Travelling from London to Sicily without flying is completely doable!
While it is a bit more expensive than flying direct, it’s a lot more straightforward than you might expect, and has some huge perks: scenery, the chance to see other cities and a day and a half switched off from the world are all massive reasons why I favour overland travel!
This route uses both high-speed trains and a sleeper train, with one overnight stop in Milan.
Here’s exactly how to do it, how much it costs, options for where to stay and where to book each part.
Total cost and time
- Total cost: £389 (please note that this is very rough!)
- Total travel time: 2–3 days (or more if you want)
- Overnight stops: 1 (Milan, but you could also stop in any other city the trains call in)
This includes a private cabin on the overnight train to Sicily. You may even be able to get this rate for slightly less if you’re travelling as a couple.
If your SIM card doesn’t have EU data, make sure you download an eSIM before leaving St Pancras. You’ll need it on those long train journeys! I use and recommend Airalo – click through to go through to their website.
Step 1: London to Paris (Eurostar)
- Duration: 2h20
- Typical cost: around £100
Depart from London St Pancras station, which is the only international station in the UK these days! From London St Pancras Station, head to the international area (you’ll need to arrive 60-90 minutes before your train departs).
You’ll go through security and British and French immigration, then head through to the waiting area (I’m not a huge fan of the catering offerings there, so I’d recommend buying some food before going through – or waiting until you arrive to Paris!).
Wait until your train is called and then head to the marked platform, keeping your ticket up so you can head to your carriage and seat.
I’d recommend booking your train directly on the Eurostar website, and book with as much advance notice as possible, as prices can rise quickly.
Step 2: Paris to Milan (high-speed train)
From Paris, the best way to get to Italy is to take a high-speed train across the Alps to Milan.
- Duration: around 7 hours
- Typical cost: around £80
There are three direct direct trains per day to Milan – make sure you confirm it’s direct at the time of booking. First, the train ploughs from Paris to Lyon, reaching speeds of up to 300 kmph. It goes a little slower after Lyon – just when the scenery becomes increasingly dramatic!
If you’re taking a slow, relaxed journey, you could even stop in Lyon for a night before continuing your journey into Italy!
You can either book this train through the Trenitalia or SNCF websites, or via Trip.com where you can see all options in one place.
Step 3: Overnight in Milan
You’ll arrive in Milan after a long day of travel if you’re done it all in one day!
I’d recommend staying near to the main station. Somewhere I’ve nearby found is Hotel Flora which has rooms for around £100 per night. Reviews say they enjoyed the breakfast, staff were friendly and rooms were clean and tidy. Click here for more about it.
I’ve also stayed in Spice Hotel Milano, although rates are usually around £150 per night here. Rooms here are a little more modern, with lush rain showers and comfy beds. It’s also just a couple of minutes from the station. Click here for more information about it.
The next day, you’ll have a few hours to explore Milan. Here are a few things to do in Milan:
- Visit the Duomo di Milano and head up to the rooftop terraces for views over the city
- Walk through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of Italy’s oldest shopping galleries
- See Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie (book in advance)
- Wander around the Brera district for cafés, boutiques and a more local feel
- Visit Sforza Castle and stroll through Parco Sempione behind it
- Browse the shops along Via Monte Napoleone in Milan’s fashion district
- Grab an espresso or aperitivo in the Navigli canal area
- Visit Porta Nuova for modern architecture and the Bosco Verticale towers
Here’s my YouTube video about hidden gems in Milan.
One of my favourite restaurants in Italy is right by Milan station – Ristorante Pizzeria L’antro della Sibilla. See its Google Maps location here.
Fuel up well, because you have one of Europe’s longest night trains to come!
Step 4: Milan to Sicily (overnight train)
The Milan to Palermo/ Syracuse train departs from Milano Centrale station at around 8:10 pm.
I’d highly recommend booking your own private cabin on this route (for you or your group). It’s glorious to have your own space! The cabins are a bit dated, but when I took this journey, mine was clean and comfortable!
- Duration: around 20 hours
- Cost: £102.52 (including private cabin)
My cabin was kitted out with fresh bedlinen, the bed was quite comfy and I got breakfast in the morning. You can see my full YouTube video of this journey here.
I’d recommend booking this ticket on the Trenitalia website. Make sure you’re booking the “Intercities de Notte” ticket that should take around 20 hours and has zero changes – often other train options come up first.
The train ferry!
The most unusual part of this journey is crossing the Strait of Messina.
The train is loaded directly onto a ferry!
You can stay on board your carriage or get off and walk around the deck, I’d recommend disembarking and stretching your legs! There’s a small cafe on the ferry and you can enjoy ever approaching views of Sicily.
You might find, on the other side, that the train waits a while. Mine waited about 90 minutes when I took it. The train splits here (with part going to Syracuse and part going to Palermo) and I think they allow buffer time in case there are any delays with loading onto the ferry.
If you want peace of mind, just double check you’re in the right part of the train when you board – although provided you’re in your reserved cabin, you should be!
Things to do in Sicily
You’ve arrived in Sicily! Hooray!
We stayed at Liberty Palace Hotel, which is just a five-minute walk from the station. It was a fantastic price, and while the outside was a little confusing at first (you’re essentially walking into an apartment block), the hotel area was comfortable and the rooms were spotless. The beds were so comfy too! It is around a 15 minute walk into the city centre, however. Click here to read more about it.
Another option is B&B Hotels Palermo. We didn’t stay there, but we visited the rooftop bar which was stunning! I’ve stayed in B&B Hotels elsewhere and found them to be a good, reliable brand. This branch is much closer to the city centre. Click here to read about it.
On our first day, we did a food tour. It was a drizzly morning, but this worked well as it got us out and about. We tried all sorts of Sicilian food, from arancino to cannoli, and learned a bit about life in Palermo on the way! You can see the tour we did here.
The next day, we took the local train to Cefalu. This is a picturesque beach town that’s lovely for a stroll around – I even went in the sea!
And on our last day, we did a day tour to Segusta, the Salt Pans and Erice. Segusta was a highlight and the Salt Pans were interesting. Erice had a bit of a strange atmosphere, although we did visit out of season. The tour we booked was transport-only, but it was useful to get to these Sicilian sites without a car. You can see the tour we booked here.
Is it worth it?
This route takes longer (and costs more) than flying, but it’s a completely different experience!
You’ll see landscapes change across multiple countries, travel through the Alps, and experience one of Europe’s most unique train journeys into Sicily.
For an adventure through Western Europe, I don’t think the prices are too bad, and I’d nearly always take this route over a flight.
Want more routes like this?
After spending a few years travelling around the continent by train and ferry, I’m writing other itineraries to Europe without flying!
Stay tuned for the following:
- UK to Lapland
- UK to Morocco
- UK to Malaga
- UK to Istanbul
- UK to the Nordics
- UK to Norway
If you want to keep updated, you can follow me on Instagram or YouTube, or sign up to my newsletter here, where you can also download a FREE train travel guide.
