For a future trip, I am pretty sure I'll be flying out of Palermo but am considering Cefalu as a last base of operations as it appears less frenetic than Palermo, less than an hour away and freaking gorgeous besides.
Anybody have experience there and also the surrounding rural areas?
Where would you want to go from there, and how frequent and easy are the connections? Because it's so small, it has some limitations compared to a large(r) city like Palermo that has buses and trains for easy day trips.
I just like where it's situated, you can get there by train--we'd be coming from Taormina through Messina--also the fact that there is a labyrinthine, Tangiers-like rabbit warren of paths in Cefalu that I think would be fascinating to explore.
If we were there for, say, 3 nights, I'd want to maybe take one day and hire a guide to take us to one of Palermo's markets, and then double back either through Bagheria or a couple of the little villages on the way back to Cefalu.
On our Sicily adventure of 2+ weeks we started in Palermo for 3 nights and really liked it. We did see Cefalu and yes it is a nice place to wander; a bigger less refined version of Taormina and with a beach. It would be an easy quick train ride for a nice day trip either way.
Palermo has a lot to see, much less touristy and very good restaurants; that would be my bias for a base. And if you like music a great treat is to attend a concert at the amazing opera house - even one isn’t into classical!
As for small places to see although west of Palermo is Segeste - our fav Greek site of the island. And if you have a car for the day a wonderful hike is along the coast at Zingaro which would nicely augment a visit to segeste.
Not sure you’d need a guide to see the Palermo market ... easy enough to stroll through, enjoy the action and fill up on street food.
Too much too see. Too little time.
Whatever you decide it will be great!
For me, Cefalu would not be a convenient base if chosen instead of (rather than in addition to) Palermo. I found more to do in Palermo than could have been accomplished in one day, and it would be a pain to have to make two trips from Cefalu into Palermo. The cathedral at Monreale is spectacular--definitely one of the very top sights in Sicily, and it takes awhile to get there even from Palermo (public buses make the run). Adding in the substantial travel time from Cefalu to Palermo (and back) would make for a good bit of wasted time.
If you are flying out of Palermo, you may be better off spending your last few nights there. Palermo is a major city with lots of things to do. You used the word "frenetic" to describe Palermo. That is appropriate. I think Rick uses terms such as "organized chaos" or "gritty". Those are also appropriate. Also, the Palermo airport is west of the city, so if you are coming from Cefalu, you not only have to get through Palermo, but then drive another 45 minutes or so to the airport. This of course varies with the crazy Palermo traffic.
Cefalu is a beautiful beach town. If you are looking for a few quiet days at the beach, then stay there. But, you can cover Cefalu in a single day. Perhaps you could spend 1 night in Cefalu and your last 2 in Palermo.
If you have a car (I think you mentioned renting one in earlier posts) I highly recommend Scopello not far west of the airport.
It’s a very quaint village next to the Zingaro Natural Reserve. From there it’s a short drive to several destinations:
Zingaro Reserve (walking distance), Erice, Segesta, Selinunte, Marsala, Trapani, San Vito Lo Capo, and many more. You can probably spend a week there and have a different day trip every day.
Cefalu is nice, but I don’t think it’s as convenient for a base. But you should spend a day in Cefalu as well.
Jay,
As long as you’re traveling through Messina & Milazzo, do you plan to visit Lipari on your trip? It was our favorite stop on our visit to Sicily last month.
And then take Roberto’s suggestion and end your trip in Scopello... our second favorite place. You really do need a car there; you can pick one up at the Palermo airport & return it when you leave.
Frenetic is hardly the word I would use to describe Palermo. It's very walkable with lots of quiet streets. It's a pain in the butt to drive, not like Naples or Rome which have crazy drivers who are aggressive and ignore traffic signs and signals. Palermo was bad because the main roads get clogged and traffic just creeps along. There are also a couple of major sights and enough others to fill a couple of days.
Cefalu has about enough sights to fill a day, maybe a day and a half. The "warren" is a pretty small area, mostly filled with souvenir shops, restaurants and minor sights. Lodging is more expensive than anywhere else. I didn't get to Taormina but I thought Ortigia was more beautiful than Cefalu, though I did get a really nice sunset pic there.
PS - I'll be happy to discuss Sicilia with you next month over pizza.
Let's try to make it a plan, Chani...
I have to do much more research on Palermo and attack it the right way. So many misconceptions, that it's a more-bizarre version of Naples. In my short previous time in Sicily, conversely I found the folks almost with the island mentality, laid back and quick to smile and have fun.
I will also have to really look at the true logistics. Mileage and roads and bus & train schedules don't come close to telling the entire story, from what I am told. Not planning on driving.
Jay,
How many days do you plan to spend in Sicily?
Cefalù is a a nice beach town with an amazing cathedral. I enjoyed visiting it as a day trip from Palermo via train.
Palermo is not as bad as I’d expected; sure there’s a ton of traffic, graffiti and some trash on the streets, but there are some beautiful gems such as the Cappella Palatina (my favorite along with the Monreale Cathedral), the Duomo, Teatro Massimo, Quattro Canti, and Piazza Pretoria.
If you’ll be in Taormina, you may consider going to Lipari, and visit some of the other Aeolian islands. You may also consider going to Siracusa and stay in Ortigia.
Ortigia and Lipari have been my favorite places mainly because of the beautiful scenery.
If you’ll be renting a car, I’d also follow Roberto’s recommendation.
Sicily is an amazing place, enjoy!
Hi Priscilla!
I know Sicilia is amazing. First trip to Italy 8 years ago, landed at Roma Fiumicino, changed planes (almost missed it!), landed in Catania, got transport up to Taormina. Yeah, it's touristy and somewhat ritzy but it just seemed so exotic, breathtaking and altogether Mediterranean that we couldn't get enough of it. Explored the medieval villages around there--Forza D'Agro, Castelmola, Savoca. Like walking into a thousand year time warp.
So that was my introduction to Italy, which of course it wasn't. The mainland is so different and wonderful on its own, but lately I've been jonesing to return to Sicilia. And I know that as the last part of a 12-night trip (potentially Amsterdam, fly to Naples, train to Maratea, then train over the Straits of Messina to Sicily for 6 nights) I realize I cannot and will not be able to do the entire island justice. But I do know that I'll likely be flying out of Palermo.
So first, after a couple days to return to Taormina--to make sure it wasn't a dream, because it sure seemed that way!--I thought we'd make our way over towards Palermo, spending approximately 4 nights. Yes, Lipari would be very cool, always wanted to check out the Aeolians. The rest is up to my research, and listening to the travelers on this board.
Here a link I used to plan a lot of things in Sicily.
Best of Sicily
PS Cefalu was my favorite place in Sicily - stayed 3 nights - but I was on a tour.
also enjoyed a day at the beach Zingaro National park.....
Jay. After visiting Palermo and Monreale up the hill, and maybe even Cefalu in a day trip, I would rent a car to visit the west side.
Scopello, Segesta, Selinunte, Erice, the wineries (the province of a Trapani produces the most grapes in Italy) are all destinations that can be more easily and efficiently visited by car. All you have to do is rent from Palermo and get out of town. The traffic in Palermo is not bad outside of peak times, and you can pick up from the airport which is far out of town. Then all those destinations are in a more rural area which are easy to negotiate by car. No difference from driving in America.
Heading to Sicily later this year for 15 days and already have hotels reserved, but I’m keeping some of these places in mind in case we have a little spare time. We are driving and in that part of the island we have 3 nights in Erice, 2 in Monreale, 1 in Cefalu, and 2 in Taormina.
