and we are not really sure if it will work (at the desk they told us, they don’t know, but usually all the people buy their ticket at the office and not on the web).

    By Train

      Check the train information at www.trenitalia.it (also in English…you will find English button on the top of the page).

      IMPORTANT: All the special promotions fares can be bought only till the midnight of the day before (you can buy them also through the internet site). To find this special offer it's better to check train not going to messina but to VILLA SAN GIOVANNI (in Calabria just in front of Messina…then with the same train ticket if you bought one with destination messina; or buying a special ticket of 1 euro directly in Villa San Giovanni) you can take the ferry to go to Messina Train Station (specify you have to go to train station, because some ferrys go to Tremestieri and these are the wrong one). The ferries leave direct from the train station…you do not need to go out of the station just to change platform: go down the stairs, turn right, walk for 10-20 metres (it depends on which platform you arrive) and the ferry is in front of you.

      From PALERMO to Messina check the section "Connection from airport to Messina".

      All tickets must be validated in the yellow machines available in all the railway stations.