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Getting there

How to get to the Madonie from Palermo: car, train and bus

Palermo to the Madonie by car, train and bus: Cefalù 70 km away, Petralia Sottana 105 km, Piano Battaglia avoiding the closed SP119, checked train times.

Updated on 20 October 2026

At a glance

By car
Cefalù 70 km and 1 h 05, Castelbuono 90 km and 1 h 20, Petralia Sottana 105 km and 1 h 30
Piano Battaglia
90 km and 1 h 40 from the Buonfornello exit with the SP9 and SP54. The SP119 from Polizzi Generosa is closed by a landslide
By train
Palermo Centrale-Cefalù: 23 trains on a weekday, from 39 minutes, 7.10 euros on a regional train
Train and bus
Castelbuono from 1 h 35, changing in Cefalù; Gangi in almost 3 hours, with a single useful bus a day
Live traffic
CCISS 1518 line, free

From Palermo you reach the Madonie in an hour or a little more. By car you always start on the A19 towards Catania: Cefalù is about 70 km away, Castelbuono 90, Petralia Sottana 105. Without a car the gateway is Cefalù, with 23 trains on a weekday from Palermo Centrale and a bus up to Castelbuono. Piano Battaglia can only be reached by car.

The table further down gives distances and times from central Palermo to the 16 villages in our guide and to Piano Battaglia, calculated on OpenStreetMap. Below you will find which road to take, the trains and buses with the times we checked, and where to leave the car.

By car: which road to take?

From Palermo take the A19 Palermo-Catania. After Termini Imerese, at the Buonfornello junction, choose your side of the mountains.

  • Seaward side: A20 towards Messina. Cefalù exit for Cefalù; Pollina-Castelbuono exit and then the SS286 for Castelbuono, Geraci Siculo and Gangi.
  • Collesano, Isnello and Gratteri: Buonfornello exit, a stretch of the SS113 and then the SP9 (the SP28 for Gratteri).
  • Inland side: stay on the A19. Scillato exit and the SS643 for Polizzi Generosa; Tremonzelli exit and the SS120 for Castellana Sicula, Petralia Sottana and Petralia Soprana.

All exits village by village, with alerts on closures and roadworks, are on our page about roads in the Madonie.

To Piano Battaglia

From central Palermo it is about 90 km and 1 hour 40: Buonfornello exit, SP9 through Collesano and Piano Zucchi, then the SP54 up to the plateau. The other open road goes up from Petralia Sottana, also on the SP54.

The shortest road on paper, the SP119 from Polizzi Generosa to Portella Colla, has been closed by a landslide since 6 February 2026, under an order of the mayor of Polizzi. In June 2026 the works had not started, and on 20 October 2026 we found no news of a reopening. Automatic routing on OpenStreetMap still gives it as the fastest way: our table avoids it, and you should do the same with your satnav.

By train: Palermo-Cefalù

The Palermo-Messina railway runs along the coast and the station you want is Cefalù. This table sums up a weekday, Wednesday 4 November 2026, according to the Trenitalia journey planner checked on 20 October 2026.

Item Value
Departures from Palermo Centrale 23
First and last 4.50am and 9.35pm
Journey time 39 minutes (fast regional) to 1 hour 14
Fare 7.10 euros regional, 9 euros Intercity

In the afternoon there is about one train an hour. On Sundays there are fewer: for Sunday 8 November 2026 Trenitalia listed 16. Times change with the winter and summer timetables, so check them again before you travel.

Train and bus: Castelbuono and Gangi

From Cefalù a bus climbs to Castelbuono in 40 minutes. Trenitalia sells it together with the train, but the bus is run by another company. For Wednesday 4 November 2026 there were 10 combinations from Palermo Centrale.

Leaving Palermo Centrale Arriving in Castelbuono
6.22, 6.50, 7.05 8.15, 8.40, 8.40
9.36, 10.50, 11.57 11.40, 13.25, 14.10
12.58, 14.15 14.50, 16.05
15.52, 17.52 18.10, 20.10

The fastest journey takes 1 hour 35, with the 7.05 Intercity.

For Gangi there is only one useful bus: train to Cefalù (from Palermo Centrale at 11.57 or 12.58) and bus to Geraci Siculo and Gangi, arriving at 15.55. You cannot get back the same day, so plan to sleep there. Bus times from Cefalù, including return journeys, are in our guide on how to get to the Madonie.

Polizzi Generosa, Petralia Sottana, Petralia Soprana and Caltavuturo have long-distance buses from Palermo, but we found no published official timetable to give. Ask the destination town or the place where you are staying.

Where to leave the car

In the villages the streets of the old centres are narrow and steep: leave the car in the car parks at the edge and walk in. In the Madonie Park the park authority forbids leaving the car outside permitted areas, so at trailheads use the marked parking spaces.

At Piano Battaglia the car parks fill up early on snowy weekends. Rules, coaches and tips are in the guide to winter roads to Piano Battaglia. To get from one village to the next once you are there, read about getting around the Madonie.

Driving distances and times

From Palermo, Quattro Canti to the Madonie villages and Piano Battaglia, nearest first. Times without traffic or stops.

To Roads Km and time
Scillato A19 70 km 1 h
Cefalù A19, A20 70 km 1 h 05
Collesano A19, SP9 65 km 1 h 10
Gratteri A19, SP28 70 km 1 h 15
Polizzi Generosa A19, SS643 85 km 1 h 20
Castelbuono A19, A20, SS286 90 km 1 h 20
Caltavuturo A19, SP24 75 km 1 h 20
Castellana Sicula A19, SS120 95 km 1 h 20
Isnello A19, SP9 75 km 1 h 25
Pollina A19, A20, SS113 90 km 1 h 25
Petralia Soprana A19, SS290 105 km 1 h 30
Petralia Sottana A19, SS120 105 km 1 h 30
Sclafani Bagni A19, SS113, SS120, SP58 75 km 1 h 30
Piano Battaglia * A19, SP9, SP54 90 km 1 h 40
Geraci Siculo A19, SS290, SS120, SS286 115 km 1 h 40
Gangi A19, SS290, SS120 115 km 1 h 40
San Mauro Castelverde A19, A20, SS113, SP52 105 km 1 h 45

* Route calculated avoiding the SP119 Polizzi Generosa-Portella Colla, closed to traffic.

Calculated on 20 October 2026 with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data. Times are indicative: traffic, roadworks or snow add more. OpenStreetMap

If you travel in winter

On the roads listed in the ANAS orders you need snow chains on board or winter tyres, and the roads to Piano Battaglia can close for snow or ice. Before you leave, check the verified alerts and this year’s rules.

Road alerts and rules → Piano Battaglia in winter →

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive from Palermo to the Madonie?
It depends on the village. From central Palermo Cefalù is about 70 km and just over an hour away, Castelbuono 90 km and 1 hour 20, Polizzi Generosa 85 km and 1 hour 20, Petralia Sottana 105 km and an hour and a half. Times are calculated with OSRM on OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops.
How do you get from Palermo to Piano Battaglia?
By car, take the A19 towards Catania to the Buonfornello exit, then the SP9 through Collesano and Piano Zucchi and finally the SP54: about 90 km and 1 hour 40. The SP119 from Polizzi Generosa has been closed by a landslide since 6 February 2026. The other way up is from Petralia Sottana on the SP54. There is no public transport to the plateau.
Is there a train from Palermo to Cefalù?
There is, on the Palermo-Messina line. For Wednesday 4 November 2026 Trenitalia listed 23 departures from Palermo Centrale, from 4.50am to 9.35pm, taking 39 minutes to 1 hour 14. A regional ticket cost 7.10 euros, the Intercity 9 euros. Cefalù is the handiest station for the Madonie.
How do you get to Castelbuono from Palermo without a car?
By train to Cefalù and then by bus. For Wednesday 4 November 2026 Trenitalia offered 10 train and bus combinations, leaving Palermo Centrale between 6.22am and 5.52pm, taking 1 hour 35 to 2 hours 35. The bus from Cefalù to Castelbuono takes 40 minutes.
Are there buses from Palermo to Petralia, Polizzi and Gangi?
There are long-distance bus lines, but on 20 October 2026 we found no published official timetable we could give. For Gangi Trenitalia offers train to Cefalù plus bus, with a single useful bus a day. Before you travel, ask the destination town or the place where you are staying.
Where can you park in the Madonie?
In the villages, leave the car in the car parks at the edge of the old centre, where streets are narrow and steep. In the Madonie Park the park authority forbids parking outside permitted areas: at trailheads and at Piano Battaglia use the marked parking areas. On snowy weekends it pays to set off early.

Sources

See also