Green Traveller's Guide to taking the train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to the island of Sicily, Italy.
Journey Time: approx 48 hours
Changes: Option 1: 3; Option 2: 2
Transfer: There are two options:
Option 1: Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare de Lyon then train to Milan (stay overnight) and take train to Naples the following day where you change to the train to Sicily
Option 2: Paris Gare du Nord to stay overnight in Paris then following morning take the train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Milan to catch sleeper from Milan to Sicily
Sample timetable: Option 1: Depart London 9.31am, arrive Paris Gare du Nord at 12.47, then take train from Gare de Lyon at 2.43pm, arriving Milan Porto Garibaldi at 9.49pm. The next day take the 8.30am train from Milan Centrale, arriving Naples Centrale at 1.10pm then change trains to catch the 1.45pm to Palermo arriving 11.05pm
Option 2: Depart London 4.31pm, arrive Paris 7.56pm, overnight in Paris then the following day take the 06.46 train from Gare de Lyon arriving Milan at 1.49pm (there are laters trains to Milan but they require a change of train, e.g. the 07.22 requires changing in Basel and arrives in Milan at 3.55pm). Then board the sleeper from Milan which departs from Milano Centrale at 7.40pm and arrives in at Palermo Centrale at 4.55pm the following day.
Frequency of Departures: 23/day
Carbon emissions: 18.51kg (flight would be 243.9kg)*
Train tickets provided by Trainline:
What's the journey like?
Option 1: You have to change stations in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, which can take about half an hour on the Paris RER line (it's only two stops, though we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer - you have about an hour and a quarter to get the connection). See our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris. At Gare de Lyon, you board a TGV high speed train to 'Milan Porta Garibaldi' station in Milan. The departing train to Naples Centrale the following day departs from Milan Centrale (about 30 minute walk away) so choose to stay overnight next to either of those stations. In Naples, you then change trains in the same station (Naples Centrale) to take the high speed train all the way to Sicily.
Option 2: On arriving in Paris at Gare du Nord, you will stay overnight in Paris then the following morning make your way to Gare de Lyon where you board a TGV high speed train to 'Milan Porta Garibaldi' station in Milan. The departing sleeper train to Sicily the following day departs from Milan Centrale (about 30 minute walk away - or you could take a taxi) and arrives late afternoon the following day.
Stopover hotels to break the journey in Paris, Milan and Naples
There are plenty of hotels near to Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon in Paris as well as near both stations in Milan and the main station in Naples. Here are some examples of hotels that are conveniently near these stations: Hotels near Gare du Nord | Hotels near Gare de Lyon
Miss your connection in Paris, Milan or Naples?
Don’t panic. Railteam’s ‘Hop on the Next Available Train’ service means that if you have missed your connection between high speed trains because of a delay on the preceding leg of your journey, you’ll automatically be put on the next available high-speed TGV train. NB Remember to get your ticket stamped by your Train Manager. Whenever you’re connecting, always remember to validate your onward train ticket at the machine on the platform before departing (these are often coloured yellow).
On arrival in Sicily
Benvenuti in Sicilia! If you’re arriving on the train from Naples you'll arrive at Palermo Central Station close to where many of the ferries arrive. There are plenty of hotels close to the station, see below:
Hotels near Palermo train station, Sicily
Buon Viaggio!
For more overland routes to Italy, see Green Traveller's Flight-Free Train/Ferry Journey Planner