Dear everybody,

My friend and I are going to Sicily in March. Our stay will be 8-10 days long... so short for Sicily! Choice is difficult, specially without car (we'll rely on public transportation, random?). For a cultural journey, and a little bit athletic too (hiking), we hesitate sooo much, could you please help us?

- Syracuse, Catania and Mt. Etna, Aeolian Islands,

or

- Palermo, Cefalù and Madonie, Aeolian Islands?

Which one would you recommend?

Are the sites of interest in Palermo area (Monreale, Solunto, Mt. Pellegrino) accessible by bus in March? Is it possible to visit the Etna in this period (South face, maybe in snowshoes)?

Thanks a lot

In March I would stick to Palermo plus Siracusa or Catania. I would definitely not go to the Aeolian islands.

Me too I am going to Sicily in March because of my job and I will stay in Taormina.
Then I will stay also during the week-end and it is my pleasure to stay in Siracusa.
I want to mean that, IMO, in this period and without car, your first choice, East Sicily is better than the second (West Sicily).
No Aelian Islands and the South side of Etna yes only if a very sunny day.
And, anyway, as you will stay there for more than one week, planning in a smart way you can visit also Val di Noto.

Have a lovely trip, ciao.

Vincenzo

The Aeolian islands are great. If you want excellent hiking, Lipari offers scenic cross island treks, with good assents and overlooks. Stromboli, Europe's active volcano, has unbelievable hikes up the volcano...at night as well!!!! Salina is very quiet but again, very good for hiking, and excellent food at the several restaurants. In Lipari be sure to go to Filipino Restaurant for a special dinner.

Yes, the Aeolian islands are lovely - I spent the best part of my honeymoon there. But not in March.

March Aeolian Islands brrrrrrrrrrr
it's too cold ... and nothing to do at thar time of the year better a location like Taormina or Cefalù

Our favroite palces are Agrigento, Cefalu, Taormina, and Segesta.

I, too, would skip the Aolian Islands in March and substitute Taormina. A visit to Mt. Etna is very easy from Taormina but would work only if the weather is decent.

Spend at least 4 days in Palermo, allowing yourself a day to visit Monreale. I think the buses run in March - we took a municipal bus from Palermo to Monreale and there seemed to be a number of locals on the bus.

Enjoy your planning and your trip - Sicily is fabulous!

Siracusa, Catania/Mount Etna, Taormina and Aeolian Islands. Palermo ranks at the very bottom of all the Sicilian cities I've visited. It will be a little chilly in March in the Aeolian Islands but the hiking on Vulcano, views of Stromboli erupting, and Lipari are well worth it.

Basing yourself out of Siracusa (Ortygia) gives you the best point to see the Ionian coast. From Siracusa you can get to all the locations mentioned by everyone else and stay the most historic area at the same time. A great B&B is the Vacanze Aretusa on the island of Ortygia.