We will be in Sicily for 9 days in September. We will focus on the eastern side of the island as we want to experience the area and not just go site to site. We’ll be flying in and out of Catania. We’d like to see Taormina and Syracuse. A vineyard or 2. We haven’t decided on renting a car or using public transportation/hiring drivers.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated!
Posted by
11611 posts
Base in Ortigia! It is such a wonderful place. We spent a week there. Day trips to Noto, Ragusa, Modica, Catania.
Next, head up to Taormina for a couple of days.
Vineyard tours are available from Taormina to the area around and on Mt. Etna.
Posted by
Lubbock, TX
417 posts
I agree to base yourself in both Taormina and Siracusa. A car will make day trips easier, but there are places you can get to via public transportation. If you do get a car, make sure you park on the mainland in Siracusa and don't try to drive in Ortigia. It is allowed, but the traffic is a nightmare.
Posted by
10 posts
I’d suggest staying in Ortigia rather than Siracusa. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Ortigia. It’s right at on the other side of Siracusa and on the bay side. They have their own private parking for 15 euro a night. Great experience for us and a beautiful spot. The hotel and service were great. We ate at Resaurante Retroscena which was recommended in a previous post on this forum. It was very good! The server was very friendly and helpful in ordering. The wine was a very reasonable price. It was an absolute wonderful experience for my husband and myself.
Posted by
1045 posts
I wouldn’t deal with a car in Taormina. I think your best bet is to bus to Taormina direct from Catania airport, and spend a few nights there. Grabbing a bus from the airport was super easy. The bus station and ticket booth are right outside the terminal and I saw frequent busses to Taormina from there. After Taormina, you can bus to Siracusa. Ortigia is terrific, stay there. Rent a car in Siracusa for day trips from there, and for your return to the airport. Just figure on parking in Siracusa rather than on Ortigia, it’s a short walk or shuttle bus.
The hill towns are pretty accessible from Ortigia, and worth having a car for. Villa Romana is a long day trip but also doable, mostly on the autostrada which is great. If you really want to do a wine/vineyard thing, or something directly on Etna I would look into an organized tour out of Taormina. Taormina is more of a launching point for this sort of thing. It is closer to Etna, with more tourists such as yourselves to cater to.