A week in Sicily, maybe more
 

I'll have about a week in Italy in May 2020, though I may extend that time. Have a rough plan to stay in Taormina and Siracusa. Not sure about whether to see Palermo or other areas. Whaddya think? Any info about the cities I've mentioned is appreciated, as well as other places. Should I do more than a week? Thanks.

"Should I do more than a week?"

If you can, why not?

You won't run out of places to see and stuff to do even if you stay a month.

"You won't run out of places to see and stuff to do even if you stay a month."
For example?

I spent 15 days in 2005 in May and still did not see the islands.
If you are going anyway you might as well do it right.
You will enjoy it. Search for my trip report.

As a general starting point, seeing just the highlights of Sicily takes 2.5 to 3 weeks. You can see some wonderful things with less time; only you can decide if the transportation time justifies the limited sampling you'll be able to experience. Many people with less than 2 weeks focus on either the east or the west of the island, not that doing so is your only option.

For what to see, consult a good guide book. I found the Rough Guide especially good for Sicily, but any guide book should prove useful, and the cost will be nugatory in comparison to the cost of your trip. Or you can go to a library or book store.

Of the places you mention:

• I love Palermo, which has more than enough to keep one happily busy (very busy!) for 3 or 4 days.
• I also really enjoyed Siracusa, which also has more than enough for a stop of 3 or 4 days. And BTW, stay in Ortigia.
• Taormina is beautiful, but so crammed packed with day trippers that it can be incredibly unpleasant during the day.

Thanks to all. Our itinerary and time frame are flexible, so it looks like we may in fact extend the time in Sicily. What I'm hearing here about Taormina matches the results of my other research on the subject. Might skip it. We had friends who weren't crazy about Palermo, but I think sometimes a place just hits you wrong, and that may be what happened with them.

I'll keep researching. The stuff here puts me on the right trail.

I would not skip Taormina, no matter how crowded and touristy it may be.

The sunset view of the Etna from the Greek theatre on a good day is one of the most memorable scenes from Sicily.

My mind will probably change several times between now and the time of the trip, but at least I have some good ideas. I'll put Taormina back on the "maybe" list for a day or three.

We visited Sicily for the first time a few months ago and had a wonderful time visiting Palermo, Agrigento, Villa Romano Casale and Siracusa. We would love to go back and see more.

I spent three weeks on Sicily and would love to go back. My TR is dated (can't believe it's been so long!) but you might find it useful anyway: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...sicily-367548/

I would not do Taormina as a day trip, you'll share it with the worst of the crowds. If you're going, spend one night and arrive late afternoon and leave in the morning. Do spend time in Ortigia, Trapani and Erice. Do not miss the Villa Casale and Monreale! I was fine with Palermo, but I stayed in a more residential section.

I'll probably do AirBnB or VRBO, I tend to stay in neighborhoods every place I go, when possible. Would probably do that in Palermo. What's a good area to stay in?

Sicily for 7+ days
 

Hi vinny! It's giuli here!
I'm Italian and my husband is from Sicily, I know the whole island perfectly and I want to share with you some precious recommendations [img]cid:B4A7D464-924D-44F7-A63C-51DDBA7CFD84[/img]
First of all, if you can stay for more than a week, please do it!
Probably you will land in Catania, right? Catania is midway between Taormina and Siracusa (please check the map). So you can decide where to start!
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a1c37c3a1a.png

About Palermo, yes for sure you have to visit it but, you will stay between Taormina and Siracusa and Palermo is on the opposite side. So it would take around 4 hours driving (without traffic) to reach Palermo. If you have the opportunity to come back, i would enjoy another trip in Sicily on the west side and this time enjoy the eastern part, to truly live it!
Here's my suggestions:
- Rent a car directly at the airport, so that you will return it before you take your flight back home and you are free to move around as you prefer (also because public transportations are not the best in Sicily);
- Start going north to Taormina, stopping by Acireale, Acitrezza, Giarre, Letojanni (stop at da Nino for dinner, it's delicious!!!);
- Proceed always north, reaching Messina where you can admire the Strait (the strait between Sicily and Calabria);
- Go to Milazzo, lovely little town, main port for the Aeolian Islands. Have you heard about them? This is a volcanic archipelago composed by 7 wonderful islands, their names are Stromboli, Panarea, Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Alicudi and Filicudi. I would strongly strongly strongly recommend to enjoy at least one boat charter in the Aeolian Islands to sail around this unique paradise on earth!
- Don't miss Cefalu and then go back to Catania's area. From there you will reach Siracusa, where you will surely visit Ortigia (go the market and don't miss "Caseificio Borderi", its definitively exquisite!!!). From the proceed a bit south to Marzamemi, another little pearl of Sicily!

Unless you know, for certain, that the OP will not be crossing any time zones before landing in Sicily (whether Catania or Palermo), recommending that someone should rent a car from an airport is truly BAD advice. Driving after crossing several times zones is JUST as dangerous, to oneself and others, as driving drunk, and there is absolutely nothing that anyone can do to avoid that, other than spending at least a day in the time zone in which one lands.

Thanks for the info. Don't have my flight plans yet but almost certainly will be landing in Catania.
Appreciate the heads-up on driving jet lagged, but I will have been in Europe for at least a couple of weeks before arriving in Sicily.

I'm glad to hear that! Sorry for the diatribe.

"I will have been in Europe for at least a couple of weeks before arriving in Sicily."

Where are you going to leave from to Sicily?

Somewhere in Italy. Not certain yet.

In that case I recommend you to travel by train instead of flying.

Getting to Sicily by train is a beautiful journey along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea and crossing the Strait of Messina on the rail ferry is something very unique(there are only 2-3 places in the world where you can do that).

It'll be a journey to remember and be a part of your Italian travel experience, and not just another boring flight, not to mention it helps to reduce your carbon footprint.

It saves you the hassle of how to travel from Catania airport to Siracusa, because the trains from Rome and Milan go direct to Siracusa where the railway station is only a 15 minute walk from Ortigia and the trains stop in Taormina as well.

https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-ro...-to-sicily.htm

https://rail.cc/en/blog/night-train-sicily

https://rail.cc/en/blog/volcano-etna-train

Interesting idea. I'll definitely consider it..TY

We flew into Palermo from Rome, easy airport to navigate, and at the end of the trip, departed from Catania airport which was a total zoo that morning.
We loved Sicily and plan to return. We’ll skip Taormina next time, though.

My own trip in 2013 was inspired by bobthenavigator and thurdsdayd. I went for 3.5 weeks, including 5 nights on the Aeolian Islands and it still wasnt enough. I would recommend taking as long as you possibly can! Another here who did less than 24 hours in Taormina and would not go back.

Good stuff.

Unlike everyone else here, I think that Taormina is worth a visit. I have been three times in April and did some day trips, and I didn't find the city too crowded. It definitely is worth getting a hotel room with a view there though, and being a little off of the main drag. The Hotel Villa Schuler is lovely.
If you want to visit Etna or a vineyard, that is easily done from Taormina or Catania.
In siracusa, stay in Ortigia, the oldest part, and agree that you should definitely go to the market and visit Casificio Borderi. We also liked Fratelli burgios, next door to Casificio Borderi for a sit down lunch. I found a guide helpful for visiting the archeological park in Siracusa.
I think you should plan based on your interests. Greek theatres: Taormina, Siracusa, Segesta. Mosaics: Villa Romana (in the middle of the island - a great stop if you are traveling from one side to the other), Monreale, Palermo: Capella palatina. Greek temples: Agrigento, Segesta. I haven't been to Selinunte myself. I have only ever had a week so I had to pick and choose places. Palermo is noisy and gritty, but has a fascinating mix of cultures and a lively nightlife. Ortigia seems to be a hit with most people. I loved Erice, on the west coast above Trapani, for a short visit if you want a peaceful medieval town with incredible views. There is hiking in various places. I have always flown into Catania and out of Palermo and rented a car.

I would look up some info about Sicily, or watch a Rick Steves video and figure out what appeals to you to narrow it down.

Thanks. Good, helpful input.

My husband and I were assured by a b&b owner that walking from the Ortigia bus stop to her inn was easy and quick. Ha! Main streets that lacked sidewalks, road beds made from cobblestones, and two 26" inch suitcases made this less than desirable. We are in excellent health, but even so, dodging trucks and cars was nerve-racking. Get a cab!

Carol

We only had a a shade over a week in Sicily but made the most of it anyway. Yes, it's true that the island has much to see and one could spend weeks there. However, if you have only a week, it's still well worth a visit.

Our fast-paced trip: flew into Palermo, a couple of days there. We LOVED Palermo and were able to see quite a bit, Capella Palatina, the Cathedral, Norman Palace, la Martorana, the churches with the Serpotta stuccoes, Quattro Canti, Fontana Pretoria, Piazza Marina, Teatro Massimo and Teatro Politeama, an afternoon at Monreale. Many of these sights are close to each other and some we just did as walk-bys. I'm a fast walker and have lots of energy, so your mileage may vary.

We drove to Agrigento, stopping to see Segesta on the way. We spent one night at Agrigento for the Valle dei Templi, where we spent several hours. Drove to Modica, spent three nights, one day for Modica and Ragusa, one day we drove to Villa Romana del Casale. That day we stopped briefly, not really on purpose, got lost and decided to get out, at Caltagirone.

We finished the trip with a few nights on Ortigia, where we dropped the car off. Had a driver take us to Catania for our flight onward to Rome.

I was the sole driver and was pretty tired by the time we got to Rome. Luckily, we had all been to Rome several times, so we just took it easy there. In retrospect, I would have devoted more time to Sicily because it was a lot of driving for me, but there you go. We all enjoyed Sicily immensely and I hope to return someday.

Have a wonderful trip.

Thanks, especially for the info on Palermo.