I am planning a trip to Sicily in late Sept with 2 friends and we are stumped on how to manage our time. We have up to 10 days for Sicily (is this too much?) We will be coming to Sicily after 2 weeks in Rome and we will rent a car. I would deeply appreciate any suggestions.
Additionally, I don't think Rick Steves has written about Sicily. Any recommendations for a really good guidebook?
Hello Lisa,
10 days in Sicily is not too much. We went to Taormina first, stayed a few nights, then rented a car from there and drove to Casale, Agrigento overnight, Seliunte, Erice, Segesta, and turned the car in at the Palermo airport. (You don't want to drive in Palermo) Then we went into Palermo and stayed there four nights. You can also go by boat to the Aeolian Islands. You can stay on Lipari or Panarea and take boats to Vulcano for a mud bath, and Stromboli to see the volcano by night. We missed Siracusa and Caltagirone, which I am sorry about.
Lonely Planet Sicily guidebook is good. I like the Rough Guide to Sicily also -- it has good town maps for driving.
Lisa, Sicily is wonderful, and very diverse! You can easily spend 10 days, and then be ready to plan your next visit. Another good guide book is the DK Eyewitness Travel Sicily guide, with lots of color photos and some excellent maps. I understand a Rick Steves Sicily Book is in the editing stage. The initial draft was twice as long as projected, I heard. So much to see and do in Sicily.
10 days is barely enough to scratch the surface. Sicily has a lot to offer. It's very rich in history and is the largest region of Italy.
Check the site below for planning guide:
www.bestofsicily.com
I like Lonely Planet or Michelin guidebooks, driving routes are very helpful. Don't skip Cefalu if you can help it - nice beaches and the Cathedral is outstanding. Excellent restaurant is Ostaria del Duomo.
I would count nights instead of days. Roberto and others are right, Sicily has so much to offer, 10 days is barely enough to start, but if that's what you have, do the best you can with it.
My favorite places: Cefalu, Segesta, Palermo, Taormina, Piazza Armerina (daytrip to Villa Romana de Casale and Morgantina), Siracusa (daytrip to Modica, Noto, or Ragusa), Agrigento.
I was in Sicily in April-May 2014 for a similar amount of time, and far from finding it "too much time," we rushed around to see all our "must sees." My VERY detailed trip report is here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina
There is no production plan for a Rick Steves' Sicily book. If a draft was produced by someone, it's not even on the back burner now; it's in the freezer. Lonely Planet and Michelin Green Guide are my usual alternates. You can get itinerary and timing clues from Rick's Sicily tour itinerary.
This is all very helpful. Thank you so much! I can't wait to get there.
