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Help with 7-day Sicily itinerary - Cefalu or Ortigia?

Hi – my husband and I are going to visit Sicily in September and I'm struggling with prioritising all the fabulous sights as well as some logistics! We will arrive by car ferry to Messina and right now I'm deciding between:

Option 1: 2 nights Cefalu, 4 nights Trapani (or surrounds - Scopello? Selinunte? Castaellamare de Golfo?) with must-dos being Favignana, Erice, Scopello and one ruin site eg Segesta/Selinunte, before driving to/flying out of Catania (must be Catania, as it is the only non-stop flight to Athens that day) OR

Option 2: 4 nights Trapani, 2 nights Ortigia (Ortigia looks lovely and I love the look of Marzamemi for a day trip!) before our late flight out to Athens from Catania. We love beaches, good restaurants, and pretty villages/architecture, nowhere too stressful or touristy. I'm aware that our time is short, but my heart is set on seeing the west, even though we fly out of the east :)

My other question is regarding logistics of nice places to stop for lunch – either way, there would be two days with quite long drives (Messina to Trapani in option 2, after we've already driven from Tropea), and then in both itineraries, the western side over to Ortigia/Catania which is about 4 hours. I thought Cefalu would be great to stop for lunch, but we'll have our luggage in the car and we'd have to leave it outside of the old town while we lunch in Cefalu. Are there any other nice places to stop for food that are still picturesque but where it's a bit easier/safer to park the car not too far away (eg a small coastal village?). Same goes for the trip through the middle of Sicily from west to east. Thank you so much for any advice!

Posted by
7208 posts

Coming from Messina and flying out of Catania I’d stick with the eastern side of the island, but you seem determined to go to Trapani. If the Trapani area is a must, then go with option 1 since stopping in Cefalù wouldn’t add any driving time since it’s en route.

Selinunte is out of the way. Trapani to Catania airport will take about 3.5 hours.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you! Option 1 is a bit less driving, you're right – I think I am leaning that way. Do you have any advice about how/where to stop on the drive between Trapani and Catania (with luggage in the car?). Google Maps says the route straight through the middle of the island is quickest. I did think one option could be drive to Agrigento, leave bags in the left luggage at the train station and visit the Valley of the Temples, then continue on. Otherwise I was wondering if there was somewhere nice (eg restaurant/sightseeing stop) where we could stop and park the car nearby/at a safe distance for a short while.
Or, is it probably better to just leave Trapani at lunchtime and drive straight through to Catania and drop our car at the airport before our flight? Our flight out that evening isn't until 8.45pm, so hoping to make the most of the day. Thanks!