How to get here, and how long it really takes

People almost always arrive in Calabria on the A2 motorway, the one everybody still calls the Salerno-Reggio Calabria. It runs down the Tyrrhenian side and is fast for its whole length. The point to grasp is a different one: the motorway serves the Tyrrhenian, not the Ionian. Anyone who has booked on the Ionian coast will have to come off at some stage and cross the region, or else drive the SS106.

By car and by camper

From northern Italy the A2 starts at Salerno. From there to Lamezia Terme, roughly halfway down the region, is about three hours; to Reggio Calabria, another two. Those are realistic times outside August weekends. The exits that matter for the Ionian side are mainly Sibari, Cosenza nord, Lamezia Terme and Rosarno, from which you cross to the other sea.

The SS106 Jonica is the region's other road, and it is worth knowing about before you find yourself on it. It follows the whole Ionian coast, goes through the built-up areas, and has traffic lights, roundabouts and single-carriageway stretches. It is not dangerous if you take it calmly, but it is not a dual carriageway: on journey times it is worth adding at least a third to whatever the satnav says, and more in summer.

By train

The Tyrrhenian line is served by long-distance trains: Paola, Lamezia Terme Centrale and Villa San Giovanni are the main stops, and connections for Catanzaro and the Ionian leave from Lamezia. The Ionian line exists and is scenic, but it is slow and infrequent: as a way of getting here it works badly, as a day out it works well.

By air

The main airport is Lamezia Terme, which sits in the middle of the region a few hundred metres from the railway station: it is the obvious choice for anyone flying in and hiring a car. The other two, Reggio Calabria and Crotone, have fewer connections but serve the two opposite ends of the region well.

For Sicily

Ferries for Messina leave from Villa San Giovanni, with frequent sailings all day and space for campers. The crossing takes about twenty minutes. Anyone planning a holiday split between the two regions should bear in mind that on peak summer days the queue for boarding can be long.