8 day Sicily itinerary - feedback please!
 

Hello,

Im sorry about posting yet again - Ive gotten sooo much feedback from this forum and am close to finalising my itinerary - any futher feedback would be wonderful!

I will be arriving in Lipari (from hydrofoil in Naples) and staying overnight there.

Day 1: Lipari, night trip to Stromboli - Overnight Lipari
Day 2: Visit Vulcano - Overnight Lipari
Day 3: Travel to Taormina - Overnight Taormina
Day 4: Taormina - Overnight Taormi
Day 5: Visit Mt Etna - Overnight Taormina
Day 6: Travel to Catania - Overnight Catania
Day 7: Visit Syracuse (Noto aswell?) - Overnight Catania
Day 8:Catania in morning - Flu home in afternoon

Am I moving around too much? Is there something you think I should skip?

Thanks in advance

Have you already been to western Sicily, or are you saving it for your next trip?

Catania is pretty close to Taormina, so if you especially want to see Catania, you could reamin in Taormina and visit Catania for the day. If your real purpose in moving to a hotel in Catania is to use it as a base for visiting Siracusa, would you consider staying overnight in Siracusa instead?

In the Aeolian islands, I personally wouldn't pick Vulcano, because it smells repulsive (sulphur). I'd either spend more time on Lipari island or substitute Salina for Vulcano. Salina is very beautiful, a perfect place for hiking, has sites that you may recognize from Il Postino which was partially filed there, and has many capers plants growing, which are interesting to see.

Thanks for your helping advice. I think I will skip Vulcano and go to Salina instead.

And, yes, thats an interesting point about staying in Syracuse instead - I think I might consider this. Only problem is that I fly out of Catania - how good are the transport option from Syracuse to Catania?

Yes, Im travelling by train.

I got a bus from Syracusa to Catania that actually stopped at the airport en route. Buses leave Syracusa every hour on the hour. Not sure how many of them stop at the airport, but I bet many do.

If you are going to visit Siracusa along with Ortigia from Catania-I think that the day will be full and impossible to include Noto too.

Yes, I agree. Noto is also easier to get to by bus. There aren't so many trains.

Hi Simone, it's been interesting reading your evolving itinerary. I would stay in Taormina and Siracusa and skip Catania other than the airport. I wanted to add that there are a LOT of other great Sicily highlights (Agrigento, Cefalu, Villa Casale) that would be within your reach if you wished to speed up the pace, but that my not be your style. Enjoy.

We had a month in Sicily and Malta recently - if you click on my name the report will come up.
Noto is about an hour by bus from Siracusa, you'd want at least an hour or two there, then an hour travelling back. Also a lot of things are shut in the afternoon for siesta so suggest you visit in the morning.
Buses are generally better for travel in Sicily. There is a bus from Catania airport to Siracusa and reverse, takes about an hour and a half. Most tourists stay in Ortigia (Siracusa) which is the old part of the city.
It seems like a lot of moving around in a short time, if it was me I'd just stay on Lipari and Taormina and do day trips. From Taormina it's an easy bus ride to Catania airport, takes about an hour.
It would be worth your while having a look at the Sicily Lonely Planet guide, it's very useful and has good info on buses vs trains.
Kay

Sicily is wonderful, simone99. Lucky you to be going there.
I wasn't impressed by Catania. You received good advice in skipping the move there.
Noto is a charming little town, I actually spent a couple of nights there. You can walk into the main square in the morning and have coffee. During the day, I would take the car out and just find these hidden roads...it's was wonderful. Driving was a breeze there.
A town that I simply loved is further in from Noto, Modica. It simply took my breath away when I saw it.
email me, if you like, for my Sicily pictures.
It will give you some ideas of Modica, Noto and so on.
Best wishes for a wonderful trip.
[email protected]

We spent 5 days in Salina this summer and LOVED it. We took a boat trip around the island with a fisherman named Giovanni... it was the highlight of our trip. Honestly, if you are just spending the day in Salina, ask around for him in Santa Marina. Or, rent a moped and ride to Pollara (the beach from Il Postino) it is amazing... [the roads are very hilly/curvy so be prepared]

Dear Simone,

I agree with others that suggest Syracusa as your second place to stay, rather than Catania. The airport in Catania is somewhat outside the downtown area and we found it pretty easy to negotiate. It is not a problem to get from either Taormina or Syracusa on the day of your flight, without staying in Catania.

Since you're on the west side of Sicilia, consider spending a day at the Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina. Best Roman mosaics I've ever seen.

Best wishes,

SusanEva

Can anyone steer me to a hotel by the Catania airport that might be reasonable? I will be staying in Ortigia and between the bus schedules and leaving back to Rome on the 6am flight-I would rather stay by the airport.Thanks for your help!

I would also recommend staying in Siracusa instead of Catania : the archaeological park, the catacombs & wandering rounf Ortygia will take a full day, & it's a much more charming place than Catania. Also agree that Vulcano is the least attractive of the Aeolian islands. And no, I wouldn't try to pack anything else in.