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 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 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 January 2017. 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).
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!!!!
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
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
- Monte Nero degli Zappini
- Monte Gallo - Galvarina (to be tracked)
- Pista altomontana (south start)
- Schiena dell'Asino (entrance 2km far away from Rifugio Sapienza, in Zafferana direction)
- Escursions toward the central craters from Rifugio Sapienza
This is a winding road, (about 20 km) going from Zafferana Etnea to "Rifugio Sapienza". The nature trails in this area are:
- Val Calanna
- Grotta del Gatto
- Monte Zoccolaro
- Acqua Rocca degli Zappini
- Schiena dell'Asino
- Escursions toward the central craters from Rifugio Sapienza
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 Carrinu
- Case di Pietracannone
- Pineta della Cubanìa
- Grotta dei Ladroni
- Sartorius mounts
- Serracozzo cave
- Serracozzo trail
- Serra delle Concazze
- Sciambro Torrent
- Lo Zappinazzu
- Grotta del Gelo
- Altomontana Path altomontana (Entrance nort-east side)
- Escursion to central craters from Piano Provenzana (to be tracked)
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 Valley: (the Gorges and the Gurne)
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 (Cantera gorges)
- Simeto River lavic ravines
- "Saraceno" bridge (to be tracked)
The road SS284 continues until Paternò, where it become the SS121 that goes to Catania.