ARRIVING BY AIR to Sicily from the Italian mainland:

Alitalia has a large number of daily connections from the Italian mainland to Sicily.

Ryanair flies to Palermo from Milan (Bergamo) and Pisa (Florence) and toTrapani from Venice (Trieste), Turin and Pisa.

easyJet flies to Palermo and Catania from Milan Malpensa sand Rome Fiumicino several times a day.

Air One flies to Palermo and Catania from Rome Fiumicino several times a day.

Meridiana flies to Palermo and Catania from Milan Linate several times a day.

WindJet flies several times a day from Milan and Rome to Palermo and Catania. Times and days vary so please check the timetable on their website.

ARRIVING BY CAR (CAR FERRY):
If you plan to bring your own car or have hired a car in a different part of Italy, at some point you will need to take a ferry. The same goes for if you are arriving by train. There are four possible options:

Naples - Palermo / Palermo - Naples:
Tirrenia have daily crossings both ways. In August, there are also crossings on Saturday and Sunday (this also applies to the last weekend in July and the first weekend in September).
SNAV also have daily crossings both ways. On the last Saturday in July and all Saturdays in August there are two further crossings. See their website for schedules.

Genoa - Palermo / Palermo - Genoa:
Another option is to drive to Genova and catch the car ferry to Palermo. The ferry has excellent cabins with bathrooms, as well as a heated pool, sundecks, a gym, restaurants and all sorts of other comforts and entertainment! Grandi Navi Veloci make crossings every day except Sunday. See their website for schedules.

Villa San Giovanni (Reggio Calabria) / Messina:
Ferries leave Villa San Giovanni in Reggio Calabria to Messina every 20 minutes. The crossing takes 20 minutes. For information and bookings see Caronte website.

Sardinia - Sicily / Sicily - Sardinia:
There are weekly departures from Cagliari to Trapani and Palermo, the overnight voyage takes about 13 hours. See: Tirrenia.

ARRIVING BY HYDROFOIL:

Naples - Trapani (Favignana) / Trapani (Favignana) - Naples:
Ustica Lines have crossings on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 1st June to 30th September, stopping at Ustica and Favignana on the way. See their website for schedules.

Naples - Aeolian Islands / Aeolian Islands - Naples:
One way to get to the Aeolian islands would be to fly to Naples and then take a hydrofoil. See Ustica Lines for information.

ARRIVING BY TRAIN:

The Italian rail system is operated by TrenItalia. The rail network is widespread, especially between major urban centres and tourist areas. The fastest trains operate on the networks between the major cities while the regional trains are slower. See Trenitalia site for information. Important: Please be aware that once you have purchased the ticket, you must stamp it before boarding the train at the yellow validation machines that can be found on the platforms. Failure to do so will result in a fine.