Trains to and from Trapani Airport (TPS)

Trapani Airport is the third largest provider of air transport services in Sicily, Italy, and is located approximately 15km, or 9.2 miles from the city of Trapani. It is also about 15km from Marsala, in the south. The airport is part military, but it’s civilian division is known as the Vicenzo Florio Airport, and another name commonly used is the Trapani-Birgi Airport. It has the official airport code of TPS. Although there is no train station at the airport, passengers have the choice of a few bus services which link the airport to nearby railway stations. Trains don’t link all the towns and cities on the island, but can be a good way to travel between the larger areas.

Passengers will arrive on the ground floor, and will find information services and other facilities at their disposal. The single terminal building of the airport is easy to navigate, and the exit of the arrival area is nearby to all the forms of transport available. There is a taxi rank outside the terminal, that could provide transport to the railway station in Trapani, but often the bus services are preferred because they are cheaper. From the airport, the train station of Trapani and Palermo can be reached by bus.

Trapani Train Station and other forms of transport from the city

Terravision and AST (Azienda Siciliana Trasporti) are the two bus companies which provide transport, and they stop at the railway station of Trapani, located at Piazza Umberto I 19. In Italian it is referred to as the Stazione di Trapani. The bus trip to the station could take approximately forty minutes, and bus tickets can be purchased online. Terravision is specifically for passengers arriving on low-cost airline carriers, such as Ryanair. From the Trapani train station, the line connects Trapani to the regional capital city of Palermo, on the northern coast, and another line heads south, towards Marsala, Mazara del Vallo and Castelvetrano. The train services on the island of Sicily are operated by the Italian State Railways, called Ferrovie dello Stato, or the FS.

Once passengers have arrived in Trapani, there is also a cableway available to Erice. It has a track of 3,099 metres, and is built along the same line as the older cableway used in the late 1950’s. The track and cabins can be used at night, as there are adequate lighting aids, and the transport service is completely accessible to persons with reduced mobility. The cable service usually runs from 12:00 to 01:00 on Mondays, from 07:45 to 01:00 Tuesdays to Fridays, and from 08:45 to 02:00 on weekends and public holidays. These times may change at various times of the year. A one way ticket costs 3.50 Euro for an adult, 2.50 Euro for children up to the age of seventeen and 1.60 Euro for a resident. Children two years of age and under travel for free. A round-trip ticket will cost 6.00 Euro for adults, 4.00 Euro up to the age of 17 and 2.60 Euro for residents.

By boat is another popular way to travel to and from Trapani, and frequent ferryboats and hydrofoils offer transport from Trapani port to various locations. Nightly boats and hydrofoils in summer travel to the remote Pantelleria island, and weekly trips are made to Tunisia. Frequent boats go to the Egadi Islands, and ferries also leave for Naples, and Cagliari in Sardinia. The main ferry companies used are Siremar (http://www.siremar.it), Tirrenia (http://www.tirrenia.it), Ustica Lines (http://www.usticalines.it) and Grimaldi Lines (http://www.grimaldi-lines.com). On the opposite side of the island from Trapani, the Strait of Messina is crossed by frequent ferries, available at least every half an hour. There are also direct train connections with the mainland of Italy, since the trains roll on and off the ferries. The trains board the boats at Villa San Giovanni and leave at Messina, travelling either south towards Catania and Syracuse, or west towards Palermo. There is no need for travellers to leave their seats during the crossing, but they can leave the hold and go up on deck.

Palermo Train Station from Trapani

The Terravision bus services travel directly from Trapani Airport to the Palermo Centrale railway station in the city of Palermo. The journey is approximately 90 minutes, and a single bus ticket will cost 10.60 Euro. A round-trip ticket will cost 21.20 Euro. Children aged four and under may travel for free. The Palermo Centrale railway station is located at Piazza Giulio Cesare, and is the main train station of the city. It is also considered as one of the most important FS stations in Italy, and is very significant for the region of Sicily, along with the stations of Catania Centrale, Messina Centrale and Syracuse. It is situated on the lines Messina-Palermo and Palermo-Trapani, and is also the terminal of the Palermo-Catania and Palermo-Agrigento lines. It is served by the InterCity and Express trains to Rome, Turin, Milan, Venice and Paris, which are the faster long-distance train services, and also by local trains to various destinations in Sicily. Local trains can be of various types (Diretto, Espresso or Interegionale), and are generally slower trains as they stop at every station. Palermo Centrale is still not served by Eurostar trains, but perhaps will be in the future.

Although there is no airport train station, there are frequent connections to the nearby railway stations of Sicily, and passengers of the airport will find the bus services to be comfortable and convenient. More information about Sicily train services can be found at http://www.trenitalia.com, and details for the cableway service at Trapani can be found at http://www.funiviaerice.it.