Rome to Sicily by train: how Europe's last train ferry works

By TrainsNews' International Expert · Updated 3 November 2026

From Rome or Naples, you can reach Sicily without leaving your seat: Trenitalia's Intercity trains run to Villa San Giovanni, at the toe of Italy, where the carriages are rolled onto an RFI ship and carried across the Strait of Messina. It is the last place in Europe where passenger trains still go to sea. On 3 November 2026, Trenitalia's booking site showed two daytime trains from Rome to Palermo, the faster taking 11 hours 32 minutes, with fares from €36.90.

Rome to Sicily by train at a glance

Why Europe's last passenger train ferry still runs

The Strait of Messina separates Calabria from Sicily, and no bridge crosses it. Italy keeps through trains running by putting them on ships. Seat61 calls it the only place in Europe where passenger trains go onto ferries, and the Italian rail site Ferrovie.it says Italy is the only European country still ferrying passenger trains, year-round and in almost any sea.

The ships belong to RFI, the Italian rail network company. Its newest, the Iginia, entered service in March 2022: 147 metres long, 19 metres wide, with four tracks holding 27 railway wagons and room for 700 people. RFI lists three more train ferries alongside it, the Messina, the Villa and the Scilla. The Iginia carries battery packs charged by solar panels or from the shore, and RFI says it emits no CO2 in port or while manoeuvring.

The crossing, step by step

1. Arrival at Villa San Giovanni

Your train stops at Villa San Giovanni, on the Calabrian coast. According to seat61, it then draws forward and sets back towards the ferry berth. On a trip in December 2021 described by Ferrovie.it, the electric locomotive was uncoupled here and left alone for Reggio Calabria.

2. The train is cut into sections

A ship's tracks are shorter than a full train, so the train is divided and the sections are parked side by side. On that 2021 trip, a ten-coach train went aboard the ferry Messina in three sections, on three parallel tracks.

3. A shunting engine pushes you aboard

Main-line locomotives do not board. Two D.145 diesel shunters, each with a barrier wagon (a "carro scudo") between engine and coaches, pushed the sections onto the ship. Once aboard, the coaches were hooked to fixed buffers and plugged into shore power for on-board services.

4. Twenty minutes at sea

By day, most passengers climb to the ship's decks and lounges for the view of the strait, seat61 says. You can leave your luggage in the carriage, but take valuables with you. On the Iginia, RFI lists a main lounge with a bar, a stern lounge and an open-air deck with 198 seats. At night, in a sleeper, you stay in your berth.

5. Messina: off the ship and on to Palermo or Catania

At Messina, a shunter pulls the sections back onto land and new locomotives take over. The train normally splits here: one part heads west along the north coast to Palermo, the other south along the east coast to Catania and Syracuse. The timetable of Intercity 727, published by e656.net and Treniamo, gives the full time for the move: dep. Villa San Giovanni 18:20, arr. Messina Centrale 19:35, so 1 hour 15 minutes from one station to the other.

What the new Hitachi trains change

On 8 June 2026, two Hitachi HTR 412 Intercity units were tested on the ferry at Villa San Giovanni. These trains run on three power sources: 3 kV overhead wire, diesel and batteries. Ferrovie.it reports that battery mode lets them roll on and off the ship under their own power, without the shunter, and could cut several minutes from each crossing. Seat61 says Hitachi units are replacing the classic coaches between Rome and Palermo, though older locomotive-hauled trains may still run for a while.

Rome to Palermo, Catania and Syracuse: trains and times

Times from Trenitalia's booking site for 25 November 2026 (ICN 95063: 10 November), checked on 3 November 2026. The winter timetable starts in mid-December, when some times move: on 16 December, the sleeper leaves Rome at 20:14.

For Catania, the only direct train this winter is the overnight ICN 1955, in 11 h 15 from Rome. By day, Trenitalia sells the morning Intercity to Messina with a regional train onwards, arriving at 18:16.

Getting to Syracuse needs a bus for now. Trenitalia says that from 23:00 on 30 September 2026, trains were suspended between Messina or Catania and Syracuse for upgrade works. Local paper Quotidiano di Ragusa gives the dates: no trains between Bicocca and Syracuse from 1 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. On 3 November, the best Trenitalia option left Rome at 07:26 and reached Syracuse at 20:23, by Intercity, regional train and a bus from Catania airport.

Naples to Sicily by train

Naples saves you more than two hours. The daytime Intercity trains leave Naples Centrale at 09:45 and 13:45 and reach Palermo in 9 h 28 and 9 h 13. The sleeper leaves at 23:01 and arrives in Catania at 07:46 and Palermo at 09:13. If you are coming from Rome on the morning high-speed trains, our guide to Rome to Naples by train with Frecciarossa or Italo covers the first leg.

Train fares to Sicily

Lowest one-way adult fares shown by Trenitalia for each date, checked on 3 November 2026. Fares rise as trains fill up.

Booked far ahead, seat61 lists lower starting fares: Intercity from €19.90 in second class and €29.90 in first, a bunk in a four-berth couchette from €39.90, and a single sleeper from €84.90 per person. Bookings open up to four months ahead, and sleepers often go on sale later, seat61 adds. Interrail and Eurail pass holders need a reservation.

The faster option: no train ferry

There is no high-speed train to Sicily. In 2021, Trenitalia studied a shortened four-car Frecciarossa 1000, about 103 metres long, to fit the ferries, Railway Gazette reported; it never entered service. Instead, Trenitalia sells a Frecciarossa to Villa San Giovanni, the Blu Jet foot-passenger ferry to Messina Marittima, a short walk to Messina Centrale and a regional train onwards. On 25 November 2026, the 07:30 from Rome reached Catania at 16:09 and Palermo at 17:31. It is quicker, but you change three times and miss the ride on the ship inside your train.

Will a bridge replace the ferry?

Not soon. The Strait of Messina bridge has not been built and work has not started. On 30 October 2026, StrettoWeb reported that Italy's transport minister Matteo Salvini was aiming for a review by the Court of Auditors before the end of the year, while the approval decision was still being prepared. No start date for construction was given.

On the mainland, a new high-speed line towards Reggio Calabria is planned; we follow its funding in Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed line: the funding gap.

Tips for the journey

Bring food and water: there is no restaurant car on the Intercity trains, only vending machines, according to seat61. Expect power sockets to cut out during locomotive changes and on the ship. Allow slack in your plans, since these trains can run an hour or two late. Check your coach number before going up on deck: on the ship, the sections stand side by side, and you will want to find yours again.

Our take

Take the train ferry once for the experience itself. The 11:26 Intercity from Rome is the easiest choice for Palermo, arriving before midnight with the crossing in the early evening. For the east coast this winter, the sleeper to Catania is the only direct train, and Syracuse means a bus until the end of January. If time matters more than the crossing, the Frecciarossa and Blu Jet combination saves about an hour and a half to Palermo.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a direct train from Rome to Sicily?
Yes. Intercity trains at 07:26 and 11:26 and the 20:31 sleeper run from Rome Termini to Palermo without a change, according to Trenitalia.

How long is the train from Rome to Palermo?
From 11 h 32 by day and 12 h 42 overnight, according to Trenitalia's booking site.

How does the train get onto the ferry?
At Villa San Giovanni it is split into sections and pushed aboard by a shunting engine. The new Hitachi HTR 412 units can drive on using their batteries.

Can you get off the train on the ferry?
By day, yes: most passengers go up on deck for the 20-minute crossing. At night, sleeper passengers stay in bed.

How much is the train from Rome to Sicily?
Trenitalia showed Intercity fares from €36.90 and sleeper fares from €60.90 for the dates checked on 3 November 2026.

Can I take the train from Naples to Sicily?
Yes. Two daytime Intercity trains and one sleeper leave Naples Centrale for Sicily; Naples to Palermo takes from 9 h 13.

Is there a bridge to Sicily?
No. The planned bridge is still going through approvals, and construction has not started.

Read also

Rome to Naples by train: Italo vs Frecce · Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed line · All our Train Travel guides

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Sources: Trenitalia booking site: direct trains, times and lowest fares for 10, 18 and 25 November, 2, 9 and 16 December 2026 and 20 January 2027 (checked on 3 November 2026); Trenitalia, planned works on the Messina–Catania–Syracuse line (checked on 3 November 2026); Quotidiano di Ragusa, 28 September 2026; RFI, launch of the Iginia, 7 March 2022; Ferrovie.it, Milan–Palermo trip and the shunting at Villa San Giovanni, 13 June 2022; Ferrovie.it, HTR 412 ferry tests, 8 June 2026; seat61, Trains to Sicily (checked on 3 November 2026); Treniamo, IC 727; Railway Gazette, 23 September 2021; StrettoWeb, 30 October 2026. Checked on 3 November 2026.

Photo: the ferry Fata Morgana leaving the harbour of Messina, 18 June 1999. Morten Jensen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Written with AI assistance from the sources cited, reviewed by the TrainsNews editorial team. Real photo, credited below the image. Spotted an error? contact@trainsnews.com — Our AI policy