Getting to Catania airport: Alibus, train, taxi

Short answer

The Alibus city bus goes into town for € 4.00, first departure at 04:40, last at 00:30, and it reaches Catania Centrale station 15 minutes after leaving the airport. The railway station named after the airport is a separate place, linked to the terminal by a shuttle, and taxis wait at the exit of the Arrivals level.

The connections, one by one

Alibus (AMTS)

Ticket: € 4.00
Journey time: 15 minutes to Catania Centrale station
Frequency: every 18 minutes during the central hours, every 25 early in the morning and in the evening
First departure: 04:40
Last departure: 00:30
Where to catch it: terminus in front of the old terminal building
Where to buy: on board in cash or by card, AMT Catania app, resellers and season-ticket office, partner hotels
Worth knowing: The ticket is also valid for 90 minutes on the other AMT city lines, but not the other way round: 90-minute city tickets, day tickets, FCE tickets and ordinary season tickets are not valid on the Alibus. The service is identical on public holidays. Eleven runs skip the port and follow the outer road.

Train, Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa station

Ticket: regional fare plus € 1.40 for the shuttle
Frequency: AMTS shuttle between station and terminal every 10 minutes
First departure: 04:30
Last departure: 22:40
Where to catch it: the shuttle leaves just outside the arrivals terminal; at the station from the forecourt
Where to buy: combined ticket on all Trenitalia channels, choosing «Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa Bus» as the destination
Worth knowing: The station is not the terminal: they are linked by the shuttle, whose service ends earlier than the last useful evening train. Hourly regional trains run from the station to Syracuse, Taormina and Messina. RFI states the station has no assistance service for people with disabilities or reduced mobility: platform 1 is step-free, platform 2 is reached by lift.

Taxi

Where to catch it: rank at the exit of the Arrivals level
Worth knowing: Taxis licensed by the City of Catania are white, with «TAXI» on the roof and the licence number displayed on the doors, at the rear and inside. Any other vehicle offering you a ride at the exit is not a taxi. A complaint requires the licence number and a report to [email protected]. The fare is not published by the airport operator and we do not estimate it here.

Intercity coaches

Worth knowing: Direct coaches leave the airport for much of eastern Sicily without going through central Catania: the destinations listed by the airport operator include Taormina, Giardini Naxos, Syracuse and Noto, Ragusa and Marina di Ragusa, Modica, Scicli, Pozzallo, Gela, Caltagirone, Piazza Armerina, Paternò, Adrano, Randazzo, Linguaglossa and Misterbianco. Times and fares depend on the individual operator.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Alibus cost from Catania airport?

A single ticket costs € 4.00 and is also valid for 90 minutes on the other AMT city lines. It can be bought on board, in cash or by card.

How long does it take from Catania airport to the Central Station?

AMTS states that every Alibus run passes Catania Centrale 15 minutes after leaving the airport terminus.

Is there a train station at Catania airport?

There is a station called Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa, but it is not inside the terminal: an AMTS shuttle links the two every 10 minutes, from 04:30 to 22:40, and Trenitalia sells a combined ticket that adds € 1.40 for the shuttle leg.

Does the Alibus run on Sundays and public holidays?

Yes, with the same timetable as weekdays: AMTS publishes an identical set of 60 departures for both.

Sources

The two official sources disagree on how often the Alibus runs: the airport operator writes «every 25 minutes», while AMTS publishes the full timetable, which gives 60 departures a day with an 18-minute interval during the central hours and 25 minutes at either end of the day. We report the AMTS figure, as AMTS is the company that runs the service.

Data verified on 2026-08-13