Just started planning..wondering what you think?

Everyone; myself and your friend included, have strong opinions about what makes a fantastic Sicilian trip. You have to decide what types of memories you want to make.

I do applaud your instinct to settle into just a few destinations and avoid hopping around from place to place. You could probably add another destination and still be pretty chill.

To me, Ortigia and Taormina are kinda similar experiences. But if you like the idea of 11 days of your trip spent mostly vibing on the coast, there's nothing wrong with that. You could swap for a few days somewhere in the interior. You mentioned Ragusa which would be a different vibe from your other stops. If you like hiking, google Randazzo. There. are some beautiful parks including Etna and the scenery will be very different from what you experience elsewhere on your itinerary.

As far as kitchen facilities and cooking goes, the food in most of Sicily is pretty cheap (Ortigia and Taormina not so much) and is a big reason for a visit. But I tend to miss cooking when I travel so I understand if that's really the motivation.

You should take advantage of a rental car judiciously. It is not a good choice to have a rental car while in Palermo. Having a car while staying in Palermo is an expensive hassle, also traffic restrictions in Italy prevent non residents from being able to use a car in city centers.

Palermo, Monreale should be visited before you pick up your rental car.
Cefalù is also easily reachable by train on a day trip from Palermo Centrale station if you want.
Segesta can be reached by bus, but it wouldn’t hurt to pick up the car after seeing Palermo and head west to a more rural location and use that out of city base to see Western Sicily (Segesta, Erice, Zingaro Reserve, Scopello, Trapani, Selinunte, Castellammare, etc). I stayed in Scopello one year and visited all of the above locations from Scopello. Everything is within 30-40 min drive from one another.

To see Ortigia also you won’t need a car, and there are traffic restrictions. There is a large covered parking structure however (called “Talete”) where you can store your car while you stay there, and use the car for your day trips to the other locations in southeast Sicily. I was not particularly impressed by Vendicari nature reserve, but I liked the Zingaro reserve near Scopello, between Scopello and San Vito.

In Eastern Sicily I prefer to stay in Giardini Naxos, rather than Taormina, primarily because I generally travel in summer and I like to stay at the beach. From there you can drive (5 min) up to Taormina and park at the multistory park structure (Porta Catania) and walk into the town center, which is largely closed to traffic. Wherever you stay inquire about parking accommodations for your car. Having a car in Italy is not as convenient as in the US. Italy wasn’t built for cars.

Thanks for the feedback!

We will not be driving in Palermo for all those reasons :) Plenty of experience driving in Italy and not for the faint of heart! I think we should have another spot to stay especially as it is not summer and will not be spending too much time at the beach and we are from San Diego so we do get beach time :)

Scopello would be a good spot then to add as another base to give variety? Thanks!

I suggest seeing the Villa Romana del Casale (outside Piazza Armerina) en route from Palermo--or other base in western Sicily--to Ortygia.

Since you mentioned museums, I recommend the Norman Palace and the small, privately-operated tile museum in Palermo.

I'm not sure that Marzamemi is great for seaside walks, as the beach there is not so beautiful as others in the SE.
The Vendicari would be better.

If you are going to Ragusa, Marina di Ragusa would be a good place for a walk along their long, wide beach. There is a boardwalk/promenade lined with restaurants that becomes very lively at night.

I think you could do better then to allocate 5 nights to Taormina since you will not be lounging or heading for the beach. Instead, you could spend a few nights in Catania before your flight. It's a gorgeous city, very walkable, with friendly people, great restaurants that fit all budgets, markets....and within easy reach of Etna. We've been several times in the past few years, as we spend time there either on arrival or departure, or before or after heading to Salina.
It's just a great city, easy to love and not terribly congested with tourist groups as I fear Palermo has become in the years since I've been last.

I would say that you can still travel slowly, but add another destination. Spouse and I are now semi-retired, take longer trips and have the ability to stay in places longer. But an occasional one- or two-night stay here and there, to visit things that are between other destinations, works for us and doesn't feel too rushed.

When we visited Sicily (before semi-retirement), we picked up the rental car upon leaving Palermo. We spent one night at a lovely wine estate (La Foresteria); we visited Segesta and Sellinunte.

We spent several nights in Agrigento, and visited the Valley of the Kings, which was on my "must-see" list or Sicily.

We then headed to Piazza Amerina to visit my other must-sees, the Villa Romana that has been previously mention, and the ancient site of pre-Roman Morgantina and associated museum, Museum Aidone. Morgantina was very ruinuous, and we benefited greatly from a private guide in appreciating the site.

From Ortigia (Siracusa), we did several day trips, including Noto. We also stayed in Taormina, which is one of the most beautiful places I've every stayed. I'm not sure that I would want to spend five nights there, though. We took an all-day guided tour and some hiking with a private guide who picked us up from our hotel in Taormina. That was a great experience.

Enjoy your planning, and your trip!

Thanks Lexma. That was very helpful and has made me shift some ideas around.

After your great tips, how does this modification seem? I shortened some days and added a couple of places so still three days in each place.

April 4–9 Palermo
April 9–12 Scopello base (day trips to Zingaro + Erice)
April 12–15 Agrigento
April 15–18 Ortigia / Syracuse (3 nights)
April 18–20 Mt. Etna area (2 nights)
April 20 Depart Catania

Thanks!

From Scopello there is also the Temple of Segesta and the Selinunte archaeological park that you can visit. Trapani is also within easy reach and you can take the funicular gondola up to Erice from Trapani, if operating when you go (it doesn’t on windy days).
Agrigento is famous for the valley of the temples, which will need a few hours to visit. 1 or 2 nights, in my opinion could be sufficient, and maybe that gives you a chance to add the Villa Reale del Casale in Piazza Armerina to your list.
The Zingaro Reserve starts actually in Scopello, so, depending on where you find accommodations, you might be able to walk to the entrance, or, if not, just drive the 5 min to it.

I really liked seeing several of the Baroque towns in southeastern Sicily. They're visitable from Ortygia by train and/or bus, but you can reach them more efficiently with a car. i went to Ragusa (bi-level town, deserving a bit more time than the others), Modica (hilly; known for chocolate), Noto and Scicli.

I'm not interested in Greek and Roman ruins, so I haven't been to Agrigento. However, there's nothing I've read about that town to suggest it's a good area for a 3-night stay.

One thing to keep in mind as you build your itinerary is that very, very few intercity buses run on Sundays. That's a good day for sightseeing in the town where you wake up.

“April 4–9 Palermo
April 9–12 Scopello base (day trips to Zingaro + Erice)
April 12–15 Agrigento
April 15–18 Ortigia / Syracuse (3 nights)
April 18–20 Mt. Etna area (2 nights)
April 20 Depart Catania”

I think it’s a good plan. If you want, I’d probably take a day from Agrigento and move it to Etna. Agrigento just needs one full (non-travel) day. The temples are really the thing IMO.

Thanks Chris, will do!

I’m no help but just dropping in to add I am bookmarking for a future trip!

Hey there! How are you!

Good! You know I expect a trip report. 🤣