HELP with Sicily itinery and travel

Dom, post this same question on Trip Advisor.com. They have some Sicily experts that can really give you lots of ideas!

On one of our trips to Sicily we took the train from Naples to Messina, Sicily, then the bus to Milazzo, then a quick ride from Sicily to Lipari on the high speed ferry.

You can cut out the bus, and take a high speed ferry from Messina to Lipari or Salina. We loved the Aeolian Islands! We used Lipari as our base, and then just took day ferries to the others. Lipari was a wonderful town/island. We stayed at a fantastic and economical B&B called Diana Brown's.

For our trip from there to Taoromina, we took the ferry back from Lipari to Messina, and then the bus to Taoro. The train is another option. All of the transportaion options are covered in detail in the Lonely Planet guidebook. In Taro we stayed in the Hotel Continental, very economical with awesome views. Then we flew back to Naples for our trip home.

We have flown out of Trapani, and found it to be good airport.

You can also find cheap flights from Rome to Trapani, and from Naples to Trapani.
For inter EU fights check Skyscanner or Whichbudget.com.

If you go in late June, or later it can be very hot, so be prepared. We really enjoyed swiming in the Aeolians, and Sicily. Some of the beaches are small pebbles, so wear some swim shoes.
Their is aslo and overnight car ferry (with small cabins) that you can take. It arrives early in the morning off one of the Aeolians that is an active volcano, and can be quite a sight.

Thanks for the reply.

Thank you to both of you this is really helpful. Well its either your suggestion, or we could get a flight from Rome (i hate flying) to Catania, then to Taormina, then to Salina by ferry, then back to Sicly going to Trapani.

Do you think its OK to miss Lipari out? Our thoughts were to spend a night in Pisa, then Florence for 3 nights, then rome for 2 nights, then head for Sicily, which we would hoped would be the part of our holdiay where we could relax near the coast and see some beautiful scenery.

Do you think Taormina, Salina, Cefalu, Trapani would give us a good experience of Sicily? We were thinking about Salina because of the scenery, plus I've seen the film Il Postino :-) There isn't a great deal of variety when it comes to hotels though..

Maybe I should consider getting the train to sicily from Italy, though I know this would be a long trek, but I think you can do it over night..

If you head to Trapani you also have Segesta nearby as well as Marsala, San Vito Lo Capo, Castellammare del Golfo and I loved Palermo. Didn't get to spend as much time there as I wanted but it's on my list for another visit next time. Get on the A29 in Trapani to get to any of 'em.

Dom, I believe that there is a night train.........at least there was from Naples. Go 1st class, a little more money,but worth it.

If it was me, I'd cut out Pisa (nothing to see there but the Leaning Tower)and I would add one night to the Florence area, or better yet, the Rome area.

Do not stay in Florence, instead stay in Siena, and take the awesome buses to visit Florence. Rick Steves says Florence is magical at night; I agree.

Liapri is a great base for the Aeolians, but not necessary. If you want to see it, it is a quick trip by high speed ferry from Salina.

I don't know what time of year you are going, but Sicily is best seen in the Spring, or early summer. In the summer it gets very hot! But there are lots of fun swiming and beach options in Sicily and the Aeolians.

Another option you have is to skip Sicily on this trip, and just take the train to the Amalfi coast area. Base yourslef in Sorrento and see the surround area; Pompeii, the awesome little beach towns of Positano, etc.

Hi thanks for the advice, its been very helpful.

We are thinking of having 1 night in Pisa (already booked), 2 nights in florence, 3 nights in Rome, overnight train to Taormina, 1 night in Taormina, 2 nights in Salina, 1 night in cefalu, 2 nights in Trapani, then fly back following night from Trapani.

How does that sound? Do you think we should have 2 nights in Cefalu and only one night in Trapani? Please note we wont be driving a car. And are there any other bits on our itinery where you think we should be spending more / less time?

Thanks very much.

I disagree with the poster who advised to stay in Sienna and daytrip to Florence -- there is so much more to do in Florence -- Ufizzi -- piazzas at night with opera singers..........I would day-trip to Sienna. I have been to both places, and have spent weeks in Florence -- and I'd go back to Florence and skip Sienna because a day there was really enough. Just my opinion (next time in Florence, will take a day long wine tour.)

Can someone help with choosing a hotel in Taormina, Sicily? We'd like to be close to town but love the hotels that have the roof terraces overlooking the water. Is it possible we can have both? It would be great if we can just be a few steps from town. Any suggestions on really good restaurants while we're there? Thanks.

Dom, we stayed outside of Trapani at an Agri, and used it as a base to explore the area. We had a car, so we were free to go where we wanted. There is not mcuh to see in the town itself. I think that Trapani would be OK to spend more time in if there was transportation available to the hill top town of Erice, and some of the other sights (Greek ruins at Segesta, etc.) Dom, read what Rick Steve suggests in his book...he is right-on-the money: stay in Siena and take the bus to Florence. Siena is absolutely "magical" at night.

Dom, if you're planning to be in Trapani anyway, don't miss Erice, a short ride (public transportation) up the mountain from Trapani. If you love ancient sites, you might want to visit Siracusa (Syracuse) and/or Agrigento. A short trip from Trapani could include Segesta, with an unfinished Greek temple.

Hello,

How did your trip to Sicily go? We are looking to go there this Oct.
Should we try flying ( there are 4 of us) drive or take a ferry?
Thanks for any ideas
Fran

I would recommend flying. I flew from Rome and it was a little less than 1 hour to Palermo.
Here is a site I used to do a lot of planning for Sicily - There are hundreds of links inside this webpage and you can find everything about Sicily.
Best of Sicily