How to get to Siracusa

Travel times to get to Siracusa
How long it takes to get to Siracusa by car. All drive times are relative to Siracusa and represent the total time it would take along that route. (So from Agrigento to Siracusa via Catania is 2.5 hr.; via Ragusa it's closer to 3 hr.) (Map courtesy of Google Maps)

Arriving in Siracusa by train, bus, car, or plane

Siracusa is in the southeast corner of Sicily, on Sicily's east coast about an hour south of Catania.

If you are not driving, the best way to get there is by train. (Unless you're coming from a smaller town in the interior like Piazza Armerina or Caltagirone—plus, oddly, Palermo—in which case the bus is best.)

» Jump down to Siracusa city layout and transport hubs (train station and bus depots). The closest airport is in Catania, 72km (45 miles) to the north.

From Catania to Siracusa  1–1.5 hr.

How to get to Siracusa from Catania

From the Catania airport to Siracusa  1–1.5 hr.

How to get to Siracusa from the Catania airport

  • By car: Siracusa is 64km (45 miles) south of the Catania airport. From the Catania airport, take the SP701 out to the A18 autostrada and just follow that south to Siracusa. 1 hr.
  • By bus: INTERBUS (tel. +39-095-530-396, www.interbus.it) runs hourly buses (8:40am–8:40pm) between the Catania airport and Siracusa (at Corso Umberto 196). 75–90 min.
From Agrigento to Siracusa  2.5–4.5 hr.

How to get to Siracusa from Agrigento

  • By car: Siracusa is 210km (131 miles) east of Agrigento. From Agrigento, take the coastal SS115 all the way (3 hr.). Or, for a slightly faster (but less scenic) inland route, take the AA640 northeast past Caltanisetta to pick up the A19 highway just west of Enna; follow that east to Catania, then drop south on the SS114/A18 to Siracusa. 2.5 hr.
  • By train: From Agrigento, take one of 9 daily trains to Canicatti (45–60 min.), where you transfer for one of 4 trains (2 on Sunday) to Siracusa, usually changing trains again in Gela or Modica. 4.5 hr., not including transfer
From Taormina to Siracusa  1.5–2 hr.

How to get to Siracusa from Taormina

  • By car: From Taormina, follow the A18 autostrada south, past Catania, to Siracusa. 1.5 hr.
  • By train: From Taormina, there are 11 trains trains to Siracusa. 2 hr.
  • By bus: From Taormina to Siracusa, Interbus runs 10 buses daily (7 on Sundays). 2.5–3.5 hr.
From Noto to Siracusa  30 min.

How to get to Siracusa from Noto

  • By car: Siracusa is 38km (24 miles) north of Noto. From Noto, head toward the coast on SP35 to link up with the A18 highway north to Siracusa. 30 min.
  • By train: From Noto, there are 5–8 trains daily. 30 min.
  • By bus: From Noto to Siracusa, Interbus runs 4 buses (3 Sunday); AST runs 6–10 daily (2 on Sunday). 50–60 min.
From Ragusa to Siracusa  1.5–2 hr.

How to get to Siracusa from Ragusa

  • By car: Siracusa is 80km (50 miles) east of Ragusa. From Ragusa, drop south on the SS194 past Modica to Sacro Cuore, then east on the SS115 to Rossolini, where you can wtich to the A18 autostrada north into Siracusa. 1.5 hr.
  • By train: From Ragusa, there are two trains daily to Siracusa. 2 hr.
  • By bus: From Ragusa to Siracusa, AST has 5 buses daily except Sunday 2.5–3 hr.; Interbus runs 7 buses (4 on Sundays) 3.5–5 hr.
From Caltagirone to Siracusa  1.5–3.5 hr.

How to get to Siracusa from Caltagirone

  • By car: From Caltagirone, follow the twisty, scenic SS124 through the mountains all the way to Siracusa. 1.5 hr.
  • By train: From Caltagirone, there are 3 trains daily to Siracusa via at least one train change in Catania. 3.5–4.5 hr.
  • By bus: From Caltagirone to Siracusa, Interbus runs 2 buses daily (none Sunday), AST runs 1 bus daily. 3.5–4 hr.
From Piazza Armerina to Siracusa  1.5–3 hr.

How to get to Siracusa from Piazza Armerina

  • By car: From Piazza Armerina, head north on SS4 to SS192 to pick up the A19 autostrada and zip east toward Catania, then south on the A18 to Siracusa. 1.5–2 hr.
  • By bus: From Piazza Armerina to Siracusa, Interbus runs 5 buses daily (2 on Sunday). 3–4 hr.
From Palermo to Siracusa  2.5–3.5 hr.

How to get to Siracusa from Palermo

  • By car: Siracusa is 260km (162 miles) southeast of Palermo. From Palermo, take the A20 east to the A19 toward Catania. Stay on the A19 through the center of Sicily, turning south at the Catania outskirts onto the A18 to Siracusa. 2.5 hr.
  • By bus: From Palermo, Interbus runs 3 buses daily (including Sundays) to Siracusa. 3–3.5 hr.
  • By train: From Palermo, there are 5 trains daily to Siracusa via a train change in Messina (and sometimes Catania as well). 6–8 hr.

Siracusa layout

Siracusa is roughly divided into two sections.

Ortigia—an island connected to the mainland by a trio of short bridges—contains the "Old City" of whitewashed alleyways and baroque buildings, the cathedral and the seaside promenades.

» Note that most of Ortigia (downtown Siracusa) is now closed to traffic, though you can park on its north end. » more

The "New City" sprawls over the adjacent mainland. Calling it "new city" is slightly confusing since, while much of it is, indeed, 19th and 20th century construction, the "new city" also contains all of the main ancient Greek and Roman sites (plus the fab archaeological museum)—plus the train station.

The reason for this is that ancient Syracuse was much larger than medeival/baroque-era Siracusa—which had shrunk to pretty much just Ortigia—and the city didn't start re-growing back to fill its ancient foorprint until the past 100 years or so.

Siracusa Centrale train station

Siracusa's train station (tel. +39-0931-406-353, www.trenitalia.com,
www.raileurope.com) is on Via G. Rubino (where Corso Umberto I and Via Ermocrate come together) in the "New City" mainland.

It is just south of the archaeological zone and about a dozen blocks west of the bridges to Ortigia (the "old town" on an island).

From the train station you can walk to Ortigia (in 15 minutes) or take one of three city buses (in 5 minutes). » more

Siracusa bus stations

Siracusa has two bus depots (one at the train station, one on Ortigia) depending on which line you are taking; see the sidebar up on the right for details.

Tips & links

Details

SIRACUSA TRAIN INFO:
Via G. Rubino (where Corso Umberto I and Via Ermocrate come together, on the "New City" mainland)
tel. +39-0931-406-353
www.trenitalia.com
www.raileurope.com

SIRACUSA BUS INFO:
Two main lines service Siracusa.
AST
tel
. +39-0931-462-711 www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it
» AST Depot: on Piazza della Posta just over the bridge on Ortigia

Interbus

tel. +39-0931-66-710
www.interbus.it
» Interbus depot: in front of the train station on Corso Umberto

SIRACUSA TOURIST INFO:
Via Maestranza 33, Ortigia
tel. +39-0931-464-255

Via Mirabella 29, Ortigia
tel. +39-0931-464-657

Via San Sebastiano 45 (mainland)
tel. +39-0931-67-710

www.comune.siracusa.it
www.siracusaturismo.net

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Details

SIRACUSA TRAIN INFO:
Via G. Rubino (where Corso Umberto I and Via Ermocrate come together, on the "New City" mainland)
tel. +39-0931-406-353
www.trenitalia.com
www.raileurope.com

SIRACUSA BUS INFO:
Two main lines service Siracusa.
AST
tel
. +39-0931-462-711 www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it
» AST Depot: on Piazza della Posta just over the bridge on Ortigia

Interbus

tel. +39-0931-66-710
www.interbus.it
» Interbus depot: in front of the train station on Corso Umberto

SIRACUSA TOURIST INFO:
Via Maestranza 33, Ortigia
tel. +39-0931-464-255

Via Mirabella 29, Ortigia
tel. +39-0931-464-657

Via San Sebastiano 45 (mainland)
tel. +39-0931-67-710

www.comune.siracusa.it
www.siracusaturismo.net


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