While renting a scooter or a car to get around on Salina seems like a great idea, public transport is also an option if you don’t want to search for parking spots. The bus is going very regulary from and to all villages on the island. Enjoy the views without any hazzle! While this is an extensive article that makes it look like its really hard to use the buses: It’s not! Just find your local stop, check the time table, have some cash and if something isn’t clear or goes wrong the lovely bus drivers of Salina have years of experience with tourist and will make extra sure people arrive where they wanted to go.
Where can I get the time tables for the bus connection on Salina?
On each stop there is a time table right by the stop sign. Its the same for the whole island, as there are only two lines. You can also download the current timetable on the website of C.I.T.I.S as a pdf format. The timetable will change over the year (so always pick up the newest one) and also tries to match the ferries departures and arrivals as best as possible.
How to read the C.I.T.IS bus time table
All lines are listed on one page. You start looking for the bus that comes from your direction (e.g. Lingua – Rinella if you are in Santa Marina) and then check for the departure times for where you are. If you are coming from Malfa or want to go to Malfa you sometimes need to change in St Lorenzo (as only smaller buses can go through the village). The driver will announce this in time, same goes for any changes where you might need to change that isn’t on the timetable.
Example 1: You want to know when the last bus from Santa Marina leaves to Malfa so you can decide which ferry you book to come back from your trip from the neighbour island.
- S.Marina is the stop “Santa Marina Salina” – you go to the far right on the time table and see the last one leaves 20:40 to reach Malfa. It also looks like only two buses go to Malfa per day.
- Check the line for S.Lorenzo – The church is on the main road and belongs to Malfa so it is a stop in Malfa without saying it is. Depending on where your stay is located it might be even closer than the other stop “Malfa” (which is Malfa Piazza). If you want to go to Malfa you can check times for both Malfa & S. Lorenzo and just walk the rest.
Example 2: You need to leave early in the morning to catch the ferry in Santa Marina Salina and you have a room in Leni
- In this case the earliest bus leaves at 7:20
- The bus arrives at 8:00 in Santa Marina Salina.
How much does public transport cost on Salina?
A bus ticket is 1,90 – 2,90€ (2023) depending on the distance you travel. If you are coming from Santa Marina, Salina and want to go to Malfa it will be 1,90 (incl return ticket 3€). You pay in cash to the driver when you enter the bus. You can check the bus ticket prices on their website
There are options to get discounted tickets if you buy 12er subscription ticket for the same distance, but you need to visit the local C.I.T.I.S office to buy one. Its much cheaper as using single or return tickets, so if you stay at least 1 week this might be worth the effort.
Current official stops
The list of official stops might help you a bit in case you can’t figure out how to match the names of the time table to the actual bus stations. I would also recommend to check out the public transport layer of Open street map to find the closest stop.
| Stop name / closest place or street | Name of village | Name on the time table |
| Lingua (Final Station / Via Vallone Nero) | Lingua | Lingua |
| Lingua (via Bellini) | Lingua | – |
| Santa Martina Salina Port | Santa Martina Salina | S. Marina |
| Capo Faro / Capo Gramignazzi | Capo Faro / Malfa | Gramignazzi |
| Malfa Banca | Malfa | – |
| San Lorenzo (church) | Malfa | S. Lorenzo |
| Malfa Municipio | Malfa | – |
| Malfa Piazza | Malfa | Malfa |
| Malfa Piazza Scario | Malfa | – |
| Valdichiesa (street to church) | Valdichiesa | Valdichiesa |
| Leni Church | Leni | Leni |
| Rinella Church | Rinella | – |
| Rinella Port | Rinella | Rinella |
| Pollara (Church) | Pollara | Pollara |
Lingua bus stops
Santa Marina Salina bus stops
Capo Faro Bus Stop
Malfa Bus Stops
Can I take luggage with me on the bus?
You sure can, especially the main line (Lingua – Santa Marina – Malfa) has enough space. Be aware that in high season the bus can be quite packed (especially if you arrive or leave with the day tourists) so consider to take a cab or make use of the offer of most hotels: they normally pick you up directly at the port.
I missed the bus: How much does a cab cost from Santa Marina Salina to Malfa?
The cost for a cab from Santa Marina Salina to Malfa is about 20€ (2022).
If you are late (because you just made a trip to one of the neighbour islands that went more into the evening than expected you can always catch a cab in Santa Marina Salina. The stop is right next to the bus stop (to the right when you leave the ferry).
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