Public transport on Mount Etna are quite disappointing. I think that a lot of tourists look at the volcano from their flights, from the train or from the ferry boat and just think that soon they'll be on the top of the highest volcano in Europe. Unfortunately, it will not be easy to get there, unless you are traveling by car, as public transport are not as efficient as Mount Etna would deserve. On this page, we suggest you how to move around Mount Etna using the following kind of transportation:

• Bus
• Train
• Car

Bus: the only public transport that allow you to reach Etna's peak is the AST company bus. It leaves from Catania, at "piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII" (Catania central station square) and reach the "Rifugio Sapienza", at Nicolosi, starting point of cableway and  jeeps that bring you to the central craters.

On AST web site you can finde the timetable, that we sum up as follow:

• Leaving from Catania:  8:15 a.m. (every day) and 11:20 a.m. (on workdays from 15 June to 15 September)
• Leaving from Mount Etna: 10:45 a.m. (on workdays from 15 June to 15 September) and 4:30 pm (every day)

This timetable is updated at JANUARY 2011.

A round ticket costs about 10/12 euros. We really suggest you to take the bus at the starting point, as you could find all the seats occupied by a group of scouts! From the "Rifugio Sapienza" you can reach central craters using cableway and jeeps (about 50 euros); you could walk to the top of Etna, but there not enough time to do it, unless you sleep there (at the "Rifugio Sapienza"). Another way could be to use just the cableway to ascend half the way (27 euros) and then walk to the craters (difference in height 700 meters).

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Train: there's a traing, called "Circumetnea", leaving from Catania ("Borgo" station) to Riposto (and viceversa), going more or less all around the Mount Etna. The timetable is on the circumetnea web site, more ore less it takes 3 hours and half for a single way trip from Catania to Riposto or viceversa. The train leaves at the sea level and goes through many etnean towns/villages, reach an altitude of 1000 meters and then descends again towards the sea. The train goes through many towns; Adrano, Bronte (city of pistachios), Maletto (city of strawberries), Randazzo, Linguaglossa.

Between Maletto and Randazzo there's the Gurrida stop, that allow you to visit the lake and walk on the Gurrida Nature Trail.

A single way ticket between Catania and Riposto costs about 7 euros. If you want to go back in Catania, you have to leave the train at the Giarre station (the station before Riposto) and than take the train of the Italian Railways (www.trenitalia.it) that brings you at Catania Central station. Of course, on Sunday and other holidays, when you suppose that more train goes brings tourist outside the city... the "circumetnea" DOES NOT RUN!!!!

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Car: going by car, you can reach all the starting point of nature trails and excursions on Mount Etna. In the following section we list the main roads arond the volcano, together with the points of interest reachble in each area

Street SP92 - Nicolosi - Rifugio Sapienza

It's a road in good state, bringing you from Nicolosi to "Rifugio Sapienza" in 20 km (40 km if you start from Catania). The nature trails you can reach are:

• Monti Rossi (to be tracked)
• Monte Nero degli Zappini
• Monte Gallo - Galvarina (to be tracked)
• Pista altomontana (to be tracked)
• Schiena dell'Asino (entrance 2km far away from Rifugio Sapienza, in Zafferana direction)
• Escursion toward the central craters from Rifugio Sapienza (to be tracked)

Road SP92 - Zafferana Etnea - Rifugio Sapienza

This is a winding road, (about 20 km) going from Zafferana Etnea to "Rifugio Sapienza". The nature trails in this area are:

• La Val Calanna
• La Grotta del Gatto
• Monte Zoccolaro
• Acqua Rocca degli Zappini
• Schiena dell'Asino
• Escursion toward the central craters from Rifugio Sapienza (to be tracked)

Road Mareneve - Zafferana Etnea - Rifugio Citelli - Linguaglossa

It's a winding road (35 km), going from Zafferana to Citelli refuge and than to Linguaglossa. It also reaches the ski lifts at Piano Provenzana. The points of interest are:

• "Ilice di Carrynu" (to be tracked)
• "Case di Pietracannone"
• Cubanìa pines tree wood
• Grotto "dei Ladroni"
• Sartorius mounts
• Serracozzo grotto
• Serracozzo nature trail
• Serra delle Concazze
• Sciambro torrent
• Zappinazzu
• Grotto "del Gelo"
• Pista altomontana (nord-est Etna entrance - to be tracked)
• Escursion to central craters from Piano Provenzana (to be tracked)

Strada SS120 - Linguaglossa - Randazzo

It's a road in good state (20 km), from Linguaglossa to Randazzo, going through the northern side of Mount Etna, well known for wine production. The points of interest are:

• Gurrida lake
• Byzantine cube church
• Alcantara river valley (to be tracked)

Strada SS284 - Randazzo - Adrano

This is a winding road (33 km), going from Randazzo to Adrano on the Mount Etna western side. It also touches Maletto (strawberries city) and Bronte (pistachios city). The points of interest are:

• Gurrida lake
• Nelson castle (to be tracked)
• Simeto river canyon (to be tracked)
• Le forre laviche del Simeto (to be tracked)
• "Saraceno" bridge (to be tracked)

The road SS284 continues until Paternò, where it become the SS121 that goes to Catania.

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