Hi everyone, my husband and I are spending 11 days in Sicily in August. We love history and we love the beach. I'd like your opinion on an itinerary I'v worked out and would like to know if it is okay or should it be changed. At the moment we think we'll be using public transport.
We're catching the train from Naples and spending 3 nights in Taormina. We want to see Mt Etna and Catania from there. Then catch the train along the northern coast to Palermo and stay for 3 nights. We'll use Palermo as a base to do the nearby sights. Then 2 nights in Agrigento, 2 nights in Syracuse and 1 night in Pozzallo as we're catching a ferry to Malta early the next day.
Are we staying in too many places? If we cut out Agrigento and stay more nights in Syracse can we do a day trip to Agrigento from Syracuse?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you, Marea

There are quite a few TRs for Sicily on the board that you might find useful. I would vote for less time in Taormina, especially if you're not getting over jet lag, and might skip Catania. that would give you an extra day in Ortygia (the island, rather than Siracusa on the mainland). I also don't see where you're visiting the villa Casale. Doubt you can do Agrigento as a day trip, and you would miss seeing the temples at night (I haven't, but it sounds worthwhile).

I agree with thursdaysd -- and would add the following thoughts:

Have you considered an overnight ferry from Naples instead of the train? I'm not sure what the pros and cons might be, but FWIW: I took the ferry from Milazzo to Naples, seeing several of the Aeolians in the setting sun. I woke up to a magnificent view of the Faraglioni, and then stunning views of Mt. Vesuvius and Naples. Well worth it, from my perspective!

While I thought the views from Taormina quite spectacular, even in late May, I found that I was quite literally shoulder-to-shoulder with others during the day there -- nearly unable to ambulate on my own as the throngs moved along with no room to step aside except at cross streets. I used it as a base for Mt. Etna -- by which I mean that I went to the top of Mt. Etna with a tour, while many people mean they want to visit the vineyards of Mt. Etna, which -- I think -- can be done from elsewhere. If you do decide to stay in / near Taormina, consider Castelmola instead.

3 nights is not much, IMO, for Palermo -- particularly if you want to use it as a base for nearby sites. FWIW, I had 2.5 days in Palermo, including a 1/2 day in un-missable Monreale, but no other side trips, and I regret that I didn't give that dynamic, energetic, and fascinating city more time. I haven't been to Catania yet, but have heard many people say there is a similarity. I, for one, would skip Catania and add the time to Palermo or...

2 nights in Siracusa is not much. I was VERY glad I gave it 3 full nights, which meant a bit more than 2.5 days. And I, too, strongly recommend staying in Ortygia.

Agrigento would make for a VERY long day trip from Siracusa, particularly if trying to travel by public transportation. If it helps, I spent about 6 hours visiting the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento -- and I skipped most of the huge section to the north of the main ridge. I spent about 1.5 hours, as I recall, in the museum, and some time roaming the quirky lanes of Agrigento's medieval core. And yes, the view of the temples lit at night was delightful.

Bottom line: 11 days is very little for magnificent Sicily. You will see some wonderful things, but you will need to be selective.

There are many TRs on Sicily, but I think only a few that describe traveling there independently with public transportation. Look for a report by GAC and another by Bruce and Marija. (My apologies to those whose no-car TRs I've forgotten.)

Hope that helps!

All the information that both you and Thursdaysd have given have left me pondering and in need of reassessing my itinerary. There is so much I'd like to see and do, but unfortunately we have time constraints. From your comments I'm assuming most tourists hire cars. How easy is it to navigate the roads of Sicily and to find parking? I was thinking of staying in Ortygia. Thank you for your advice there. It looks like I need to move some of our days around. I've also added Villa Casale to my plans.
I will look into the ferry service from Naples as well.
To both of you, all of your advice has been valuable.
Marea

You might want to take a look at my trip report, skipping over the medical adventure; click on my name to find it.

My understanding is that the car rental details I provide are out of date, as the broker has changed its policies on insurance coverage.

I used a car for only 3 days while in Sicily -- I picked it up at around noon on my way out of Palermo; visited both Segesta and Selinunte on my way to an overnight # 1 in Agrigento; once done in Agrigento, drove on for a brief visit of, and overnight # 2 in, Enna; visited the Villa Romana del Casale en route to Caltigirone, with time to explore there, before spending the night # 3, and then turned it before noon in Siracusa, just outside of Ortygia.

IME, driving in Sicily can be ... exhilarating. It has its challenges (IME, Sicilian drivers can be crazy!), but the major roads that I drove were well marked and well banked -- if only Sicilians honored the lane markings. Seriously! Major highways marked for 2 lanes each way sometimes had 4 or 5 lanes of traffic, with cars on the shoulders and between the "marked" lanes, motorcycles whipping between and around cars, and all at speeds well above posted limits and high enough to make me extremely uncomfortable -- at least near Palermo. Driving on side roads was a bit more like driving on side roads anywhere -- locals and jerks drive faster than anyone can actually do so with safety, so expect the unexpected and drive defensively.

Certainly, if you rent a car, make sure you make plans for what to do with it while in cities, where they will generally not be to your advantage.

And to reiterate: You CAN visit Sicily independently without a car. You just need to factor in the time it will take to use public transportation.

If you stay in Ortygia, you might look at L'approdo delle Sirene:
http://www.apprododellesirene.com

One thought: With 11 days, you might consider on focusing on EITHER the west OR the east of Sicily. Doing so should allow you to maximize your time seeing things relative to your time in transit. Just a thought....