Best Itinerary for 9-10 days in Sicily

Kelley, Sicily is wonderful for many reasons -- mix of cultures through its history, enthusiastic and friendly people, varied cuisine and good wine, beautiful scenery, varied architecture, ceramics, and more. You can see and experience a lot in 9-10 days, but certainly not every corner, and a lot will be determined by whether you use public transportation or have a car. You certainly should look over the RS Sicily Tour itineraries (there are two, for different seasons) for ideas of what they consider the highlights. My own very favorite spots in Sicily, among others, were: (1) the town of Erice, especially if you stay one or more nights there -- I spent two nights, really enjoyed the misty quiet evenings and early mornings, and had some of the best meals of my trip there; (2) Taormina, very touristy but also beautiful and lively, including taking a couple hours to go up to Castelmola, a small town overlooking Taormina, and the nearby church of La Rocca, and (3) the Greek ruins especially at Segesta -- I recommend taking their bus up to the ruins of the theater, then walk back down to the beautiful Temple, which you see out in the open, closer and closer as you approach it. Also beautiful churches in Palermo, Monreale and Cefalu, lots of gorgeous ancient mosaics. No doubt others will share different personal highlights.

I agree completely with Larry about the places he listed, and would add Agrigento, Siracusa, Piazza Armerina (close to the Villa Romana del Casale).

Kelley, are you driving? You'll be able to see a bit more if you drive (rather than relying on public transportation) but still, Sicily is really large and these beautiful highlights are a long ways apart. You definitely can't see everything in 9-10 days. And only you can decide which are really the best. Do you like archeological sites? Views? Shopping? Churches?

To start, get a map of Sicily. Circle all of the places suggested. Google them to see which appeal to you most, and then make your itinerary. If you want to see something on the east coast (Taormina) and the west (Erice), you can fly into Catania, and out of Palermo. Remember that weather can affect your view sites (Erice, Etna). Have fun! Sicily is wonderful.

Well, now I'm wondering if I should scrap adding the other city on the end of the trip and just stay 14 days in Sicily? I guess I hadn't considered driving; all I can think of how crazy the drivers were in Rome! Then I think of taking the bus along the Amalfi Coast and I couldn't imagine driving that route myself! I have ventured driving in Australia and that wasn't so bad… : )
Is it possible to do a combo of renting a car for part of the trip and using public transportation for the rest? I'm going to print out a map as suggested and start circling places. Thanks everyone; I've got a good start. If you have any more tips, keep 'em coming. They are truly appreciated!

Forgot to add that I love seeing sights with views, archaeological sites, and churches (probably in that order). I like shopping but wouldn't consider myself a shopaholic. Love looking at local wares, especially handmade jewelry/ceramics/glass and interacting with the artists.

This was my itinerary:
Day 1 arrive Palermo late afternoon (2 nights)
Day 2 Monreale by bus, self-guided walking tour Palermo
Day 3 more Palermo, late afternoon train to Cefalu (2 nights)
Day 4 see Cefalu
Day 5 morning train to Palermo to pick up rental car, drive to Castellamare del Golfo (3 nights), visit Segesta
Day 6-7 coastal towns and Selinunte
Day 8 visit Agrigento, overnight in Piazza Armerina (1 night)
Day 9 Villa Romana del Casale, drive to Syracuse/Ortigia (6 nights)
Days 10-13 eastern Sicily
Day 14 drive to Catania airport, return car and fly to Bologna

Driving was easy. I was there in late April-early May when I knew the sea would be too cold for bathing, so I skipped the beaches. People were very friendly and helpful. The small towns and villages are closed on Sundays - plan to visit archaeology sites or large cities. Castellamare del Golfo was nothing special - it was conveniently located for me, but others have suggested more interesting places to stay. The only day I regretted was the one I spent at Mt. Etna.

Stay for two weeks, you will have more time in more places. Sicilia can easily fill two wonderful weeks. Start in Palermo and end in Catania or vice versa, as Chani suggested.

Agree you should stay the entire two weeks in Sicily. In 2013 we spent four weeks there and we had to cut things from our itinerary! We stayed in Trapani (try the special Trapanese pistachio ice cream) and visited Erice, Marsala, Mozia and the salt pans and Segesta. Then we stayed in Sciacca, which has the best Cassata Siciliana, and visited Selinunte, the ruins of Eraclea Minoa, among other sights. In addition we stayed in Agrigento for the Valley of the Temples; Enna; Piazza Armerino for Villa Romana del Casale; Ragusa Ibla and visited the site of Commissario Montalbano house (from the TV series and books) in Punta Seca, and Modica, ; Siracusa; Catania; Taormina; Cefalu; and Palermo. Of course with four weeks we had much more time, but these towns were of interest to us and you may enjoy googling them to see if they are of any interest to you. Have fun planning your trip!

Thanks, all. This is very helpful!

Here's my Sicily trip report from a trip taken April-May 2015: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina

Thanks, Harold!
Appreciate the detail and info. Question regarding the International Driver's Permit? I hadn't even thought of that…do you know how quickly they can process that?

You can get an IDP at AAA on the spot. Check in advance. You will probably have to bring 1 passport photo.

Chani beat me to it. You don't even need to bring photos - for a small extra fee, they'll take them right there. The whole process takes less than 20 minutes (faster if you bring the photos with you). And, while the IDP is only good for a year, you can start that year on any date you want - it doesn't have to be Jan 1 through Dec 31.

Rick keeps talking about whether or not an IDP is "required" in a country by using the standard of, is it checked by the car rental office. But car rental offices don't enforce laws - police do. It is legally required in Italy to have an IDP along with your US license. So whether or not the rental office asks for one (and as I said in my report, mine did), get one and bring it with you. If you're stopped by the police for any reason (even just a checkpoint they've set up, where you've done nothing wrong), they will want to see it.