Planning on base cities of Palermo and Taormina with side trips to Agrigento and Siracusa. Will having a car make life much easier? I am totally fine with public transit, I think a car can really be a hassle sometimes. But I'm wondering if the bus/train system is a pain?

Been to Sicily 3 times and the last two times have had a car. I would definitely opt for the car over public transportation. Driving in both Palermo and Taormina is a challenge, but we would park the car at the hotel and not use it again until we were on our way out. The roads in the countryside are very easy to drive and well marked. Having a car gives you the freedom of stopping in little towns along the road or at a beach if you so desired.

Yes, having a car will make life easier in general. I've been before (with a car) and will be going back in may and renting a car again. It really allows a lot more freedom.

Renting a car in Sicily is useful to visit the countryside, make frequent stopovers between cities, and is indispensable for some minor sites such as Eraclea Minoa, Mothia, Solunto, Pantalica, Tindaris, Camerina, Himera, Selinunte, etc. which are really off the beaten track. However, a car is a totally useless handicap (and expense) in Palermo and Taormina, where you will be walking quite a bit. For Agrigento, there is frequent and inexpensive bus AND train service from Palermo (two hours in each direction). For Siracusa, there is frequent and inexpensive bus and train service from Taormina (see my separate posting concerning day trips between these two cities using a combination of bus and train). You can also do daytrips from Palermo to Piazza Armerina (see my posting), Enna, Trapani/Erice, Cefalu and Segesta (see my posting), as well as from Taormina to Catania and Messina. So don't feel compelled to rent a car if you really prefer not to, and certainly if your sightseeing will be limited to these major cities. When I spent 18 days in Sicily three years ago, I found the public transportation system to be generally reliable and in all cases reasonably priced. I did not have to worry about finding parking, and could enjoy the scenery from the priviledged vantage point of a bus window.

I too am thinking of renting a car in Sicily in May. Should this be done in advance or at airport in Catania.what company do you recommend?

I've always read in the guidebooks that rates are better if you reserve in advance so that's what we do. Try Autoeurope - they are a broker that gets volume discounts with a couple of different agencies (Europcar, Avis and Auto Europa) and usually have the best rates 1800-223-5555 or autoeurope.com. <BR><BR>If you won't need a car for your first destination, you might want to consider taking public transportation to your first stop and then picking up your rental car to avoid the 14% airport pickup surcharge. There is easy convenient bus service from Catania airport (check the Catania airport website for the link - the one we took last year was Interbus to Taormina) to most big towns in Sicily.

If you are just visiting those cities, you will not need a car, it will be a waste..you might also see Palermo, Taormina, Siricusa by public trans. and then rent a car to visit the bottom half of Sicily and all the ruins. We did this and it worked out great. Be warned...the driving on the roads and highways is a breeze...but if you venture into the little towns, the streets are VERY narrow...we had our car stuck between two buildings,two stairways, two stoops, on more occasions that I would like to admit...buy the insurance!!!

Try at all costs to avoid renting a car at the Catania airport. Did that last September and it was complete chaos. Took us nearly two hours to get to the counter after having to stand our ground in the crowd, which did not really understand the concept of &quot;first come, first served&quot; Having a car is great for the fexibility it offers, but really, we did not use it as much as we had planned. After negotiating our way to the Hotel Villa Schuler we didn't want to get behind the wheel for a few days!! Taormina streets are not for the feint of heart.