Sicily transportation

Please be a little bit more specific as to where you want to go.

Cars go everywhere, you should check if renting two would be better than trying to get one large one.

Trains go to most tourist areas, buses fill in or duplicate; Sunday bus service is limited.

How long will you be there, are all of you adults, can you (or two of you) drive a manual transmission, what are your destinations?

I agree with the others in that more information would be really helpful. Where are you planning to visit in Sicily? For five people with luggage, you'll probably have to rent a larger vehicle may be somewhat "cumbersome" in cities.

We are five girl cousins in our 50s and 60s visiting for 7 to 10 days. Some of us (me) have foot and ankle issues. We are just starting to plan a 7-10 day trip for fall of 2017. We have all been to Italy before but not to Sicily where our grandmother was born. Any comments about Sicily travel would be appreciated.

We traveled in Sicily for 10 days a couple years ago. We were with 2 other couples. Each couple had their own car, and that worked out very well since we wanted to see different things in places.

We flew into Catania, stayed in Giardini Naxos for 2 nights, Piazza Armerina 2 nights, Agrigento 2 nights, Cefalu 2 nights, Palermo 2 nights, flew out of Palermo. I know that sounds like a lot of hopping around which we ordinarily don't do but it worked out very well and we saw a lot. The drives between the cities was not long. We could get to our new destination, drop our bags and take off sight seeing.

The driving was easy. We didn't see everything and missed large parts of Sicily but it was a good start. DON'T drive in Palermo. One couple did not follow that advice and had a rough time of it.

ellen,

In order to provide more information, it would help to have some idea where you might like to visit in Sicily, as that will have a bearing on the transportation options. If you're planning on visiting the town where your grand mother was born, which town is that (a rental car may be required?).

Sicily is fabulous. Make your trip as long as you can. You won't regret it.

I traveled in Sicily last summer, using public transportatiom, but in your case I think rental cars would be better if you can deal with manual transmission vehicles or are willng to pay for automatics. I agree that having two cars would be great. Aside from superior manueverability, It's unlikely that all five of you will have the same priorities in a place like Sicily, with such a variety of sightseeing options.. Sicily has beaches, Greek and Roman antiquities, picturesque Baroque (and older) towns, picturesque larger cities and (especially in Palermo) incredible churches.

Driving in the countryside looked pretty straightforward to me, sitting on the buses, but even in small towns there were issues with people parking in no-parking zones, leaving insufficient room for two cars to pass. Backing up was sometimes required, which could be awkward in a vehicle large enough for five people and their liggage. As already noted, no way do you want to drive in Palermo, even in a fleet of tiny cars.

You will likely need two cars, because while a single car may hold five people, it's unlikely to hold them plus all of their luggage in the trunk.

Here's my VERY detailed trip report from 2014, including lots of details about car rental: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina