markstol4727

Hi there,

I could use some help with planning our 3 weeks trip to Sicily this October. We fly in and out between Amsterdam and Palermo.

We are a family of 6 with four kids below 10 years old. We like to travel slow and want to stay about 3 nights in one place before continuing. We like a combination of nature (short hikes, drives with beautiful surroundings), city vibes (but stay outside of city centers) and beaches.

Below trip I have in mind:
- Castellamare del Golfo (4 nights) visit the main sights along the west coast (probably Trapani salt plains, Erice, Segesta and Zingaro park) I already booked an airBNB here. Any specific recommendations for things to do with kids?
- Agrigento area (3 nights). Visit the temple valley , scala dei turchi and the beaches in the surroundings. any recommendations on what is a good place to base ourselves?
- Modica ( 3 nights) visit Modica, Ragusa and the close beaches (any beach recommendations?)
- Syracusa (3 nights). Visit Noto on the trip to Syracusa. Find a nice place to stay near Ortigia island. Any recommendations for things to do with kids here?
- Catania area (5 nights). Any suggestions for a good place to base ourselves here with minimal driving time to the main sights. We would like to visit the Etna off course, Nebrodi park and maybe Catania. Not sure about Taormina as it looks a bit too touristy for our taste
- Palermo area (3 nights). Any suggestions for a good place to stay not far from the airport and with good public transport options into Palermo?

Any remarks or suggestions are highly appreciated,

Kind regards
Mark

neckervd

Your plans look fine and I have not much to add.
In October, seawater will be still warm enough for beach holidays, but for local people, it's already "winter".
That means that beaches frequented by Italians only will be more or less deserted.
Beaches popular with tourists from Northern Europe will be open, of course.
Agrigento can perfectly be visited from a beach resort around Porto Empedocle.
If you like nature, check the Vendicari Park, south of Lido di Noto (completely unspoilt deserted sandy beaches). Many agriturismi in the hinterland which might serve as a base for the visit of Noto, Modica and Ragusa.
Siracusa and Taormina are busy all the year round. Seawater in the stretch of Messina (Taormina - Messina) is much colder than elsewhere around Sicily.
There is a sandy beach between Palermo and the airport, between the commuter railway stations Isola delle Femmine and Capaci (reachable by bus too).
But what about Cefalu (farther away and in the "wrong" direction, but with more character IMO)? .

Michael

The Villa Casale might even interest the children given the number of animals in the mosaics

markstol4727

Thanks for the great tips about Villa Casale and the Noto area. Will really consider these. Any suggestions for a good place to base to visit the Catania and Etna area?

ANUJ

A few comments on your itinerary :
- C'mare del Golfo : The Zingaro reserve is a great full-day activity with lots of coves and hidden beaches en route for a swim. We started near Scopello (we were based here) and walked about 3/4 of the way to San Vito before retracing back - it got really hot last September.
- Agrigento - we spent a night in the Agrigento itself, perhaps you could consider a B&B or agriturismo just outside the city and avoid driving in and out of the town itself / avoid parking hasssles with easier and more direct accessibility to the Valley of Temples, beaches etc.
- Modica - I liked Modica, but thought Ragusa (Ibla) was the most atmospheric of the baroque towns, and we based there.
- Syracusa - I would stay on the island of Ortigia directly - we stayed in this apartment https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/b-a...-siracusa.html. There are a few swimming spots in Ortigia which the kids will enjoy.
- Catania area - We based in Etna (at the Rifugio Sapienza) and Taormina (touristy, but very charming) whilst in this area, so no personal experience with Catania.
- Palermo area - After returning the car, I would stay in Palermo itself to really experience the city (we stayed near Politeama , very central and safe neighbourhood) and not base myself outside it. You can easily get a taxi or bus to the airport when you intend to leave. Maybe a day trip to Cefalu.

just_tina

Cefalù is an easy day trip from Palermo by train:
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...efalu.html?m=1

studenttobe

Hi, Sounds like a lovely trip. Re your question about two of your bases: 1) We based in Modica (3 nights) and it was was our favorite place in a 12 day early spring trip through eastern Sicily. I spent an afternoon in Ragusa Ibla. I found Modica tremendously atmospheric and interesting and would stay there again in a heartbeat. (Loved climbing all the steps all the time, but I’m weird that way.) However, there may be more to to do in Ragusa Ibla with kids as it’s a livelier town. The B&B that we stayed at, I think, wouldn’t be suitable for a family (we traveled as a couple). 2) Re a base to explore Catania and Etna, we stayed in Taormina and loved it. Also would be delighted to stay there again. I know that’s a controversial statement for some here, but we didn’t go to the high street area at all during the busy part of the day as we were not visiting in order to shop (and we don’t especially care for window shopping). And we were in Taormina (for three nights) when the town itself was very quiet). The views of Etna and of the water were wonderful, the Roman ruins were great fun to explore, and we loved hiking up and down to Castelmola (and then poking around there). We were also quite interested in the literary and artistic history of Taormina so that shaped our sense of the place. We also very much enjoyed a day at Mt Etna with the Etna People company (and found the time with the small group and hiking guide really fascinating—tours are a rare thing for me, but we didn’t have a car and this was the best way to enjoy Etna). We also stayed at a small place that I think would not be suitable for families (e.g no pool, and few services) so I can’t help on accomodation. If we had had more time on the trip, I would have added a few nights or at least a day trip to Catania, but it wasn’t feasible for us.

markstol4727

Thanks for all the good tips! I will take a look at Ragusa if this would appeal more to kids than Modica. And will definitely also will take a look at Taormina as base of that area