Claire travelled from London to Sicily without jumping on any form of air travel – and it was a lot easier than she first thought. She shared a breakdown of her entire trip
When it comes to travelling across Europe, you immediately think about what flight you’ll take. While flying to Europe from London currently averages around £60 to £190, the total cost relies heavily on the time of the year.
Of course low-budget airlines, like Ryanair and easyJet offer short-haul return fares starting as low as £18. Now one woman who recently travelled from London to Malaga without any flights decided to try a similar idea, but different route. The traveller, known as Claire’s Footsteps, wanted to see if travelling from here to Sicily without any flying was possible – and she did.
She told her TikTok followers: “You can easily travel from London to Sicily by train and this is exactly how much it costs.
“So it’s on average £100 on the Eurostar from London to Paris and then it’s about £80 for a high speed train from Paris to Milan.
“You’ll need to stay in Milan for a night and the best deal I found is £107 then it’s £102 for a sleeper train all the way to Sicily and this includes your own private cabin.
“The craziest part is that this train goes straight onto a ferry, you don’t even need to get off the train, although I definitely would recommend to see the views.”
Claire then finally arrived in Sicily, where it was three hours to reach the capital city of Palermo, or two hours for Syracuse.
Palermo is a popular choice among tourists as it’s the vibrant capital city, famed for its rich Arab-Norman architecture. Once you’re there, there’s bustling street food markets and historic landmarks.
Meanwhile Syracuse is famed for its ancient Greek ruins and boasts a population of about 115,000 people. There’s plenty to do there from visiting the Neapolis Archaeological Park to checking out the Syracuse Cathedral.
The Temple of Apollo is one of the oldest Doric Greek temples in Sicily where you can view the partial stone ruins.
In total, Claire estimated the journey cost approximately £389, based on typical prices at the time.
Since she shared her adventure, commentators weren’t keen on the idea. One said: “Or £50 on Ryanair.” While another added: “I don’t know why anyone would do this trip over a cheap flight! Just why?!”
Travelling from London to Sicily is no straightforward journey, with time and a lot more money required than a standard direct flight. It can take about 28 to 48 hours involving numerous trains and a ferry.
Sicily stands as the Mediterranean’s largest island and remains a favoured destination for numerous travellers. Positioned just beyond the “toe” of Italy’s “boot”, its abundant heritage is visible in locations such as the Valley of the Temples.
Towards the eastern edge lies Mount Etna, which is Europe’s tallest active volcanoes. It comes as the volcano last erupted on July 30, with intensive Strombolian activity and ash plumes reaching 7km high.
Mount Etna is generally safe to visit and live near because it is heavily monitored. Strict safety rules and professional guides are in place.
