Palermo

[amorphous]

Hi,

I wonder if anybody can help me out?
I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Italy in May.

My flight gets into Palermo after dark, which means a bit of a logistical headache for me.
My usual plan is to build my bike at the airport and then cycle away....this is not possible at night (well, far from desirable!)

I can't see any cheapo hotels right at the airport, so it looks like I am going to somehow have to get my bike unassembled from the airport into the actual city.

Does anybody have experience in that part of the world?
Taxi's look expensive, and would they actually entertain me, or be capable of taking a bike and my gear into the city?
(I know taxi drivers here would tell me to F-off if I tried it!)
I note there is also a train - same question, would I be able to take a big bike bag on the train?

Thanks in advance - Any experience or advice greatly appreciated.

[Sweep]

Somewhat vague initial reply and andy miller or someone will maybe along soon with more/better info.

Train - i think the situation is that you can take a folding bike or bagged bike within certain dimensions free. Otherwise, and this will probably apply to you, you have to buy a separate ticket for the bike as if it were another person, or, in their boundless generosity, italian railways will sell you a ticket allowing your bike to travel at will for 24 hours.
In sardinia this policy is particularly backwards/stupid. Many of the trains are very empty so there would be plenty of room for a free bike and of course it might encourage folk out of their cars and onto the train. Italy is still playing catch-up on day to day cycling, forgotten its history.

Sorry i couldn't give more detail, have a great trip.

[amorphous]

Many thanks....I'm sure all will work out well, it usually does

[Sweep]

Yes, am sure it will, particularly if you are young, when an angel often seems to look over the vaguest of travel plans. The other thing in your favour is that in italy rules aren't always applied. Have a great time, look forward to hearing about your trip.

[ConRAD]

... my flight gets into Palermo after dark...

I'm not a big expert of Palermo, however:

1. I've been cycling to/from/through Palermo at least three times , and I'm still alive
2. From the airport to downtown it's about 35 km of Strada Statale (SS113) that however shouldn't be too busy in the night also because it runs parallel to the motorway
3. But, I understand your point of view, particularly if you are not extremely confident to cycle in the night in such unusual places; well at this point you can take a bus.

HERE the website of the bus service from/to the airport, apparently active till a quarter of an hour after midnight, every half an hour

Here below the typical bus in service ... if true you shouldn't have problems at all.

[nirakaro]

Palermo Falcone-Borsellino is certainly not the easiest airport for access – when I checked out the rail service a few years ago, there was one train a day IIRC. The main access is the autostrada, and as remarked upthread, this means that the minor roads are pretty quiet. It also means that the navigation is a bit challenging.
You might try heading to Sferracavallo, a little seaside town about halfway to Palermo, and a lot easier to find your way into in the dark. It has hotels, and also a couple of campsites.

[MrsHJ]

I don't know about Palermo but I'd hit Google and find out about the taxis in the area (the airport will often have some links, if not cheap links, on their website). Phone or email in advance and book a taxi is always a possibility (if not a cheap option). If they know about the bike they'll usually accommodate it. We've been helped in France and Ireland and Spain before and I'm about to sort out the Netherlands for this summer by booking a large taxi in advance and pre warning about two bikes.

One advantage about it being night though is that it will be a quiet time to cycle....

[Sweep]

The main access is the autostrada

Slightly off/on topic, any truth in the idea that the autostrada takes a slightly curious curve because of a certain interested local bunch's interest in concrete?

[andymiller]

There is, normally, a regular train service between Palermo and the airport at Punta Raisi (the Trinacria Express), but at the moment there are work (I think they are building a new or bigger tunnel) and there's a replacement bus service on part of the line. So ConRAD's buses look like they would be your best bet - although if your bike is in a bag then you might be able to use the bus-replacement service.

There is a quieter route that goes via Sferracavallo and Isola delle Femmine which avoids the strada statale. I could post the gpx file or google map.

But a couple of alternatives:

Why not stay somewhere near the airport? Palermo is a great city but if you are only planning to stay there for a night then a better option might be to stay outside. If you use Google maps or Booking.com you should find some places within reach of the airport eg in Terrasinni and Cinisi or Isola delle Femmine or Sferracavallo.

You could stay at the Eco-Villaggio Solidale in Marina di Cinisi - a sort of hostel set up by a local association in property confiscated from the Mafia. It would be worth asking them if they could arrange for a transfer or local taxi to pick you up.

Otherwise, here's a link to a Google map of hotels and B&Bs which I just happened to have been working on for my own research:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... sp=sharing

You'll need to zoom in on the area around the airport. Please confirm the locations for yourself - Google is generally pretty good, but occasionally the locations are wrong.

Alternatively, if you can get yourself to Piraineto you might be able to get a train to Trapani (a better starting point then Palermo in some respects). I say 'might' because I don't know how late you are arriving. Trapani is a great starting point if you can get a flight there (They even offer an economical rate for storing bike bags and boxes)

You might also be interested in this route:

italy-cycling-guide.info: Southern Sicilian coast which takes you from Trapani to Siracusa via Agrigento, Ragusa, Modica and Noto etc.

Attachments:

Trenitalia map showing the the section of the route served by the bus replacement service and the bits (in green) where there's a train service and photo of the Trinacria Express trains at the station at Punta Raisi (photo by By Günther Glauz. CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8833465)

[ConRAD]

...otherwise, here's a link to a Google map of hotels and B&Bs which I just happened to have been working on for my own research...

... it looks like you know Italy better than myself !! ... sounds good though, next time I'll look directly for your advice !!!

[amorphous]

Many thanks everybody for your help, its greatly appreciated!

I'll do a wee spot of googling all your suggestions....still got a few months to go, but I'll let you all know how I got on!

[ossie]

Have a look here

http://www.booking.com/city/it/palermo. ... map_opened

If you scan left to the airport it looks like there is plenty of accommodation within a few km of the airport, some is very reasonable.

If it was me, late at night I would book a cheap hotel, download the route on my garmin or use my phone, build the bike at the airport, stick some lights on and pedal off. On streetview there looks to be a nice route , the Via Fondo Orsa and the Via P Borsellino look very quiet and they take you to an area with loads of accommodation probably within a 15 min ride

best of luck

[andymiller]

On streetview there looks to be a nice route , the Via Fondo Orsa and the Via P Borsellino look very quiet and they take you to an area with loads of accommodation probably within a 15 min ride

Definitely check Streetview. According to Google Maps/Streetview, there's a minor road that enables you to avoid the strada statale. I might be tempted to risk the statale in daylight but in darkness and straight off a plane? Not me. (OK the main road is lit, but even so).

The minor road (the Via Cristoforo Colombo which turns into the Via della Tonnara) is on the left as you exit and runs beside the statale for a bit before eventually dipping under it (but there's a pedestrian underpass fairly close to the airport that you should be able to use). Unfortunately the Streetview imagery is pretty old (2010) so I'd check with the place where you're planning to stay (although seeing if they can arrange a pickup would be my first preference).

[pete75]

A quick search on booking.com comes up with a couple of B&Bs both rated at 9.2 and 8.8 out of 10 and 1.9 and 2.1 miles from teh airport. Each is just £35 a night.

[Helen]

If I was arriving quite late, I would doss overnight at the airport and whizz off at the crack of dawn. I always check the SleepingInAirports website:
http://www.sleepinginairports.net/europe/palermo.htm

Join WarmShowers and see if some local cyclists can help you?
I just checked and saw several listed in Palermo.
https://www.warmshowers.org/

This is a nice HI hostel by the sea with chalets and security gate about 20km from the airport in Baio del Corallo
http://www.ostellopalermo.it/
Hmm, €18 for a bed seems a bit dear! I paid €12-€13,50 at Easter in 2010.