Getting around

By air

Messina has no major airport of its own. The nearest big one is Catania-Fontanarossa, about an hour and a half south by direct bus, the main gateway for eastern Sicily; the small Reggio Calabria airport sits just across the strait. For long-haul you’ll route through Catania, Rome, or a European hub.

From the airport into town

From Catania airport, a direct SAIS Autolinee coach runs to Messina in about an hour and a half.

By sea — the strait ferries

The defining crossing: the strait ferries and hydrofoils run all day between Messina and the mainland at Villa San Giovanni and Reggio Calabria, in around 20 to 40 minutes, run by Caronte & Tourist, Bluferries, and Liberty Lines. This is how Sicily connects to the continent, and it’s part of daily life here.

By train

Messina is Sicily's link to the national rail network: long-distance trains from Rome and Naples cross the strait to reach here, then run on to Palermo, Catania, and down to Syracuse and Taormina (times below).

On foot

The centre, rebuilt with wide, straight streets after 1908, is flat and easy to walk: the Duomo, the harbour, and the main piazzas are all a short stroll apart. Most central daily life happens on foot.

The tram (ATM)

Messina has a real tram, the Tranvia, running for several kilometres along the seafront between the station, the centre, and the northern districts: a quick, pleasant spine through the city, run by ATM.

Buses (ATM)

ATM also runs the city buses, filling in beyond the tram line. A single ride is €1.20 and covers the tram too (ATM Messina, 2026).

Intercity buses (FlixBus and SAIS)

A budget option for other Sicilian cities and the mainland, on FlixBus and SAIS. Coaches are central to how Sicily connects, often as quick as the train.

A note on driving

The centre is flat and manageable, but has the usual ZTL and parking limits, so a car is a mixed help in the core. It earns its keep for the coast, Taormina, the Tyrrhenian and Ionian shores, the villages of the Peloritani and Nebrodi mountains behind the city, which reward having your own wheels.