Sicily...Palermo

Not an option. We are flying in and out of Catania. Rest of trip already planned. Thanks for the response

Then have a nice trip!

I would stay in Palermo itself. There is a lot to see and do there. We were there in April, and I looked briefly into staying in Mondello, but felt that there would be too much time wasted going in. I was glad with the decision.

We stayed at Butera 28 and liked it, and liked the area, which I think is called the Kalsa. While the city feels a little edgier than Ortigia or Taormina do, we did not feel that any area in the city center felt unsafe.

Curious what you mean though by taking the Coastal route. Are you driving, or taking the train? I think you could bus from Catania to Palermo faster if that makes any difference to you. We took the bus from Ortigia to Palermo, was about 3 hours, very pleasant

I suggest staying in Palermo itself as there is so much to see and do there. Also great daytrips available from Palermo. On one trip there I stayed at Palazzo Pantaleo B&B and liked it very much. If you do a search of the forum posts you will find numerous recommendations for accommodations in Palermo.

Thank you for your information! Yes, we will have a car. I know this is not ideal for Palermo and will not be using it while in the city.
Looks like we will be staying in city center!! Just need to decide upon a place:).

Did you feel Butera 28 was a good location to walk to the city center and areas of interest?
Looking at Travel Forum for Palermo accommodations...unfortunately, most recs are from many years ago.

Hi, I recently (May 2024) stayed five nights in Palermo. I will add the link to my trip report with all of the details. I highly recommend the place where I stayed - very nice room, nice breakfast, cordial staff, and best of all was the handy location to everything. There’s a lot to do in Palermo! Have a wonderful time!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/my-1-month-independent-trip-to-southern-italy-tribute-to-my-husband

Thank you Jean!

Stay in the city of Palermo which has so much to see.
Stay 2 nights in Taormina( our least favorite place in Sicily) and 3 nights or more in Ortigia which we loved. We spent a week in Ortigia and did not want to leave.

Yes we felt that that Butera 28 was very convenient. We do like to walk quite a bit though, but it was within a 30 minute walk of most sites( I think). I don't know if it has parking, and I'm not sure about the rules for bringing a car into Palermo ( there is a ZTL I think). Traffic in Palermo was pretty intense, and we did see a couple of cars in pedestrian only areas, that looked pretty lost, so I would factor that in to your decision of where to stay
I've seen a lot of recommendations for terazzo sul centro recently. If you want to search the forum for more recent you can filter by the last 6 month, 1 year etc. I find that helpful.
Take a look at other reviews than mine though for Butera. While we really liked it- we had a huge apartment that was in a Palazzo, it is not new or overly modern. It might not be to everyone's taste.

I agree with Suki. We much preferred Ortygia to Taormina. The latter, IMO, has become an overhyped, overpriced tourist trap, with prices at hotels and restaurants double there compared to the rest of Sicily. We thought Ortygia was more charming and indicative of a Sicilian beach town. I would still go to Taormina to see it, but not sure it warrants 3 nights.

I’d be careful of where you stay with a car in Palermo. I still remember the woman backing up a narrow road as she had driven right to the edge of one of Palermo’s outdoor markets. The windows were open and we snickered as she told her travel companions “but google maps said the hotel was this way”.

I recall someone doing a trip report with a car who stayed in Mondello and took the bus into Palermo. I would not have wanted to do that but obviously one option with a car.

How is the weather in Palermo is early April?

Thanks all...settled on out hotel in Palermo as well as secured parking. Our itinerary is all set!!