ssachida

Hi,
I'm going to be visiting Sicily form Dec 5th to the 15th.

I'll be visiting from London. I'm looking forward to Greek architecture (well the ruins of them at any rate) and a relaxed pace. My flights are already booked. I've booked some hotels too, but they are cancellable.

Here's my proposed itinerary:
Dec 5th: Fly LGW - CTA (arrives 1800). Bus to Ortigia.
6th-9th: Siracusa with one or more day trips to the Baroque towns.
10th: Agrigento
11-12: Palermo/Monreale
13th: travel to Taormina
14th: Taormina (trip to Etna, perhaps??)
15th: CTA - LGW. Flight leaves at 1900.

Should I skip Palermo and save it for a trip to 'Western Sicily'? Norman architecture isn't the focus of this trip. I can't bring myself to skip Agrigento though. I could split the time between grigento and bit more time at Taormina and the Etna trip (I love hiking - in any weather)

I'll mostly be relying on public transport, but I am debating between 1 way car hire(~150GBP) and a private driver (~250GBP) from Siracusa to Agrigento. I could probably reduce the rate of the car to if i picked up from Catania instead of Sircusa. I will be driving solo with no 'navigator'. Is a private guide/driver wrth the extra cash?
Any opinions?

Any other alterations you'd make?

ssachida

Forgot to mention, that I would have added a stop at Piazza Armerina, but the villa is currently closed for renovations.

The people at SicilyLife, who are the private car service I'm considering, suggest Caltogirone instead. Opinions?

zeppole

Just for openers, I think your ambitions for hiking around Etna might need to be scaled back given that you are going in December. If you are keen on getting closer to Etna than seeing it from Taormina, look into going with a group.

I would have thought that there is a bus from Siracusa to Agrigento. I would not want to drive it solo.

You are almost already "skipping" Palermo as it is, since getting to Monreale and touring that site will be a full day, leaving not much for a city as large as Palermo. It always makes sense to slow down and save major cities and sites for a future trip, but were it me, I would add that time to the Siracusa and the Baroque towns, not Taormina (other than to see the Greek theater) or an attemtpt to climb Etna.

Hope that helps. Have a great trip!

MiniMe

I like your itinerary-I would suggest skipping Palermo. I've spent a considerable amount of time in Sicily and Palermo is by far my least favorite city there. Siracusa and Ortigia are absolutely delightful and you will enjoy every minute of your time there.

Agrigento is also well worth the trip as the ruins are fantastic. I wouldn't rent a car based on this itinerary, the bus system in Sicily is fantastic and you can easily get from Siracusa to Agrigento. Which Baroque towns are you visiting from Siracusa?

A couple suggestions:

If you want to stay on the western side, rather than Palermo I would go to Trapani and take a daytrip to the Egadi Islands-I loved hiking on Favignana and Levanzo.

If not, have you considered hiking on the Aeolian Islands? Obviously, it will be chilly in December but I still think the hiking would be worth it. If you went with this option I would scratch Taormina. Taormina is nice, but touristy, the Greek theater is great but I find the archaeological ruins in Siracusa to be far better.

If I were you, I would skip Taormina altogether and during your time in Siracusa and take a daytrip up to Mount Etna. It takes about an hour by bus to get to Etna from either Siracusa or Taormina so you could really put this daytrip at either end of your trip. You could definitely go hiking here and I would highly recommend if you are up for it, skiing on Etna. It is after all the largest active volcano in Europe!

Have fun!

bobthenavigator

That's what makes a horse race. We spent 15 days in Sicily and our favorite places were Palermo, Taormina, Selinute, and Noto. Go figure !

ssachida

Thanks all for the comments.
zeppole - i agree with you about hiking in december. I'll play it by year and go for a group hike/tour if one is available and weather permits.

I'm already spending 4 days in siracusa, with a day trip to either Noto or Ragusa. Would you allocate more days there?

There is no bus from siracusa to agrigento> i'd have to bus to Catania airport and then take the SAIS bus to agrigento - an over 5hr trip (including interchnge time) for what is only a 2.5 hour drive!

zeppole, out of curiosity, why would you not drive solo?

Bob, I hear what you are saying about different strokes ...

The more, I think about it, the more I feel I should leave Palermo for another trip.

So now, I have 2 more days to plan, and I'd like to stick to the East and South. Would you really spend more than 4 out of 9 days in siracusa?
How hard is it to get to one of the aeolian islands for a day?

zeppole

ssachida,

Generally speaking, it is always good to have a "navigator" with a map and an extra set of eyes for spotting signs and turnoffs when driving in italy, although if you have a GPS, that works for some people. But driving in Sicilia is much more demanding than driving in other parts of Italy, where confusing signs and risk-taking drivers make it hard enough. People drive very fast in Sicily and take lots of chances passing trucks, etc. on blind curves. It's really very challenging -- and I live in Italy and am used to carooming around with a stick shift. Sicily just takes an extra measure of real focus, and it helps to have a partner.

I'm sorry the bus situation is so bleak. Have you looked at connections through Noto or Ragusa? What I would consider is spending a few nights in Siracusa/Ortygia and then a few nights in one of the Baroque towns. From there, go to Agrigento.

Or, rearrange the Taormina portion of your trip so that you leave from there to go to Agrigento (via Catania.)

I've never been to the Aeolian Islands, but generally speaking, all things involving boat trips get harder to do past October.

Pvoyageuse

A month ago I drove the other way around i.e.from Agrigento to Siracuse. Granted, the Sicilians are fearless behind the wheel but the North road is excellent from Agrigento to Caltanissetta then you get on the highway to Catania. The Catania/Siracuse leg was slow, lot of traffic and works on the road. You should not have any problem finding your way. The South road via Ragusa is very slow.

nametaken

However you decide to do your trip, you will love Sicily; however I would look at the map and proceed south from Catania--go to Taormina before Siracusa. My husband and I did this by train, but buses work just as well. We rented an apartment in Ortigia for four nights and used trains or buses to visit Noto and other baroque towns. Do not skip Agrigento. It is wonderful. I would check into a day tour from Siracusa to some of these areas. I loved Palermo, but my opinion is that you do not have time to do that on this trip(look at the map). Do not skip Taormina either. The views are wonderful and the ruins also.Stay at the Hotel Victoria if you can. It is very centrally located and very nicely priced. Enjoy your trip.

kja

Hi, ssachida -

I drove solo from Agrigento through Enna and Caltagirone to Siracusa. As others have said, Sicilian drivers can be a bit aggressive, but if you are willing to pull over to let others pass and generally drive defensively, you should be fine. Agrigento was, IMO, well worth the stress of the drive. Also, if you have a car you could consider heading a bit further west to see Selinunte or even Segesta (or both).

As for Caltagirone, I'm glad I saw it. I'm not sure I would have skipped Siracusa, Noto, Agrigento, or Taormina to make time for it, but if it fits your route and is of interest to you, it would make sense to consider stopping there.

> I'm already spending 4 days in siracusa, with a day trip to either Noto or Ragusa. Would you allocate more days there?

Personally, no - but it depends on what you want to see and do and your preferred pace. I think 3 days plus a fourth for a day trip is perfect.

Hope that helps!