Mount Etna transport

Book your stay on Mount Etna slopes!

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 transportationi:

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 reaches the "Rifugio Sapienza", at Nicolosi, starting point of cableway and jeeps that bring you to the central craters.

On AST web site you can search for departure time; we are very sorry, but the web site seem only in Italian language. We can sum up as follow the timetable for Mount Etna buses:

  • Leaving from Catania:  8:15 a.m. (every day except some holidays like Dec 25th)
  • Leaving from Mount Etna: 4:30 pm (every day except some holidays like Dec 25th)

This timetable is updated at August 2024. In summer time once an extra bus was arranged; please contact directy AST company for further info.

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 on your own (follow our track!) or join some guided tour (all the details are in the Sapienza Refuge page).