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5 days in Sicily - where to go and what to do

5 days in Sicily - where to go and what to do

Old Jun 7th, 2011, 01:34 AM
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5 days in Sicily - where to go and what to do

Hi

My boyfriend and I(28 years old) are planning to go to Sicily for 5 days (4 nights) at the beginning of September. Can anyone provide any suggestions on where to go and what to see? We like a good mix of beach and sights and love good food and wine. We are flying into Palermo. Should we rent a car for the 5 days? Any accommodation suggestions are also welcome!
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Old Jun 7th, 2011, 02:51 AM
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That's not very long, you could spend the time in Palermo, but not sure what is there. We really liked Lipari which is not that far from Palermo. Bus or train to Milazzo, then ferry out to the islands. There are 8 islands in that group (Aeolian Islands). You might like to stay here -
http://www.dianabrown.it/en_index.html

We had 3 nights there a number of years ago and found the room clean, central and well equipped (nothing fancy though, I'm assuming you don't want luxury). Diana Brown's gets great reviews on TripAdvisor.

Kay
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Old Jun 7th, 2011, 03:34 AM
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Unless you have some particular towns you want to visit where you would need a car I would stay in Palermo. You can take the bus to the beach (about 30 minutes).

If you want recommendations on what to do then you should give us an idea of your interests. Why did you choose Sicily if you do not know what there is to do there?
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Old Jun 7th, 2011, 04:18 AM
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I chose Sicily because I have heard that there is great food and it is very beautiful. We have 5 days and are trying to decide if sicily is the place for us. As I said above, we like to eat good food and drink good wine and would like a bit of beach and also some sights to see.
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Old Jun 7th, 2011, 04:27 AM
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The island is far to big to try and see much in only 5 days, so focus on what interests you, and just make a selection. As you only have four nights, then you can probably disregard the east of the island (Siracusa, Taormina, Messina, Noto, Modica, Ragusa etc) as it would be at least a four hour drive from Palermo and you really don't want to waste that much time travelling.

Cefalú has a decent beach, some nice tourist spots and decent restaurants. You can get there by train from Palermo in an hour. Agrigento would alo be doable by tain (If based in Cefalú, change at Termini Imerese)

If you had a car it would open up many sights within a couple of hours of Palermo: Erice, Agrigento, Selinunte, Piazza Armerina etc.

Much as I enjoyed my recent trip to Lipari and the Aeolian Islands, you don't have much time, and anything less than an overnight stay is going to be almost all travel.
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Old Jun 7th, 2011, 04:29 AM
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I didn't think Sicily was as beautiful as other parts of Italy. For my money I would go to Venice.

You still haven't said what type of sights you like to see so it's hard to advise. There's not much sightseeing in the small towns. If you go to Palermo be sure to see a puppet show.
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Old Jun 7th, 2011, 04:36 AM
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Five days is a very short time to see much of Sicily. It is indeed very beautiful and the food is wonderful but that can be said for many locations in Italy far easier to see in 5 days.

Sicily offers many differing locations and, without knowing your interests, it's hard to suggest where you should go. I agree that you should probably stay in Palermo and make day trips. One of our favorite day trips is Monreale, a small town near Palermo with a very interesting cathedral. Perhaps you could even take a day trip to Agrigento. While the beaches in Sicily are not the most fabulous, there are decent beaches near Palermo

Give us some idea of what you want to experience and we'll try to help.
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Old Jun 7th, 2011, 05:34 AM
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My wife and I spent 10 days in Sicily last Fall. In Palermo I would suggest a vist to the Vuccieria open market. A vast array of stands selling every conceivable fruit, vegetable and fish you could imagine. The sites, sounds and smells were memorable. The one site that should not be missed is a visit to the Capuchin Catacombs. We have been to many ancient sites in Egypt, Greece, and Italy but this ones will always stand out. Here is a link.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/i...chin-catacombs

If you intending on doing some excursions outside of Palermo I would also suggest Monreale as a 'must see' along with Erice.
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