We are planning a trip to Italy next summer. My wife and I will be traveling with my daughter's family that includes a 7 year old and a 5 year old. Part of the trip will be spending four nights in Sicily. We have never been to Sicily are trying to decide which side of the island to stay, Palermo or Catania. Which side has the better restaurants and hotels? Sight seeing ? Is it far from one city to the other?
All thought and comments are welcome
With only four days, fly into Catania amd stay on the east coast in either Taormina or Siracusa(Ortigia Island.) I wouldn't stay in Catania. You don't have enough to do the west side. Palermo is in the north but I think the two places I mentioned would be better for such a short stay.
Is Sicily a must on this trip? I love the island, but four days is really not enough time, especially given that you will have to fly there.
Sicily has wonderful, and varied, sights all over the place. It needs a lot more time than you have available, and it's not like you can't find great things to do on the mainland, probably quite near other places on your itinerary.
Also, be aware that Sicily and southern Italy are likely to be very, very hot in the summertime.
With four nights only, and a group such as yours, the easiest would be to spend all four nights in Palermo. With a hire car you could day trip to Cefalu and Marsala.
The alternative, travelling thru Catania ...
Day 1. Arrive Catania. Pick up car & drive to Syracuse (2)
Day 2. Day to Ragusa & Modica
Day 3. Drive to Taormina (2)
Day 5. Return car & depart Catania
Occasionally the Catania airport closes, if Etna is spewing. With your tight timeframe, it might be safer to fly into and out of Palermo.
I'm also planning to visit Sicily next summer and my research indicates that you might benefit from flying to Palermo and driving to Cefalu (one of Rick's favorite places in Sicily) for the 4 nights. Great beaches for the kids and possible excursion to the Aeolian islands from there.
There's convenient rail service from Palermo to Cefalu if you don't want to drive. The trip takes less than an hour. The thought of driving in the city of Palermo is rather terrifying.
But I stand by my recommendation not to trek all the way to Sicily for just four nights.
You can see a good bit of Sicily in 7-8 nights if you are efficient, but I would recommend at least 10 nights to make it worthwhile. And that's for 2-4 adults. Adding a couple of small children usually means slower travel and slower sightseeing. I just compared temps for July 2017 in Palermo and Catania, seems like Palermo was significantly cooler - highs in the mid-high 80's compared with Catania's highs mostly in mid-high 90's (up to 99).
