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Input desired concerning my Sicily itinerary

Input desired concerning my Sicily itinerary

Old Nov 29th, 2016, 11:20 AM
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Input desired concerning my Sicily itinerary

Hi all,

DH and I are planning a trip to Sicily for late April or May. We'd like the trip to be about 2-2.5 weeks, We have not purchased our air tickets as yet, so we can tweak this itinerary adding or subtracting days to it.

DH has reluctantly agreed to drive for 7 days. The rest of the time we would do day trips by public transportation, mainly bus.

The parts of the trip I question most and would like your thoughts are:

1-The first first 3 nights-whether they should be in Catania, Taormina or neither. We would not have a car during this time.We will fly into Catania and out of Palermo..

2- Trapani for 3 nights (see below0.

So after the first 3 nights, possibly in Taormina or Catania to see the area and Mt. Etna, which is not a high priority for me, though it might be interesting, we would take the bus to Ortigia.

3 nights Ortigia-visiting the archeological ruins, Noto by bus and picking up a rental car as we are about to leave. We would drive to Ragusa on the way to Piazza Armerina.

1 night- Piazza Armerina to see the mosaics. We would then drive to Aggrigento.

1 night Aggrigento-to see the ruins and drive to Trapani-

3 nights in Trapani- take the cable car to Erice, drive to Segesta to see the ruins and salt pans. I question whether it is worth 3 nights in Trapani to see Segesta. My main reason for being in Trapani is to see Erice, and I can't figure out any other convenient way to see it from Palermo.Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Drive to Palermo airport and return the rental car. Take the airport bus to Palermo.

5 nights in Palermo- day trip to Monreale, and possibly Cefalu by public transportation. Sightsee in Palermo.

I'd like this trip to be leisurely and as stress free as possible, and would to be at our hotels by 6 PM.

What do you think? Thanks in advance for your help.
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Old Nov 29th, 2016, 11:41 AM
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No need to make Segesta a special trip. Go there as you drive from Trapani to Palermo, it is on the way. Just factor in a couple of hours or so for Segesta, and do take the shuttle to the top with the amphitheatre (walk there from the shuttle stop, it is not immediately visible).
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Old Nov 29th, 2016, 11:44 AM
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Oh, and while in Palermo, visit the marionettes museum, it will amaze and enchant you even if you thought you didn't care for marionettes! Check the hours, when we were there 2 years ago they closed for lunch.
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Old Nov 29th, 2016, 12:40 PM
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We've been to Sicily 2 times, most recently in May 2015. We drove both trips so can't comment on public transportation. I do recall once reading a TR where they did the entire island by public transportation.

I've not been to Catania so can't comment on it. Taormina has gorgeous views, but is very crowded. On the first trip maybe 10 years ago, we stayed for a couple days and the crowds bothered me. This lastest trip I wanted to see the views again so we stayed at an Agriturismo about 30 minutes outside the city. We drove to the big parking lot, left our car and walked around the town ending with an ok lunch there. Still packed with a lot of tour groups. I've read some of the TR's on this board and some people do love it.

We drove and did a day trip to Mt. Etna and I found it moderately interesting. The landscape was interesting and I did enjoy the meandering drive we did. We ended up in a small town and had one of the best meals of the trip. We did the trip from outside Siracusa.

Try to see Noto in the dusk as the light on the buildings is quite lovely.

Agree that you can visit Segesta on the way.

In Palmero we did a food tour that was quite informative in terms of history as well as food. (http://www.streatpalermo.it/en/infotour-2/) Also visited a wonderful house that was a tile museum with fascinating stories about the tiles. If you like tiles, don't miss it. You need to call and set a time. (Museo delle maioliche Stanze al Genio_)

Sicily is a wonderful island and in the Spring the flowers are absolutely gorgeous. We found driving easy as the roads aren't crowded.
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Old Nov 29th, 2016, 05:05 PM
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Sounds like a good plan to me!

1. Your call! I skipped Catania, and regret doing so. I found the views from Taormina breathtaking, but the crowds were so unbearable as to be truly unpleasant. If you want to stay there for the views, consider planning ways to be out of town for as much of the time when day trippers will be there as you can.

When you speak of visiting Mt. Etna, do you mean going to the top or touring the vineyards on the slopes? They are very different experiences….

Whether to visit Segesta en route or not depends on your comfort with leaving luggage in your car and that, I think, is a very personal choice.

Make sure you give yourselves enough time for the extensive ruins in Agrigento. I spent about 6 hours on site, as I recall, and another 1.5 or 2 hours in its archeology museum.

Picking up a rental car upon departing Siracusa and returning it upon your arrival in Palermo makes a lot of sense to me.

I thought the drivers in Sicily absolutely insane, but I survived. ;-) Most other Fodorites seem to have had different experiences.

May can be a particularly delightful time to visit Sicily, as the wildflowers should be in full bloom. Enjoy!
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Old Nov 29th, 2016, 06:00 PM
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We really enjoyed Sicily in May. Everything is green and gold and we saw beautiful poppies in the fields in some areas.

One thing definitely is that you need 2 nights in Agrigento. By the time you see the Greek temples in Agrigento, a huge site, you will never get to Trapani by 6 pm. We stayed at Colleverde Park Hotel. We liked it because it is easy to drive to, with a beautiful view and garden, very relaxing after a long day of sightseeing, nice breakfast, but slightly faded rooms.

http://www.colleverdehotel.it/en/hotel.html

Also just the other side of Agrigento is the Scala dei Turchi, if you are into a little walk along the beach and some spectacular scenery. Watch for the signs if you want to find it.

Catania is not an attractive place. I would never choose it over Taormina. It is all built from dark grey stone, very depressing. We visited friends who are doing volunteer work there, and walked through some of the local streets, where they said the people who know them sometimes tell them to stay off the streets for the day because something is going down. Contrary to what tourist sites want you to believe it is not a nice place.

Go to the market in Ortigia if you want a market.

Some people feel that a hotel room is just a place to sleep, but Taormina is a resort town, so I looked for a hotel where we could hang out and enjoy the view.

We really enjoyed staying at Villa Schuler, with a wondrous view from our room, a beautiful outside space for breakfast, also with view of the coast and Mt. Etna, and a nice garden to linger in.

It was a very beautiful place to spend a few days just relaxing, and watching the world go by. And the staff at Villa Schuler was very very helpful with anything we asked them.

We got up early to see the Greek Theatre, before the tours arrived. Again, a spectacular view. Close by is the Giardini delle Villa Communale, which is a very nice and quiet stroll through shady gardens.

We also took the cable car down to the water and walked out to Isola Bella, very pretty. We then had lunch at Il Barcaiolo, which I recommend. All in all, a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Of course, there are the areas that are very crowded, but the same piazzas can be very beautiful at night when the crowds are gone. We just stayed off Corso Umberto during the daytime, when it is so crowded.

I am a sucker for beautiful sea views though.
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Old Nov 29th, 2016, 06:55 PM
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Just a thought, you could take a bus from the Catania airport to either Ortygia or Taormina, or even if you want to stay by the water, to Giardini Naxos, which is just below Taormina. I would definitely not choose Catania since we found it fairly bleak and unfriendly during our short visit. However, we truly enjoyed the more relaxing pace below Taormina in GIardino Naxos.. Buses are frequent between all of the above.

Last May we stayed in Marsala and Erice instead of Trapanii and visited the salt pans between the two while seeing several sights easily from Erice. Do not be fearful of the drive up to Erice. It is fairly easy if you are not afraid of heights. The road is wide and there are several switchbacks to lighten the grade. However, it is not a road to plan on making up time.

With the exception of Marsala, driving was easily accomplished by avoiding the centers of the most of the old towns. To see Agrigento, we stayed in a nice B&B near the water with easy access to the main historic site and avoided driving in the the busy hill town. We visited Noto and Mt. Etna from Siracuse and did not have any difficulty driving to either. Since we could not avoid all the hill towns, our stays in Erice and Piazza Amorina were carefully planned so that we knew exactly where to park before walking to our accommodations.

Luckily, we were able to plan our arrival in Agrigento for late afternoon so we could see the ruins at sunset and then went the next morning to the Scala dei Turchi which was a lovely walk. It worked well to have one night in Agrigento and we even found time to walk the beach in favor of neglecting the museum. The weather was just too beautiful to be indoors!

You can easily limit your driving by using buses for Ortygia and Taormina, then plan a quick week through the interior ending in Palermo, We loved our week there which included several train (and bus) daytrips out of the city to the places you are already planning.

Have a great trip!

-Annie
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Old Nov 30th, 2016, 07:45 AM
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Don't forget Selinunte (between Agrigento and Trapani).
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Old Nov 30th, 2016, 08:25 AM
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ShelleyK If you like museums and would like to have some context to the temples you see in Agrigento, the Archaeological Museum there is a really good one.
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Old Nov 30th, 2016, 02:37 PM
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Thanks so much for your helpful advice. There's so much to think about. I have not yet decided whether to start in Palermo and end in Taormina or visa versa.

I wish we could do the whole trip via public transportation to avoid the parking hassles, but I know we can't. I've looked into car rentals with Auto Europe. Although we do not want/need a car in Trapani, it looks like getting one or dropping one in Trapani may be a hassle. I'm trying to limit DH's driving to one week of our 16-18 day trip.

I want to make a decision soon, preferably today, so I can book the plane tickets.

On another note, does anyone have any recommendations for places they've stayed in Palermo, Trapani, Piazza Amerina, and Ragusa.

For Palermo we would like a central location, preferably near a bus stop or train for our day trips to Monreale and Cefalu.

For Ragusa and Piazza Amerina we'd like a place with easy parking.

We'd like to spend around $100-$150 including a good breakfast.
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Old Nov 30th, 2016, 04:04 PM
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Shelly

I picked up my rental in Trapani and it was very easy. Took the bus down from Erice which was easy too. Booked through Auto Europe with Hertz.
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Old Nov 30th, 2016, 05:06 PM
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I trust you know that it is possible to visit Sicily without a car? There have been at least two trip reports on it, one by GAC and I think the other was Bruce & Marija.
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Old Dec 2nd, 2016, 04:38 AM
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One of my favorite stops was the night we spent in Villa Clementine near the ruins of Villa Romana. It is a bit outside the town itself, down a dirt road on the way to the ruin site if you are driving there from the town of Piazza Armerina. Very nice accommodations, great breakfast, and very lovely grounds. Rita is a super friendly owner. If you will be there in summer, the pool looked very inviting, but we were there in October.

Our hotel in Palermo was about a two minute walk from where the airport bus drops you off in town at Teatro Politeama. The Garibaldi (booked last minute on booking.com) -- Charmless, modern, but great concierge, extremely clean, decent breakfast. We were going to stay in Palazzo Pantaleo but had a last minute change. There are so many nicer places we passed in town itself, but this was just so convenient for getting into town from the airport. I'm sure you can find lots of beautiful places in town with charm in your price range. I would look in the area of a square bordered by Teatro Politeama and 4 Canti on top and bottom, and the Cathedral and Via Roma on the two sides, if that makes sense.

The bus to Monreale is quite central (near the entrance to Capela Palentina). We just walked there in the morning from our hotel. I wouldn't worry about finding a place just to be close to that stop. Walking in Palermo is such a treat you won't mind having to hoof it a bit. I didn't go to Cefalu so I can't tell you where you would leave from.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 02:26 AM
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I second kja:
There are plenty of buses between Catania airport and places like Taormina, Siracusa, Noto, Ragusa, etc. Thre are some trains too. The villa at Casale is a it more difficult, however, but feasible. May be you would have to sleep in the area, as there is no left luggage office (AFAIK). Agrigento - Trapani is easy by public transport, but via Palermo.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 05:06 AM
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I was just about to sing the praises of Villa Clementine, a fabulous place just outside of Piazza Armerina. One of the loveliest places to stay, and as lreynolds says, Rita is a great hostess and makes a fabulous breakfast.

We really enjoyed staying in Erice and found that it was loveliest during the morning and early evening after the tourists leave. It's got charm and ambience and its location is lovely. We were there 2 nights so used the full day to explore Segesta and Trapani.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 09:35 AM
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One advantage of taking the bus between Siracusa and Taormina is that the bus drops off right in Taormina, while the train station is on the waterfront, a Euro 15 ride away from the hotel zone. From our experience this past May, the trains that run along there are not that nice.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 12:59 PM
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sundried,

My experience of the train between Siracusa and Taormina was that it was on time, clean, and new. No problems at all. The train I took only had about 2 stops.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 02:22 PM
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sundried, if you are really not bothered about seeing Etna [and you will get glimpses of it as you arrive in Catania airport where you can hardly avoid seeing it] then I would suggest crossing Taormina off your list and spending a little more time in Ortigia and the Baroque towns before you head west.

I would suggest 3 nights in Ortigia, 2 in Ragusa, [perhaps exploring Noto en route and using the second day to see Modica, Scilci and the coast] a night in Piazza Armerina, 2 in Agrigento etc.

[I can't help you after that as we spent all of our ten days in the east, flying into and out of Catania]
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Old Dec 4th, 2016, 01:23 AM
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We found driving quite easy in Sicily. Most of the main attractions have nice parking lots/areas nearby so you don't need to drive into towns. I have mentioned on several threads that we left luggage not visible in our car in the countryside and in smaller towns and had no issues, I would not do it in a big city such as Palermo.

In Palermo we stayed at a small BnB, hotel Alma. It was less than a year old at the time and the owners were wonderful. They couldn't have been. Iced or more helpful. Price was quite reasonable.

Agree with Progol that Erica is at its best in the morning and late afternoon/evening when all the day trippers leave. As another poster mentioned the road to Eric's, while winding is not bad and offers beautiful views out to the countryside.
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 12:51 PM
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Thanks so much for your input. I'm still in the planning stage-deciding whether to go in early April (to get out of the northeast dreary spring weather) or May. If we go in April we will be there over Easter weekend, and I am not sure if/how that may affect travel and museum closures. If any Fodorites have been in Sicily over Easter weekend, what was your experience in terms of unusual crowds, travel and closures.
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