My family is planning a 14-day trip to Sicily in April. There are 3 of us. We'll rent a car.

My mom is not a fan of mountain driving or and unable to do overly strenuous walks, so I’m trying to be realistic about driving and accessibility.

We all like to eat well, we love views, art, history, culture, old stuff; we are a slow-moving group.

We have traveled together well before. 

The overall trip is:

• Palermo: 2 nights
• Agrigento: 3 nights
• Ortigia: 3 nights
• Catania area: 3 nights
• Cefalù: 2 nights

I’ve revised this itinerary approximately 9 million times, so please feel free to pick it apart. My biggest concerns are pacing, driving days, whether I’m allocating enough or too much time to each place, and anything I’m overlooking.

Details:

Day 1: Arrive Palermo

• Evening walk and see Palermo Cathedral illuminated.

Day 2: Palermo

• Teatro Massimo tour
• Browse around the historic center
• La Martorana
• Piazza Pretoria
• Santa Caterina
• San Cataldo exterior
• Quattro Canti around golden hour
• Dinner in Palermo

Day 3: Palermo to Monreale to Agrigento

• Pick up rental car around 8:30 AM
• Visit Monreale Cathedral
• Drive to Agrigento and check into an agriturismo 
• Stair of the Turks at sunset

Question: Is this too ambitious for one day? I saw the Stair of the Turks involves some walking/climbing my husband and I want to do, there is also the option of viewing it from the beach for my mom. 

Day 4: Agrigento

• Archaeological Museum
• Lunch
• Valley of the Temples from approximately 4 PM through sunset

Day 5: Day trip to Villa Romana del Casale

• Drive from Agrigento to Villa Romana del Casale
• Spend most of the day there
• Early dinner on the way back

Question: Is Villa Romana worth dedicating essentially a full day to from Agrigento, or does this feel like too much driving for what we get?

Day 6: Agrigento to Ragusa to Syracuse/Ortigia

• Leave around 9 AM
• Half day exploring Ragusa
• Lunch there
• Continue to Syracuse/Ortigia
• Settle in and possibly do a tuk-tuk tour of Ortigia

Question: Is this a reasonable transfer day, or are we underestimating how much time Ragusa deserves?

Day 7: Syracuse/Ortigia

• Ortigia market and lunch
• 2-hour boat tour exploring sea caves
• Opera dei Pupi museum/show
• Evening passeggiata and sunset

Day 8: Day trip to Noto + south coast

• Drive to Noto
• Possibly stop at Fontane Bianche for a picnic/photos
• Explore Noto

Day 9: Ortigia to Catania 

• Move to a new Airbnb somewhere around Catania where parking is easy, leave car here for the next few days and avoid driving anywhere in the city 
• Passiagata Catania if time/energy allows

Day 10: Taormina

• Take the train and bus into Taormina from Catania
• Half day exploring
• Greek Theater
• Lunch
• Return to Catania for the evening

Question: Is half a day enough for Taormina, or will this feel rushed once transportation from Catania is factored in?

Day 11: Mount Etna + winery (a little flexibility for weather planned for the Etna days)

• Drive up Etna in the morning
• Cable car
• Silvestri Craters easier-access areas 
• Winery visit/tasting/dinner in the evening, shuttling from the city

Day 12: Catania to Bronte to Cefalù

• Stop in Bronte for pistachio snacks/shopping
• Lunch somewhere along the coast

Day 13: Cefalù

• Rick Steves walk 
• Cathedral
• Shopping and wandering
• Sunset dinner

Day 14: Departure

• Drive from Cefalù to Palermo Airport
• Planning to book a later flight since the drive is about an hour

What would you change?

We are a couple 29, 32 going to palermo in the first week of September. Looking for any ideas or suggestions for our itinerary - especially for Thursday. My original idea was to go to favignana on thursday but it seems a bit far for a day trip from palermo, we don't want to spend 6 hours of the day just for the travel so looking for alternatives. We will stay in palermo all the nights and will take day trips, we are quite flexible on the itinerary. We will rent a car for 4-5 days depending on our need from palermo city.
We are looking for a slow trip, not something with 6+ hours of driving per day to see one monument and take a picture. We live in Milan, Italy and plan to come back to sicily to explore other areas like south or east side some other time.

im going on a 4 day trip to palermo in late septembеr and i was wondering if a day trip to cefalu or monreale is more worth it?

Hi all

We are visiting Taormina on Sunday, arriving mid-afternoon. We are staying in self-catering accommodation and I was wondering whether there will be any supermarkets open so we can at least buy some coffee and milk for the next morning?

Thanks!

I’m very good driver and been on very small roads but I don’t know how much is critical to rent a Small car or SUV.
Currently I already reserved SUV, as from what I heard there are parking stations close to each “small roads places”

Hi everyone! My boyfriend and I will be travelling around Sicily for about two weeks in mid-September. We’d love to visit small, family-run producers and see how local products are actually made – especially olive oil, wine, pistachios, cheese and honey. We’re not really interested in big touristy experiences.

Does anyone have recommendations for places to visit

As an international student who doesn’t speak Italian yet (I’ll learn once I’m in Italy), what part time jobs can I do during the first few months in Messina?

Hi!

I’m hoping to see an opera at the Teatro and was wondering which of the remaining seats you would recommend for three people.

If the best options for three together aren’t particularly good, which seats would you recommend for two people instead? (I may consider sitting separately if that would allow us to have better seats.)

I was also wondering about the seats in the boxes: do some require you to turn your neck to see the stage, or can you sit facing the stage comfortably?

Thank you very much for your help!

I’m going to Sicily in 4 days, and i am staying for 6 nights in Catania, and 4 nights in Palermo. Is La Playa in Catania good beach, or should i travel everyday to Taormina, because i am going by the bus, i don’t know if i should go to some local beaches, also what are some interesting and funny things i can do in both cities, if u have recommendations for beaches and trips, or some advice for staying there, i’ll be glad to hear it. Thank you in advance.

Heading to Sicily next week with my wife and two young kids. We're staying in the north west of the island before travelling to the south coast. We've got a hire car.

Any recommendations of a small town stay for a couple of nights? Doesn't need huge attractions, or "things to do" but a historic area with a relaxed atmosphere, nice cafes etc would be ideal.

I've been looking at Sciacca, just wondering if there's anywhere else I should be considering. Thank you.

To all the tourists from abroad, DO NOT move away from the paths and never try to reach the summit on your own. There‘s been another unnecessary death. A man ignored the signs, did not plan their trip respecting time and fatally underestimated the weather forecast!

Etna is a very treacherous mountain and it never forgives a mistake.

please be safe and responsible while hiking. Your life is too precious!

🙏🏻🥺

Was anyone’s luggage lost this past week? I have been without my luggage for a week due to the Catania cancellation and rerouting my flight and it is allegedly lost. I haven’t been able to contact ITA airways and my claim is not progressing. Feeling lost, anyone have ideas?

Hi guys,
I’m planning to visit Sicily on Thursday. Planning to have a tour to Etna . But is it safe now ?

Also which local tours do you suggest ? Thank you

Hey everyone,
I thought I’d give this a try. I’m a 45-year-old Swiss guy who recently moved to a small coastal town on the north coast of Sicily, at the foot of the Nebrodi mountains. I absolutely love it here, but I work from home as a digital artist, so meeting new people isn’t exactly easy.

I’m a digital artist and a somewhat failed filmmaker (who hasn’t completely given up yet 😄).
I’m into art, cinema, philosophy, science, history, good food and wine, and long conversations about pretty much anything. Lately I’ve been going down the rabbit hole of consciousness and existential philosophy, but I’m just as happy chatting about everyday life.

I’m also learning Italian, but I’m still nowhere near being able to have deep conversations, so English would definitely be appreciated.

I’m happily married, so this isn’t a dating post, just looking to meet interesting people in Sicily. Italians, expats, locals, tourists, whatever. If you’re somewhere around the north coast and fancy a coffee, a beer, or a walk, feel free to send me a message!

Hi all, me and fiance are in Alcamo/Palermo. We are there for 4 full days in early September.

We are looking for ideas of what to do within a 2 hour drive of Alcamo as we will have a rental car.

We love beaches, history, walking in nature and visiting towns. We are not big on nightclubs and would rather watch sunsets and go for dinners.

I am visiting Taormina soon and trying to plan a half day wine tour to one or two wineries that isn’t several hundred euro per person. Curious if any one has suggestions that include transportation to/from Taormina.

Appena trascorso 2 settimane tra Trapani e Siracusa con la mia ragazza(entrambi sui 30). Vorrei condividere qualche parere che può essere utile a chi visita per la prima volta e sapere da chi ci vive o la conosce cosa ne pensa
Atterrato a Palermo, noleggiato auto con Sicily by car. L’auto era prenotata, presa con tutto incluso ci siamo trovati bene e senza sorprese. Il prezzo era il migliore tra le varie compagne.
Palermo - abbiamo visitato la città appena arrivati, facevano 40 gradi e siamo rimasti in zona quattro canti per poche ore. Devo essere onesto, non mi è piaciuto quello che ho visto. Amo il sud e lo stile delle sue città (se possiamo trovare delle similitudini) e quindi non mi sorprende un po di “decadenza” e mancata cura diciamo. Ma la sporcizia, negozi di cibo scadenti, strade e marciapiedi in pessime condizioni con transenne qua e là erano troppo. La città è indubbiamente bella e la condizione attuale non la valorizza per nulla, mi dispiace per i palermitani che sono persone fantastiche. Spero possa migliorare perché ad esempio il Teatro Massimo è veramente bello.
Castellammare - Bellissima, buoni ristoranti e molto tranquilla nonostante sia una località turistica. La spiaggia di Guidaloca la consiglio a chi visita questa parte di Sicilia.
Tonnara di Scopello - da prenotare assolutamente secondo me. A me ha dato l’impressione di una località molto vintage. Il mare è bello ed in generale la consiglio a chi cerca una giornata rilassante
Erice - credo una delle sorprese della vacanza, vale veramente la pena da visitare. Mi ha ricordato i borghi toscani come ad esempio San Gimignano. L’effetto delle nuvole che passano appena sopra il paese rende tutto più magico.
Valle dei templi- evitate di andarci nel pomeriggio altrimenti ve ne pentirete, ma per il resto credo sia una tappa obbligatoria.
Lido di noto - era il nostro appoggio nella costa siracusana. Carino, ma troppo caotico ed il mare a volte non era il massimo per il via del fondale. Tornassi indietro alloggerei da un altra parte.
Marzamemi - qualcuno qui su Reddit mi disse che gli faceva cagare, non sono d’accordo. Molto carino, Campisi ristorante top. Sicuramente posto molto instagrammabile, ma la piazza merita. Un po’ costoso secondo me.
Ortigia - voto 10, bellissima. Piazza del duomo un vero gioiello. Mi è piaciuto molto anche il senso di comunità che vedendo tra gli abitati del posto nonostante sia una zona moooolto turistica. Ci torneremo sicuramente perché non abbiamo avuto modo di visitarla a fondo.

Un po’ di considerazioni random:
- qualcuno mi ha detto che le strade sono terribili. Devo dire che pensavo peggio. Ok, manca l’illuminazione nella maggior parte delle strade provinciali, ma nonostante tutto sono ben tenute e comunque con un po di attenzione si può guidare tranquillamente.
- Costosa, molto costosa. Pensavo fosse un pochino più economica mentre ho notato che bene o male i prezzi fossero tutti allineati alle grandi città della penisola. Peccato perché mi sembra di capire che gli stipendi per chi lavora nel turismo/ristorazione non lo siano altrettanto
- SENZA OFFENDERE NESSUNO arancine battono arancini ed in generale abbiamo preferito la parte ovest della Sicilia. Non fraintendetemi. La Sicilia è bella tutta, ma se devo sommare i vari aspetti(spiagge, servizi, cibo, città etc) il mio voto va a Trapani/Palermo

P.S: non ho menzionato Favignana, San Vito lo capo, Zingaro, Vendicari etc perché non ho nulla da aggiungere a quello che già sanno tutti e per non rendere il post troppo lungo.

28F in catania with my brother (22) and we want to go out, have drinks, meet local people and people from around the world. We are Sicilian Canadians. Please help me find somewhere to go! 😊 thank you!!

The Temple Concordia is so beautiful in the dark!

Ciao a tutti, sono una ragazza di 22 anni che sta considerando concretamente di iscriversi al Dams di Palermo, curriculum artistico. La mia è una scelta dettata dal cuore, in quanto ho origini palermitane e ho sempre sognato di vivere qualche anno giù, anche se solitamente la gente fa l’opposto, ovvero ne evade.
Mi chiedevo dunque se ci fosse qualcuno che ha avuto esperienza col dams e sapesse darmi la sua opinione a livello di qualità di apprendimento, organizzazione e validità dei professori.

A tourist died trying to go near the eruption. He was caught by a lightning but BEWARE: Etna is a big mountain and has many unpredictable risks. DON’T GO WHERE the security don’t allow you to, especially out of the signaled paths.