Catania Airport To Taomina
Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) To Taormina: All You Need To Know Including FAQs
The Italian island of Sicily remains a top destination for millions of tourists every year from around the world, drawn here for the unbeatable weather, first-class restaurants, unique boutiques, historic sightseeing and much more. While the city of Catania, by the base of the active volcano Mount Etna, gets a lot of attention, another place that’s popular with many travelers is the town of Taormina.
Located on the island’s eastern coastline, Taormina has attracted visitors since at least the 1800s, but its history dates back to beyond the time of Ancient Greece. If you’re planning a vacation to this destination, your journey will typically include taking a flight that lands at Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, or just Catania Airport, whose International Air Transport Association code is CTA.
Catania Airport – which you might also see referred to as Vincenzo Bellini Airport, is located about 40 miles (or roughly 65 kilometers) from Taormina, so you’ll need transportation to get there.
Once you have landed at the airport, processed through passport control and collected your suitcases and other belongings, you will then take one of several options for getting to Taormina. Your choices for making the journey are getting a taxi, riding a bus, taking a train, or renting a car.
The four options vary in terms of how long they take and their typical cost, which can be important depending on your needs, for example traveling on a budget or wanting the speediest ride possible.
Comparison of transport options for getting from Catania Airport to Taormina
| Taxi | Bus | Train | Rental car | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average time taken | 45 minutes to 1 hour | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1 hour | 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Average cost | €70 | €6 | €5-10 | €100+ |
| Availability | 24 hours | 6:45am to 7:45pm | 6.04am to 10.05pm | 8am to varies |
Keep reading to learn more about the specific pros and cons of all four of the options, as well as frequently asked questions about getting from Catania Airport to the heart of Taormina. All of this information will help you in deciding your travel plans early, so that you have a stress-free vacation.
Getting a taxi
Taxis have the benefit of ensuring that the only people in the car will be you, your driver and your traveling companions, which provides more privacy than taking public transportation. You will also have the reassurance of knowing your luggage is safely locked in the vehicle’s trunk.
But this can be a much higher cost option than either the bus or the train, so it might not be the best option for those tourists traveling on a restricted budget. Airport taxis charge using meters based on the time and distance of a journey, and the ride to Taormina will be about €70 during the day, increasing up to €80 at night. You should also consider tipping a few Euros on top of the fare, particularly if you feel that your driver provided you with a safe, comfortable journey.
This is one of the speedier ways to get from Catania Airport to Taormina, and it should take between 45 minutes to 1 hour, with a slower journey at busier travel times such as rush hour.
Signs in the airport will point you in the direction of the taxi pickup area, and they are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you should always be able to find one even if your flight is delayed and arrives late at night or early in the morning, although availability made be more limited.
Riding a bus
For a more affordable way to get from Catania Airport to Taormina, consider taking a bus. The price for a one-way journey is just €6. Tickets for the bus can be purchased online in advance from the Etna Trasporti website, at the ticket office located at the airport, or once you are on the bus.
The service from the airport to the town operates between 6.45am to 7.45pm every Monday through Saturday, changing slightly from 7.45am to 7.45pm ever Sunday.
While this method is cheaper, it does have a few downsides, including that the wait for a bus at the airport can be up to 1 hour. And then once you are on the bus, it can take up to 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to Taormina, and possibly even more time if you are riding during busy periods like rush hour.
Another negative factor of taking the bus is that it can be crowded if there are a lot of other travelers trying to use it, so seats and space for storing your luggage might both be quite limited.
Taking a train
Catania Airport’s Fontanarossa station provides train services connecting throughout Sicily. This includes a direct service to Taormina depending on the time of day that you are traveling. Or if that service is not available, you can take the train to Catania Centrale and connect on to Taormina.
Check rail operator Trenitalia’s website before traveling, but the cost for the ticket should be between €5 to €10, depending on which service you decide to use and what time of day you are riding.
The direct service from the airport station to Taormina should take just under 1 hour, whereas taking the service to Catania Centrale and transferring to Taormina will be about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Train services currently start at 6.04am and the last departure from the airport station is 10.05pm. You should also account for having to wait between 30 minutes to 1 hour to get on the train at the airport.
This can be a relatively low-cost choice for making the journey between the two locations, but it has the same possible disadvantage of the bus, in that it could be difficult to find space for all of your suitcases and enough seats for your vacation group if it is an especially busy time of day.
Renting a car
For complete privacy, you could consider renting a car, although this will easily be the most expensive option. The exact price will vary based on the model of car you want, and the duration of the rental, but you can expect that the cost will easily be more than €100, and you’ll also have to pay for fuel.
The typical travel time between the airport and the town should be between 45 minutes to 1 hour. But as with taking a bus or taxi, the journey may be quicker during quieter travel periods like early in the morning, or longer when there are more vehicles on the road, such as during rush hour.
Follow the signs inside the airport to find the area where the rental car companies have their kiosks. At Catania Airport, you are able to select renting a car from the following vendors:
- AG Transfers S.R.L. (open 8am to 10pm)
- B-Rent (open 8am to 10pm)
- Hertz Italiana S.R.L. (open 8am to midnight)
- Noleggiare (open 8am to 10.30pm)
- Sixt (open 8am to 11.30pm)
- Holiday Car Rental S.R.L.
- Locauto Rent-Enterprise
For the two rental car companies that do not have their operating hours listed, you can research them in advance to make sure that they will be open at the time that your flight lands at the airport.
Catania Airport To Taomina FAQ
What options are available for getting from the airport to Taormina?
You can rent a car, take a bus, get on a train, or ride in a taxi.
What is the typical time taken for the journey from Catania Airport to Taormina?
If you rent a car or get in a taxi then the drive time should be about 45 minutes to 1 hour, whereas the direct train will take 1 hour and a bus will be about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
How much do the various transportation options from the airport cost?
Renting a car is the most expensive option as it will cost more than €100 and the exact price will be based on how long you need the vehicle and what type you select, while a taxi should be about €70 during the day and €80 a night, not including any tip that you want to give the driver. Taking the train will cost between €5 and €10 depending on the service, and a bus should be €6.
Are all of the transportation choices to Taormina available at the airport 24/7?
No, only taxis can be found at Catania Airport 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Buses currently operate from 6.45am to 7.45pm, while trains run from 6.04am to 10.05pm. All of the rental car companies open at the airport at 8am and they close anywhere between 10pm and midnight.
Which rental car companies are located at Catania Airport?
You can choose from the companies AG Transfers S.R.L., B-Rent, Hertz Italiana S.R.L., Holiday Car Rental S.R.L., Locauto Rent-Enterprise, Noleggiare and Sixt.