From Palermo to Agrigento – Getting To and From Both Cities in Sicily

I’ll cut to the chase as you’ve likely ended up on this page because you need a direct answer about the best way to get from Palermo to Agrigento (or vice versa) for your travel itinerary – this guide covers:

• Driving routes, timings, general tips and information about taxis
• Buses and coaches between Palermo and Agrigento
• Using Sicily’s train network to travel between Palermo and Agrigento
• Slow and green travel options: hiking and cycling from Palermo to Agrigento
• One final option to consider for your visit

Straight out the gates, I would recommend driving to Agrigento from Palermo as this is the most efficient/direct option. The trade off is that this is the most expensive option, where you will need to consider the potential costs of fuel and parking if driving yourself, or taxi fees – more on this below.

With a travel distance of around 135km from the center of Palermo to the Valley of the Temples, this journey takes, on average, 2 hours when following Google Maps. If you are travelling to Agrigento from Palermo airport, the journey is a little longer at around 160km/2.5 hours.

Naturally, travelling with your own vehicle is the most convenient option, but if you are looking to rent a car you’ll find no shortage of hire agencies in both Palermo and Agrigento. My go to rental car company for any travel or destination is AVIS – their Palermo office and pickup location can be found at Via Umberto Giordano 1.

Another option is to take a taxi, but owing to the travel distance and journey time, the cost of this will be in the region of 200 to 250 euros each way. You will need to book your ride in advance with a local firm, or a service such as WelcomePick-ups as a local driver at a rank is unlikely to commit to a long trip without advance notice.

Driving yourself or taking a taxi are my top recommendations as all other travel methods take longer and will eat in to your time in Sicily, but if you are travelling without time constraints or are looking for lower cost options, let’s review next the public transport options available.

After driving, I believe taking a bus/coach to and from Palermo/Agrigento to be the most convenient option. You can depart and arrive centrally in both cities, spend little and maybe most importantly, can sit back and relax with a journey time averaging two hours.

The journey via bus is around two hours, and there are multiple departures daily with Autoservizi Cuffaro who operate a fleet of coaches between the cities (and select other towns in Sicily).

These buses pick-up and drop off at the following locations:

• Palermo: Piazzetta Cairoli, Palermo Centrale Station (Central Station)
• Agrigento: Piazzetta Rosselli

These spots are centrally located and well placed to enable you to continue your journey.

While timetables are generally fixed and reliable, these services are suspended on holidays and at other specific points of the year. I would recommend looking closely at the official website here, where you can buy your tickets online in advance (you can also buy tickets on the bus itself on your day of travel in euro cash).

Rail travel between these cities is comparable to opting for a bus. Train journeys to Agrigento take around 2 hours (the same for the return journey) and the end locations are equally as convenient (varying slightly depending on the exact train stations required for your travel).

The cost is also almost identical each way compared to travelling by bus, but the main difference is however, that there are less rail options between Agrigento and Palermo than there are buses, with timetables that vary depending extensively on the time of year. Take a look at your available options here on Trainline, my go-to platform for booking train tickets for travelling in Italy.

I would only recommend this option if you are not driving through Sicily, and the bus is fully booked/unavailable for any reason.

Full disclosure, I have neither hiked or cycled to Agrigento from Palermo, but can see from various sources online that these are viable options if one, or both, of these are your preferred travel methods.

I would recommend researching extensively the best routes based on when you plan to come to Sicily for any journey on foot or via cycle. Take a look at the following links as a starting point:

Getting to Agrigento from Palermo is straightforward if you follow the guidance above. And while getting around Sicily is less straightforward when compared to much of Italy, there are plenty of options available. If you have any questions about travelling in Italy, contact me here – I’m here to help you explore this incredible country!