From the airport to the city centre Sicily

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

Palermo Falcone e Borsellino airport. This is a remarkable site, nestled between the deep blue sea and the sheer mountains. All major airlines land here, including low-cost carriers. You'll find all the services (banks, telephony), delicatessens, wines and luxury Italian brands in its halls. There are several options for getting to Palermo.

From/to the airport, you can rent a car directly from the company counters, all of which are represented here. You'll need to drive on the freeway before entering Palermo. You can take a cab or VTC in the "arrival" area, costing around €30 to €45, €8 for a "shared cab" (45 minutes), offered for example by the Radiotaxi Trinacria cooperative (+39 091 6878; www.radiotaxitrinacria.it). In cabs, as everywhere else, make sure the meter is on and that the driver doesn't take you from one end of town to the other. You can take a train which, from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., links the central station to the airport (1 hour, average €6.80). Finally, you can take a bus to and from Palermo's central station (€6). Bus connections (around €10) to Trapani, Agrigento and Porto Empedocle, Sciacca, Menfi and Ribera. Further information at www.aeroportodipalermo.it

Catania Fontanarossa airport. International and low-cost airlines serve Catania from France, including Ryanair and EasyJet. The airport is smaller than in Palermo, but well-stocked with stores too. The airport is located 5 km north of the city, inside the Catania ring road. Very convenient if you rent a car directly on arrival. Cabs and VTCs cost between €25 and €30. By bus, the line to Catania center is operated by AMT Alibus, from 4.40 a.m. to midnight (€4). Further information at www.aeroporto.catania.it

Arrival by train Sicily

Trains are cheap. 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-Raguse-Caltanissetta-Xirbi; Catania-Caltanissetta-Xirbi-Palermo; Agrigento-Palermo-Trapani-Castelvetrano; and the Etna circular line from Catania.

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

Arrival by boat Sicily

If you wish to bring your own car, the ferry - although very slow - will enable you to avoid the Italian freeways. You can arrive from Genoa (21 hours), Livorno (19 hours), Civitavecchia (14 hours), Naples and Salerno (11 hours). These routes are mainly operated by Caronte & Tourist (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. Strictly speaking, there is no bus station in Palermo. However, on the side of the railway station, near the Post Office, the junction of via Paolo Balsamo and via Rosario Gregorio is the departure point for virtually all regional bus routes. Numerous 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 Cefalù. Bus Center (www.buscenter.it) sells tickets for Segesta, Etna Trasporti and Interbus. Connections to 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 towns. Although petrol is expensive, the bus remains an affordable means of transport. The bus driver is called an " autista ", and it is generally forbidden to talk to him.

Bike, scooters & co Sicily

Motorcycles, scooters, mopeds. You can rent bicycles, electric or otherwise, and scooters - including the immutable Vespa - all over the island and on all the small satellite islands where cars are rare or forbidden (the Pelagie Islands, the Aeolian Islands, etc.). As you'll soon realize, motorized two-wheelers are ubiquitous in Italy. 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 two-wheelers were the best way to rapidly motorize the country. As was the case in Japan at the same time, a number of brands produced small, practical and economical motorcycles, the most famous of which is undoubtedly the Vespa.

Helmets. Contrary to popular belief, helmets are compulsory for all motorized two-wheelers in Italy. In practice, however, few people wear them in Sicily, and hardly anyone in the villages.

By car Sicily

Car hire. This is the most practical mode of transport for visiting Sicily, and is quite economical, as prices are competitive. Airports are the most convenient places to pick up your car. You'll need a credit card, not a debit card, to rent a car. A French driving license is sufficient. Visiting the island by car is the ideal solution if you want to get off the beaten track (you'll see that the term "path" takes on its full meaning in Sicily), and the island's motorway network is pretty good.

At the wheel. You'll need to get used to local customs. 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 getting around: avoid other people, don't get in the way of traffic. So adapt, be lively, flexible and vigilant, and you'll be fine. Be patient, too, and don't let yourself be irritated by 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's driving badly. In the countryside, signage sometimes leaves much to be desired. Outside these few areas, however, they are relatively good and reliable. Avoid taking your car into town unless you have nerves of steel, an impact-resistant car and excellent "Italian" reflexes. To convince you to leave your car in a (preferably guarded) parking lot, just take a few minutes to look at the general condition of Palermo's fleet of cars: there are very few vehicles that don't have a small dent in the door...

Parking. There are two ways to park your vehicle. The first is to park in spaces marked with blue lines: in this case, you'll need to buy parking cards sold in tobacconists' shops (from €0.50 to €1.50 per hour; see signs for times and days when you can pay). The other solution is to find a paying parking lot. There aren't many of these, but this option is preferable to avoid theft. You'll have to pay around ten euros a day (for hotels with parking facilities or an agreement with a private parking lot, the minimum charge is €15). Be careful when parking: we don't mess around with parking tickets. The €17 fine in France is almost a gift compared to the €38 fine for the same offence in Sicily. It's best to take the time to find an authorized spot!

Parking lots. Rates and parking arrangements vary according to city and district, time of day and season. The parking lots are Piazza Giulio Cesare, 43 and L'Oasi Verde (on Corso Tukory, 207, open Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.) near the Central Station. Near the port, you'll find a parking lot in Via Francesco Crispi (open 24 hours a day). Via Mariano Stabile, 10 (open 24/7). Welcome garage in via Francesco Guardione, 12 (open daily, 24 hours a day). Near the center 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 parking in piazza Marina. Some hotels also have parking facilities, but most of them also charge.

ZTLzone , warning. The ZTL (zona traffico limitato) traffic-restricted zones in Palermo, Catania, Syracuse and Agrigento restrict traffic in their pedestrianized centers. A ticket purchased from a tobacconist costs €5 per day per entrance, from 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Cameras take photos of the cars' plates, and if you haven't paid, the police stop you at the exit to fine you. And the bill is hefty: €100 fine for each entry not paid on the spot. Very little is known about this new regulation, which has been a big hit in the cash registers of major Italian cities ever since it was introduced, so be careful! It's much easier to park outside. If your hotel is in this zone, call ahead and give us your license plate number to obtain authorization.

Italian freeways are a little less "comfortable" than in France. Some, like the one linking Palermo to Messina (the A20), are a succession of structures (bridges and tunnels run along almost the entire length of the road), and roadworks are frequent, but the road is impressive. Service stations are common on the freeways and hardly ever close. Unlike in France, road signs are green for freeways(autostrada) and blue for roads. Tunnel interiors are not always well lit, so be sure to turn on your headlights at all times. By the way, low beams are compulsory on freeways.

Speed limits. The speed limit is 130 km/h on freeways, 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 flow, which means that in the countryside or in town at siesta time, Sicilians can take it easy at the wheel.

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