Do you need a car in Catania? On foot, pick-up tour or your own car
Updated October 18, 2026 · 5 min read
You do not need a car for Catania itself. Renting only pays off when you want several independent days in eastern Sicily. If you only want one day on Etna, a pick-up tour serves you better: the Etna morning or sunset tour with pick-up and tasting costs €59 per person, takes 6 hours and has 4.8 stars from 4,437 reviews.
The city is a walk
Piazza del Duomo, the fish market and Via Etnea lie close together, and you need no car for any of them. Parts of the centre are restricted-traffic zones (ZTL), and a hotel address does not mean you may drive to the door. Ask your accommodation where guests may unload and park. A rental car that stands outside the hotel for three days costs money and does not move, so let the contract start on the day you leave the city.
Three ways up Etna, with and without a rental car
| Tour | Duration | Price | Rating | Suits you if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etna morning or sunset with pick-up and tasting | 6 hours | €59 | 4.8 stars, 4,437 | you want the mountain and a lava cave without a car |
| Etna sunset tour with pick-up and drop-off | 5 hours | €60 | 4.8 stars, 1,911 | you only want the evening on the mountain |
| Trek to 3,000 m with cable car and 4x4 | 5 hours | €55 | 4.6 stars, 4,766 | you can reach the meeting point on the mountain yourself |
The first tour collects you in Catania, drives you and goes into a lava cave; according to its description it can be booked privately or in a small group and includes a tasting.
See availability and prices for the Etna tour with pick-up
The second is the evening version with pick-up and return, built around the golden hour. It takes one hour less and costs €1 more than the first.
See prices and dates for the sunset tour
The third starts only on the mountain, at Rifugio Sapienza, and assumes you get there yourself. On top of the €55 you pay for the cable car and 4x4 ticket, which its description puts at €45 per person in cash at the meeting point. How to get there is covered in Driving from Catania to Etna South.
See prices and dates for the cable car trek
When a car does make sense
Several stops in one day, accommodation outside the city, an early start, or the freedom to turn round when the weather changes: that is what a car is for. For Syracuse you need none, bus, train or tour all get you there. If you do rent, first read how excess and deposit differ: excess, deposit and counter extras.
Our recommendation: no car for a city break. For one day on Etna, the pick-up tour with tasting. Only when you want several independent days in the east, compare car hire in Catania.
