Sicily and Malta

Must-sees and time at each stop depend on your particular interests, but this is what I usually suggest in terms of bases in Sicily. I haven't been to Malta.

• Palermo (side-trip to Cefalu by train). Do not drive in Palermo! See Monreale on the way into or out of Palermo, to take advantage of the car; there is also bus service.
• Trapani and Erice. Take the funicular to Erice.
• Piazza Armerina or other interior spot (Enna, Caltagirone) for Villa Romana del Casale.
• Ragusa (for Noto, Modica, Scicli)
• Siracusa
• Taormina (very touristy) or Catania (side trip to Mt. Etna if desired)
• Time permitting: somewhere in the Aeolian Islands
• Add a base as necessary to see the Greek sites you're interested in.

If you really dislike changing hotels, you could visit Ragusa/Noto/Modica/Scicli from Siracusa, but it will take more than one day. Ragusa's fairly time-consuming.

If you're not much for Greek ruins, you may be satisfied with the theatre in Taromina, the archaeological park and museum in Siracusa, and the museum in Palermo.

As noted above, you should not plan to drive in Palermo. I'd make it my first or last stop and not have a car there.

I don't do beaches, but there have been discussions about beaches in earlier threads about Sicily. I believe there's an area people like west of Palermo. Cefalu is a popular beach town east of Palermo.

There's a lot to see in Sicily. Even with three weeks (I assume you're spending 3-4 days in Malta?), you will still need to make some tough decisions.

If you like Greek ruins, you might want to add one or two of the archeological sites. Segesta (near Palermo and Trapani) has just one temple but it's a favorite of many people. It just takes a couple of hours to see -- you could visit en route to somewhere else. Selinunte has five temples; I have not seen this one but if you're driving, again you could stop by. Agrigento, with its Valley of the Temples, is the largest and most famous site and also has a museum. You might want to plan most of a day here, staying overnight in one of the little towns along the coast or in the city of Agrigento itself, which we also enjoyed.

One of our favorite places in Sicily is the island of Lipari, in the Aeolian islands. You reach it by ferry from Milazzo (you'd leave your car there for a few days). We stayed in Residence Acanto, room Malva 103. Absolutely loved it. Could have spent weeks here. If you're hikers, there's a day trip to Stromboli where you can hike up the volcano. Or there are less strenuous day trips to other islands.

We also fell in love with Ortigia, the historical center of Siracusa. The views, the people, the food -- it's charming and beautiful and we also could have spent weeks here. This could be a base to see Noto and other towns.

Have fun planning!

We have been to Sicily twice. Our favorite place is Ortigia Is off of Siracusa and it’s historic center.
Favorite antiquities: must see Agrigento and The Valley of the Temples,#1 site in Sicily.. Most evocative is Segesta. We did visitSelinunte, archeological site is adjacent to the ocean, beautiful. Take a golf cart ride to cover this very extensive area. They are available right after you enter.
The Greek Temple in Siracusa too. Large and in good condition.
Palermo is a very interesting small city, lots of history too.Monreale is a must see!
We spent two nights in Taormina and saw Mt. Etna from our hotel and sweeping views of the coast below. Pretty place but over run by cruise ship mobs. Won’t return there!
You put your post in Reviews section. You will get more responses if you put in first section, under Italy

Thank you for the input. Will be more careful were I post next time, guess I wasn’t paying attention 😊

Looking to book flights to same places in Feb 2020. I’ve been to Sicily but not Malta. Any advice for Malta, incl room accommodations, would be very helpful. Thanks.