cchamp

My husband and I are looking to plan our first baby-free getaway (longer than a few days) next March when I am on spring break from my school job. We will plan on leaving Friday evening and returning either Sunday or Monday. This amount of time is not flexible.

Not that we haven't had a blast traveling with our LO, but we deeply miss the combination of exploration, relaxation, and delicious food of our pre-baby Europe trips. It seems like Sicily might be our best option weather-wise for end of March. Is this true? I understand I won't be sitting out in my bathing suit. That is fine. I would like to enjoy some spring-like weather and sunshine. Will everything be open in Western Sicily during this time of year? Especially along the coast?

Should we have one or two home bases? I definitely want to spend at least 1-2 nights in Palermo. I'm still very much in the early stages of planning this trip and would value any suggestions or feedback. I'm also open to other destination ideas....

HappyTrvlr

I think the weather would be perfect. The western side is the poor area of Sicily and you will see that rejected in the coastal towns.Trapani and north would be best for that side of the island. Also look at the SÉ coast. Sicily requires a series of bases. So pick Palermo and one other place with your limited time. Our favorite place was Ortigia Is, the original settlement of Siracusa.

mbrevitas

The end of March should have fairly nice weather. Northwest Sicily can get a bit of rain, and in general spring weather is fairly variable; if you want to minimise the chances of being rained on, while still having nice temperatures, you should go to the centre and south of Sicily, or another dry, warm destination (in Europe, maybe Spain's south coast, and possibly Cyprus). Still, weather in Palermo won't be that much worse, and I think you should go.

Everything should be open, except in San Vito Lo Capo, which is a seasonal resort. Pretty much anywhere else on the coast is somewhere people live year-round. (And even in San Vito, if it's a sunny weekend I wouldn't be surprised if some of the people with a holiday house there show up in March).

For a relatively short, 10-day trip, you could get away with a single base (in Palermo), doing day trips from there to the rest of western Sicily. Having a couple more bases would probably work best. It's true that to visit Sicily quite thoroughly you need many bases, because it's a big island with some time-consuming driving in parts, but you won't have the time to do that anyway, so it makes sense to focus on one or two areas. If you're interested in Palermo (and you're right to be), it makes sense to stick to western Sicily, as far east as the Madonie and Agrigento, leaving the southeast and northeast for another trip.

Redlandsneen

Ciao from Australia. I also am planning a trip for next spring in Sicily, probably mid-late April. I'm thinking 12 days. Even though most of our interest is in the south and northeast, from a Palermo base, we thought we could do a day trip by train (1 hour) to Cefalù. Once we've had 3 nights in Palermo, we would hire a car. This might be crazy but we've heard about Erice. Is it worth driving there for one night, then to Sciacca on the southwest coast the next night before heading toward Agrigento? Rome2rio takes you back toward Palermo to head to Agrigento, but Google maps shows a seemingly fast road diagonally across? Does anyone have experience driving this route?

Also, I see there are both Europcar and Avis in Palermo. Which one has the easier route to get out of the city?

Thanks all.

thursdaysd

Erice is definitely worth an overnight - I spent two nights there. I'd also put in a good word for Trapani.

For pix see: https://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/...ly-2008/Erice/

mbrevitas

Erice is a worthwhile stop. I also liked Trapani, though there aren't many attractions to see, per se. Marsala should also be nice for an overnight stop. Consider visiting Segesta and Selinunte en route.

I don't quite understand what you mean about the route (to Agrigento from where?), but Google Maps should be accurate.

Of those two, Europcar's location in the city is closer to the main bypass highway than Avis's, but if you want to avoid any driving in Palermo, consider taking the train to the airport and renting a car there (right next to the motorway heading west).

HappyTrvlr

I agree with stopping at both Segesta( near Erice) and then Selinunte on the way to Agrigento.

Michael

We will plan on leaving Friday evening and returning either Sunday or Monday. This amount of time is not flexible.

Where is your home base? Even if in Europe, 1 or 2 full days in Sicily is barely scratching the surface. Or am I missing something?

Redlandsneen

Thanks everyone, already some very good information/suggestions. After Trapani area, we thought we would stop one night in Sciacca before heading to the southeast corner (Modica, Ragusa, Scicli, Siracusa).

palatino82

I am also a teacher and have traveled to Sicliy 3 times during my April vacation week. We moved around a bit, but it was no problem.
Trip 1: Flew into Catania, 3 nights in Taormina (we love Hotel Villa Schuler, despite many people here saying Taormina is too touristy). Took the funivia up Etna & did wine tasting. Then went to Ortigia for 2 nights. Loved the market. Then drove to Agrigento for 1 night, stopping at Villa Romana. Visited Valley of the Temples. Then finished up 2 nights in Palermo. Too short to do it justice, but that is life on a schedule. We took a half day tour and saw some highlights.
Trip 2: Started in Taormina again, then Ortigia (love going back to places we've enjoyed) - also visited Ragusa and Noto from Ortigia. Then drove to Erice for 2 nights. Beautiful hike around Monte Cofano. Loved Erice. Loved Segesta. Then back to Palermo again.
Trip 3: took a group of friends and did a lot of the same things!
We are leaving next week and staying on the eastern side this time, adding in a short trip to Lipari.
Weather is variable, just take a raincoat. Prob temps in 50s to 60s in March. Most things are open. Sicily has so many wonderful things to see, and great atmosphere to soak up. Definitely have an almond granita! In Palermo Giorgio Paonita is a wonderful guide. For Siracusa, Enrica Caruso (I think viaggi sud est?) was great.

Redlandsneen

Hello. We have changed the beginning part of the itinerary for Sicily. We arrive in Palermo 4th of May because I was concerned April would still be too chilly. (I've seen in this thread that may not be the case, but it's done now.) We are looking to share a private driver (van) with 2-4 other people for a day trip from Palermo to Trapani/Erice with a couple of stops along the way, returning to Palermo in the evening. Viator has a trip like this, but it is 7 hours in total (very rushed, I think) and is quite expensive. The date could be either 5 or 6 May, preferably 5th. If this works out with anyone's plans, we can explore the idea further as to which stops we want to make. Do you think I should make this a new post with a new heading?

bilboburgler

you think?

Sassafrass

Yes, start a new tread. Plus, it is always better for posters planning a trip to start their own thread about their trip rather than tack their questions onto another persons thread. The plans get confusing. Answers and advice also get convoluted.

Redlandsneen

That makes sense, thanks. Apologies to the OP.