Sicily is not a major European destination, so there are not usually direct flights straight to the island, although it can be possible to find charters in summer for instance with Ryanair or Easyjet both departing from London and other major cities. Usually flights will connect through Rome or Milan, giving you the opportunity of seeing mainland Italy as well if you have time. Alitalia is the main carrier in Italy, but Air One and RyanAir also operate flights to Sicily. The major airports on the island are in Catania and Palermo – which have excellent on the ground transport to get you to your final destination.

If you don't want to fly to Sicily the only other way there is by train or bus the rest of the way from wherever you first land in Italy – ferries carrying both trains, cars and buses make the final crossing across the Straits of Messina to Sicily.

Interbus is the major long haul bus company that makes the long route down Italy's boot towards the proverbial kicking ball at the end. The company then continues services on the island to all major centres.

Trains are provided by the Ferrovie dello Stato and schedules can be checked online at www.trenitalia.com . To get onto the ferry the train is literally packed up and loaded and then unloaded and this can add quite some time to the journey. Therefore walking on or off as a foot passenger is often a quicker means of making the trip, or taking your own car. For those interested in the train trip there are direct services from all major centres on the mainland such as Milan, Florence, Rome Naples and Reggio di Calabria. All stop in at Messina but then divert to travel to either Palermo or Catania. The Eurostar trains are more expensive but tend to arrive more punctually than Intercity (IC) or any regional lines.

Ferries to Sicily depart from Rome, Naples, Livorno and Cagliari (Sardegnia) in Italy and Malta and Tunisia from elsewhere. It's possible also to first go to the Aeolian islands and then onto the main part of Sicily after that. There are quite a number of ferry lines to choose from and very regular schedules throughout the summer. These become less numerous in winter when crossings can be canceled if the weather is bad. You may need to leave more time up your sleeve if you plan to make ferry crossings during the winter.

If you are considering driving to Sicily do note just how far down the island is. Given the cost of tolls and petrol it might be best to travel down first and then rent a car once you're on the island.

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