tuscanlifeedit

Hi
This is my plan for Sicily in the spring. I've discussed the trip here just a bit and read many trip reports as well as several TA posts. We have limited time and considering our present circumstances, a return trip to Sicily isn't likely. I've weighed out preferences pretty carefully but welcome feedback.

Lots of TA advice warns against sightseeing stops with luggage in the car, and so I've rewritten this plan a few times based on that. My tolerance for taking chances is low; I've not included any stops for sightseeing without overnight stops. My tolerance for one night stays is nonexistent.

Here's what I'm working on:

Palermo... 4 nights, allowing for a long day of flying from PA to Palermo with possible delays

We will pick up a car on leaving Palermo

Erice..........2 nights with nice long day for Segesta

Agrigento...2 nights (leaving early in the morning after the 2nd night and stopping in Piazza Armerina where we are arranging secure parking as advised on TA)

Ortigia.....2 nights

Fly to Rome from Catania on final morning after 2 nights in Ortigia . I could use advice on turning in the car when we get to Siracusa or parking it for 2 nights and driving ourselves to Catania airport on our final morning.

I'm searching for rooms in Palermo, Erice and Agrigento for no more than 100 €. Recommendations are welcome. I have reserved L'Approdo delle Sirene in Ortigia based on kja's excellent review. That's my birthday so I want to live it up just a little.

PalenQ

Sounds perfect to me - might cut down a night from Palermo - also Cefalu, seaside town near Palermo is a real gem.

Also consider climbing Mt Etna from south side - via Philosopher's Tower area could be the highlight of any Sicily trip.

thursdaysd

It's been several years, but I can recommend this place in Palermo. It is on a street that is practically a village in its own right.

http://www.skysleeping.com/en/

And here in Erice:

http://www.hotelmodernoerice.it/indexeng.php

My experience with Mt. Etna was disappointing.

You might reconsider the car issue WRT the Villa Casale - I seem to remember reading TRs here that didn't have issues there.

tuscanlifeedit

PalenQ: I have moved that extra day in Palermo around quite a bit. I only put it there because I got so many warnings about delays and it will take us 3 flights to get to Palermo. I can always move it.

It appears to not be hard to get to Cefalu from Palermo. Could it be a day trip?

PalenQ

Yes Cefalu is a short bus or train ride or drive from Palermo -half a day would be nice enough. It is opposite where you are driving out of Palermo so best do it from Palermo as a day trip.

<My experience with Mt. Etna was disappointing.> Why? Did you not peer into the crater (from a safe distance) as many do? I have never gone as when I was there - circling Etna on CircumEtnea Railway trips up to crater area were cancelled because of volcanic activity. But others I talked to thought it was surreal.>

thursdaysd

No, didn't get to the crater. It was cold and very windy and not very interesting. Plenty of better things to do on Sicily.

kja

Oh, I hope you enjoy L’Approdo delle Sirene as much as I did! And Happy Birthday!

I think your plan should work quite well. You can probably do with a night less in Agrigento and a night more in Ortygia, but I know many people prefer stays of at least 2 nights. Personally, I would NOT cut down on Palermo – you can always add a day trip to Cefalu if you think you have time -- but there is PLENTY to keep you fully occupied in Palermo and Monreale.

I hate dealing with rental cars when I don’t need them, so I’d return it when you reach Siracusa, but YYMV.

I had no problems leaving luggage in my car at Segesta, Selinunte, or the Villa Romana del Casale – but I know that at least one Fodorite did report stolen luggage somewhere in Sicily, and I’m sorry, I don’t remember where. I think risk tolerance is a very personal decision. If you want to see my personal list of protective actions, I’ll be happy to provide them; otherwise, I’ll assume you have made the decision that feels right to you.

tuscanlifeedit

thursdaysd: thank you so much for the lodging sites. Very helpful.

I went on my daughter's school excursion (a good long time ago) on Vesuvio, and while it may be nothing like Mt Etna, I'm not willing to climb another volcano.

There's a Sicily expert on Tripadvisor.com who insists that one is asking for trouble by leaving cars with luggage at tourist areas in Sicily. She certainly frightened me.

tuscanlifeedit

kja, thanks. I follow your posts and appreciate them. I haven't yet thought out the car rental, but I'm storing the information.

As I said in my OP, I have low risk tolerance. But that part doesn't have to be decided yet.

kja

@ tuscanlifeedit: I'm glad you find my posts worth following. I don't think you have bad choices about the car rental or risk tolerance -- just ones that can only be made in light of your specific, individual preferences, and I'm sure you'll make a plan that works well for you.

Enjoy!

Leely2

Erm, I'm risk tolerant. I feel the need to get this off my chest.

I'd stop at Segesta on the way to Erice.

I'd take a night from Palermo and add it to Ortigia. Seeing the archaeological museum in Siracusa is hardcore sightseeing but worth it. Not a beautiful, fancy museum but fascinating if you are interested in the history and pre-history of the island and its settlements. I'd want another full day for easy r-and-r sightseeing on Ortigia itself.

Okay, wow, I feel better.

I stayed at Palazzo Sitano in Palermo and liked it (got a great rate, probably date-dependent), but many people feel more comfortable closer to Teatro Politeama.

In Agrigento I liked where we stayed, but would have preferred someplace with a restaurant onsite or within walking distance. Trying to navigate country roads in the pitch black at night after dinner were my only bad driving experiences in Sicily. I was the sole driver (control freak). So my advice is to pick someplace with a resto or in town.

Have fun!

Leely2

p.s. I was in Palermo in 2011, so my hotel info is seriously out of date!

julies

"We had a gorgeous time in Sicily but just wanted to warn everyone about leaving unattended luggage in your car, especially in car parks where there is no attendant. We parked in the Talete car park near the harbour in ortigia. If you are going, either park somewhere more open or don't leave luggage in the car. We later noticed there was a kid on a bicycle offering protection for money to people who had just parked up. Had I seen that earlier I probably would not have parked there but I was not to know!

Don't let this stop you from going to Sicily, just be careful when you do go.

Happy travels all!"


I had to copy and post this warning for others after just seeing it on TA. When we visited Sicily two years ago, we had huge apprehension about ever leaving it in our car. In fact, we were quite paranoid, and I felt that this impinged on the enjoyment of our trip. But, I just now read this. By, the way, the Talente lot is the public lot in Ortygia. (We parked there, but had our luggage in our apartment.)

By the way, we had three weeks in Sicily and didn't see it all.

Leely2

Oh, we got rid of the car on Ortigia and had a driver take us to CTA a few days later. Cost-wise it was probably a wash, but it was easy to manage and meant I didn't need to drive or deal with the car at the end of the trip.

tuscanlifeedit

Leely2: those are the options I'm weighing. The more I think about it, the less interested I am in driving into Ortigia and parking, and then driving out to Catania Airport. I'll work on costs and convenience.

Both are factors for me. I have only fair health, leaning toward convenience, and a tight budget. I'm cutting costs in most accommodations,except for my birthday splurge in Ortigia.

annhig

There's a Sicily expert on Tripadvisor.com who insists that one is asking for trouble by leaving cars with luggage at tourist areas in Sicily. She certainly frightened me.>>

We were frightened by this and other stories [including the one above about Ortigia parking] but as soon as we left Ortigia [where we consigned the care of our car to the hotel porter when we arrived and though we saw it at various times over the 3 days we were there, never actually drove it again until we left] and got to the first place we wanted to see en route to Ragusa, [Palazzolo Acreide] we realised that we didn't really need to worry outside the big tourist cities.

As for parking at the Villa Casale, there is a huge open parking area at the Villa which is a few miles outside Piazza Armerina. Someone taking luggage from a car and putting it in their own car would definitely stand out there and I should think that car theft there is unusual. We decided to stay in Piazza Armerina overnight in order to avoid leaving our luggage in car while we did the visit, which is definitely an option, but having now been there, I wouldn't be so worried.

PalenQ

No one ever talks about Catania here but to me it was the nicest city I saw in Sicily in terms of being pleasant looking - much more elegant to me than Palermo.

Not sure there is much to see there as I only spent part of a day walking around...

Took CircumEtnea train around much of base of Etna and it was rather weird - the old lava flows coming down everywhere - driving would be nice too on roads following the rail line - no blockbuster sights but a lot of ordinary small towns. Stopped in Randazzo and took bus back to Taormina - nicest town I saw - had to get off train and to bus quick and local at train station said hop in - a shriveled old guy who after taking me to train station refused - adamantly refused any money I offered - a battered old car and battered old guy refusing any money - told me not everyone in Sicily is out to rob you as some pre-trip sources gave the impression - was very uplifting - Rome seemed to have more flimflam artists and dicey folks coming up to you, etc.

Maybe tourist cars are a target though?

sundriedtopepo

Tuscanlife we have been twice to Sicily and I feel like I need to weigh in on the luggage issue.

Here is the advice of a local expert, friend who lives in Catania: Never leave anything in your car in Catania or Palermo. Otherwise the small towns are perfectly safe. I agree with annhig, we had no problem in Segesta, Erice or Piazza Armerina. These unofficial guys that ask for money to protect your car are just looking for a few dollars, taking advantage of tourist's fear.

I'm not sure what is this secure parking in Piazza Armerina. As Ann says, the lot is wide open and busy, and it would be very hard for anyone to break in without being noticed. Just follow general advice to not leave anything visible, and park in an open location.

Sicilians are a very friendly and helpful lot, and take pride in their culture generally speaking.

If you have ever used google maps for navigation, it makes getting in and out of cities much easier. I'm thinking of Siracusa, where we had no problem at all. If your hotel in Ortygia offers parking, like ours did, then it's not a problem to have a car. I cannot lift heavy luggage, so I find having a car for hauling around luggage is much easier than using trains or buses. And again, using google maps, we found it easy to return our car at Catania airport.

However, if you want to spring for a car and driver as Leely did, that would be a fine option too.

We buy a SIM card when we arrive in the country where we are vacationing, now priced in the range of €40 for 10gb, and I put it in my iPad so I can use it for navigation. Google maps navi is much easier and more intuitive to use than car rental gps.

I also think you need one more night in Siracusa. From there it's very easy to see Noto, only about half hour drive. Also, if you're interested in history, you should see the archaeological site in Siracusa. In April the festival seating will not be installed yet in the Greek theatre, so it will look natural and is very cool in that the seats were originally carved out of the limestone hillside.

For what it's worth, you will not need a long day in Segesta, maybe 2 hours. In fact we were able to visit Segesta and Erice on our way to Selinunte.

How would you feel about one night in Erice? If it's foggy, which happens often, you might not want to be there 2 nights anyway.

Or forgo visiting Cefalu, which is very pretty and nice to be beside the ocean, but touristy. That is, stay one less night in Palermo.

Just my opinion, but I hope it helps.

kja

And Noto is easily visited by public transportation from Ortygia / Siracusa....

sundriedtopepo

Just read back to Tuscans July post, not so interested in the baroque towns. But Ortygia is also a lovely place to relax and take in some piazza people watching time at the end of your trip. It's also flat and easy to navigate when walking.