From the airport to the city centre Sicily

There are two possible airports of arrival from France: the Falcone e Borsellino airport located in Punta Raisi (45 minutes and 30 km from Palermo) or the Fontanarossa airport (10 minutes and 5 km from Catania). There are domestic routes between the airports of Palermo, Catania, Trapani, Pantelleria and Lampedusa. There are also numerous daily flights from Palermo and Catania to the peninsula.

Airport of Parlerme Falcone e Borsellino. Its site is remarkable between big blue and mountains. The main airlines land here, including low-cost companies. All the service shops (banks, telephony), delicatessens, wines and luxury Italian brands can be found in its halls. To reach Palermo, there are several options

From/to the airport, you can rent a car directly at the counters of the companies, all represented here. You will have to drive on the highway before entering Palermo. You can take a taxi or a VTC in the "arrival" area, count about 30 to 45 €, 8 € for a "shared taxi" (45 minutes), proposed for example by the cooperative Radiotaxi Trinacria ( +39 091 6878; www.radiotaxitrinacria.it). When taking a taxi, as everywhere else, make sure that the counter is on and that the driver does not take you from one end of the city to the other. You can take a train which, from 4am to 10pm, connects the central station to the airport (1 hour, €5.90). Finally, you can take a bus from and to Palermo's central station (€6). There are also bus connections to Trapani, Agrigento and Porto Empedocle, Sciacca, Menfi and Ribera (about €10). More information on www.aeroportodipalermo.it

Catania Fontanarossa airport. International and low-cost airlines fly to Catania from France, including Ryanair and EasyJet. The airport is smaller than Palermo but well stocked with shops too. The airport is located 5km north of the city, inside the Catania ring road. Very convenient if you hire a car directly on arrival. By taxi or VTC, it will cost you between 25 and 30 €. By bus, the line to the centre of Catania is provided by AMT Alibus, from 4.40am to midnight (€4). More information on www.aeroporto.catania.it

Arrival by train Sicily

The train is not expensive. The main routes are served by reliable regular lines. The Messina-Palermo and Messina-Syracuse lines are the most important in Sicily. Some trains are high speed (more expensive). Some lines are of tourist interest. These include Syracuse-Ragusa-Caltanissetta-Xirbi; Catania-Caltanissetta-Xirbi-Palermo; Agrigento-Palermo-Trapani-Castelvetrano; but also the Etna circular line from Catania

Palermo'smain railway station (www.trenitalia.com), Piazza Giulio Cesare, is served by metro lines A and B and has a luggage locker. It is connected to the airport, which is very convenient! It was built in 1886. Today it is the oldest Italian railway station in service. It is connected to all of Sicily and the rest of Italy (Naples, Rome, Turin, Milan...)

Arrival by boat Sicily

If you want to come with your own car, the ferry - although very slow - will allow you to avoid the Italian highways. You can arrive from Genoa (21 hours), Livorno (19 hours), Civitavecchia (14 hours), Naples and Salerno (11 hours). The company Caronte & Tourist operates mainly on these routes (www.carontetourist.it)

Public transport Sicily

Intercity buses. The main public company is AST, but there is also the private company SAIS, which is very efficient with some air-conditioned buses. There is no bus station in Palermo. However, on the side of the railway station, near the Post Office, the intersection of via Paolo Balsamo and via Rosario Gregorio is the starting point for almost all regional bus lines. Many local companies operate convenient routes throughout Sicily when destinations are not served by train. Autolinee Randazzo (www.autolineerandazzo.it) connects Palermo with Caccamo, Roma Termini, Trabia and Cefalu. Bus Center (www.buscenter.it) sells tickets for the companies Segesta, Etna Trasporti and Interbus. Connections for Agrigento, Ragusa, Syracuse, Catania, Messina, Taormina, Trapani, Alcamo, Terrassini and Partinico. Autoservizi Salemi (www.autoservizisalemi.it). Connections to Campobello di Mazara, Castelvetrano, Marsala, Mazara and Salemi

City buses. There are also city bus networks in the larger cities. Although petrol is expensive, the bus is an affordable means of transport. The driver of a bus is called an "autista", and it is of course generally forbidden to talk to him.

Bike, scooters & co Sicily

Motorcycle, scooter, moped. You can rent bicycles, electric or not, and scooters - including the unmistakable Vespa - all over the island and on all the small satellite islands where cars are rare or forbidden (the Pelagia Islands, the Aeolian Islands, etc.). You will quickly realize that in Italy, motorized two-wheelers are omnipresent. The good weather certainly facilitates their use, but the reasons for this success are also historical. At the end of the war, the country was considerably impoverished and the two-wheeler was the best way to quickly motorize the country. As in Japan at the same time, many brands of small, practical and economical motorcycles were developed, the most famous of which is undoubtedly the Vespa.

Helmet. In Italy, contrary to popular belief, helmets are mandatory for all motorized bicycles. In practice, however, few people wear them in Sicily, and hardly anyone in the villages

By car Sicily

Car rental. This is the most convenient way to visit Sicily, and it is quite economical because the prices are competitive. The airports are the most convenient places to pick up a car. You will need a credit card and not a debit card to be allowed to rent a car. A French driving licence is sufficient. Visiting the island by car is the ideal solution if you want to get off the beaten track a bit (you'll have the opportunity to observe that the term "path" takes on its full meaning in Sicily), and the island's motorway network is quite good

Driving. You need to get used to the local customs quickly. Driving in Italy is based on individual freedom (hence the stubborn resistance to helmets and seatbelts), skill and common sense. The number one rule for driving: avoid others, don't get in the way of traffic. So adapt, be lively, flexible and alert, and you'll be fine. Also, be patient and don't be irritated by the multiple honks; for Italians, honking is natural and multifunctional. The main reason for honking is to signal your presence, not to call out to someone who is driving badly. In the countryside, signage sometimes leaves something to be desired. Outside of these few areas, it is relatively well done and fairly reliable. Avoid taking your car into town, unless you have nerves of steel, a car that is not afraid of shocks and excellent "Italian" reflexes. To convince you to leave your car in the car park (preferably guarded), just take a few minutes to look at the general state of the Palermo car park: there are very few vehicles that do not have a small dent in the door..

Parking. There are two ways to park your car. The first is to park in the spaces marked with blue lines: you must then buy parking cards sold in tobacconists' shops (from 0.50 to 1.50 € per hour; see the timetables and paying days on the signs). The other solution is to find a paying car park. These are not numerous, but this option is preferable to avoid theft. You will have to pay about ten euros per day (for hotels with parking or an agreement with a private parking, count at least 15 €). Be careful with parking: we don't joke with parking tickets. The 17 € fine in France is almost a gift compared to the 38 € fine for the same offence in Sicily. It is better to take the time to look for an authorized place!

Parking. Parking rates and arrangements change depending on the city and district, the time of day and the season. The car parks are : Piazza Giulio Cesare, 43 and L'Oasi Verde (on Corso Tukory, 207, open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 8pm) near the Central Station. Near the port you will find a parking lot in Via Francesco Crispi (open 24 hours a day). Via Mariano Stabile, 10 (open 24 hours a day). The Welcome garage in Via Francesco Guardione, 12 (open 24 hours a day). Near the centre via Gaetano Abela, 13, via Agrigento, 42, via Principe di Belmonte, 18, via Giuseppe de Spuches, 48, piazzetta del Parlatoio, 6 (via Vittorio Emanuele) and via Sammartino, 24. Free of charge in piazza Marina. Some hotels also have parking facilities, but most of them also charge a fee

ZTLzone , warning. The ZTL (zona traffico limitato) restricted traffic zones in Palermo, Catania, Siracusa and Agrigento restrict traffic in their pedestrian centres. A ticket must be purchased at a tobacconist's for €5 per day and per entrance, from 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Cameras take pictures of the cars' plates, and if you haven't paid, the police stop you to fine you. And the bill is high: €100 fine per entry not paid on the spot. This new regulation is not well known and has been a big hit in the coffers of large Italian cities since it was introduced, so be careful! Prefer to park outside, it's much easier. If your hotel is in this area, call and give your license plate number for authorization.

Italian highways are a little less "comfortable" than in France. Some, like the one that connects Palermo to Messina (the A20), are just a succession of structures (bridges and tunnels follow one another along almost the entire road), and roadworks are frequent but the road is impressive. Gas stations are frequent on the motorways and hardly ever close. Unlike France, the road signs are green for the motorways(autostrada) and blue for the roads. The interior of the tunnels is not always well lit, remember to turn on your lights systematically. By the way, low beams are compulsory on motorways.

Speed limit. The speed limit is 130 km/h on motorways, 90 km/h on roads and 50 km/h in town. These are only theoretical limits: in practice, drivers adapt their speed according to road conditions and traffic, which means that in the countryside or in the city at siesta time, Sicilians go a bit wild at the wheel.

Lights. It would seem (perhaps it's just an illusion?) that the semaforo is better respected than it used to be, especially in the south and in Sicily, where it used to be not uncommon to be called to order if it occurred to you to stop at a red light. Nevertheless, there are sometimes remnants of this old habit: be careful at intersections, especially when you have priority.