Hotels near Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA), Catania

We loved the food, the walking, the history and the overall vibrancy of the city. Driving into the city via the airport was hectic but once we arrived with the rental car, we used taxis and transit…the only way to navigate a large city any where. The city was cleaner than I thought it would be. The markets and food were outstanding. The people were very friendly.

Not really much to do there. We stayed for three days and it was too long. We took a trip to Ortigia and Siracusa for one day. We probably should have stayed there instead. Everyone we spoke to that had been there before we got there, said they were disappointed and wished they had not stayed in Catania.

It is a medium-big city with little to no green areas, full of cars. The architecture is beautiful, but it is compensated by many difficult to navigate streets (cars parked on sidewalk, no sidewalks, piles of rubbish - most by design as it is supposed to be collected soon - full of speeding cars and motorbikes that do not stop for pedestrians or barely do it, general irregular road surface) and urban decay, which get worse and worse as you go away from the city center. It is however somewhat in line to other italian cities of same population density. In general huge traffic and noisy especially during rush hours (lunch break 12-14 and after work from 17). Luckily small quiet areas can be found e.g. near university area and Park Bellini. Food is tasty and with great variety (sweets, meat, fish, carbs, wines, etc) and cheap unless you go to upscale places for tourists, but still you will pay just a few euros more. I tried dozens of bars and restaurants and it was only good to excellent quality, never bad or scam. Bars and restaurants are scattered everywhere. There is a beach nearby but was a bit strenuous to reach by foot, including the walking along major roads with no sidewalk and the crossing of a major crossroad where the pedestrian streetlight very rarely turns green. Near the beach there is a nice pedestrian area and theoretically many establishments, but they were all closed and many looked closed for good, not only because it is off-season for italians (it is a pity, so much potential...). No big and famous museum. Enjoyed a nice temperature (20-24C) mid October, unfortunately some rain, but also lots of sun.