Sicily or South of France?
 

Trying to decide our next great adventure for summer 2014 (must be summer; only time to travel). We were in Italy this past summer and the further South we went the more we enjoyed the scenery. Also, Sicily's history is appealing with its Arab/Normand influence. We've been to Andalucia and loved it. Would love to explore the island. On the other hand, the South of France has always appealed to us. We could rent a car and drive all over the country. We love history, architecture, nature and art. We are also always on a moderate budget-- is one place less expensive than the other? I've read Sicily is more expensive than the mainland. Ive also read that driving in france is expensive. Thoughts???

With those two destinations you really can't go wrong. They are both wonderful. I've driven in both of them (France just this past July, Sicily was a few years back) and I don't recall either of them being especially expensive - compared to the rest of Europe. Certainly not like outliers like Scandinavia or Switzerland. Check some prices on hotel booking sites to compare.

There are lots of trip reports here on both those destinations, reading some of them might help you decide which one 'grabs' you more.

Here are mine:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...swiss-alps.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-and-switz.cfm

Photos: www.pbase.com/annforcier/france_-_provence
www.pbase.com/annforcier/france_-_cote_dazure
www.pbase.com/annforcier/sicily_2005

Sicily will be hot in the summer. I do not think that it is more expensive than the mainland. You might want to read my trip report; click on my name to find it.

France will be crowded in the summer, almost anywhere in the south, be it the Côte d'Azur, the Provence, the Pyrénées, the Dordogne or the Atlantic coast. For that reason it would require more planning than Sicily.

This is one of those questions that can start a heated dialog! How many days will you have for your vacation? Have any specific places called out to you in your reading?

My late husband and I spent 4 days in Sicily and it wasn't nearly enough. We took buses and trains. We enjoyed the combination and the ancient and modern world there. We went from Palermo to Siracusa and then took the train to Naples (a long ride) and stayed in Sorrento for another 4 days before heading to Rome. I don't get terrible excited by ruins (they're ruined!) but Pompeii touched me a great deal.

I personally think there would be more to do in Southern France but expect that summer will find things more crowded there than in Sicily? Just a guess. Train travel easy and you can have a base in a couple of places of visit towns that interest you. I prefer art to ruins so vote for Southern France.

I love both destinations (click on my name for my Sicily and France TRs). BUT I would not go to either place in the summer. Sicily because it will be too hot, and the south of France because it will be too crowded. I you have to go in the summer, you need to decide which is worse. Sicily did not seem to me to be expensive, but I expect that the south of France will be expensive in high season.

BTW, pleny to see in Sicily besides ruins - although the ruins are of high quality. The mosaics are stunning, the scenery is good (espeically in the spring with wild flowers) and towns like Ortigia and Erice are a delight to wander around.

Too hot in Sicily !

Both are fabulous but, for all of the reasons mentioned, not best visited in the summer. We did not find Sicily especially expensive - certainly no more expensive that the mainland of Italy. For us, it is easy to make a comparison. The South of France, especially Provence, is quiet and laid back as a destination (apart from the summer). Sicily is more exciting, exotic and adventurous.

Can you go in early June? That would be a good time for Provence, perhaps less crowded than later in the summer. Save Sicily for April/May or early October.

As others have said, Sicily will be very hot in the summer. I've been to the south of France and Sicily, but only in winter and spring. I didn't find either location particularly expensive, and both have what you're looking for based on your list of interests.

If you can handle the heat, maybe give Sicily a try but build in siesta and beach time because the weather will slow you down.

Hotel rates do go up in Provence during the summer, as that is their peak season, you can't avoid it. I think they are often higher from June, but could be wrong, I know they are in July and August. I always go then, and where I go, it isn't particularly that crowded that it is any big problem. Sure, there are more tourists during than months than others, but it doesn't make it an unpleasant stay IMO. I guess others might disagree, I just can't even remember any place I went where I had to wait in line for anything (which would be some tourist sites in the cities, of course, like Aix or Avignon, or places like Abbaye de Senanque, etc.). I don't tend to go to the main tourist hotspots that much (like Gordes), though. When I go I don't spend that much on driving (other than gas, which isn't that bad as I rent a small car and don't drive long distances) as I don't use the big toll roads much. YOu mainly use those to go to some other part of the country, not for driving around on a daily basis.

Hotels in Provence are generally cheaper than in big cities like Paris, but that depends what kind of places you stay in, of course. There are some very expensive chateau/inn type places, I just don't stay in them.

Not everyone finds Sicily too hot in summer. I was there in July and didn't think it was any hotter than the south of France (where I have also been in July - twice, and once in November and much prefer July) or really any hotter than the rest of Italy. Both places were relatively uncrowded compared to the 'biggies' (Rome, Paris, Florence, etc.).

Weather is unpredictable - you can be pretty certain it will be warm (mid day highs in the upper 80s- low 90sF) in both the south of France and Sicily in the summer. But the year we went to Sicily we then went on to Switzerland and it was hotter there! Just saying, if you are afraid of hot weather don't go anywhere in summer. But the south of France and Sicily have lots of places with air conditioning which makes the heat a lot easier to take than the northern countries where AC is not so common.