Length of stay in Sicily

Well I think there is enough to spend 4 weeks there, and as you are traveling by public transit it would be nice to have the extra time. Have you booked your flights yet? From Calgary I found it hard to get flights to Sicily, so ended up flying to Rome , then spending some time getting to and from Sicily.
If you decide to do 4 weeks, then i would suggest adding an extra night or two to Palermo at the start, as there can be a lot to see there. You don't say where your tour goes, so that might impact what you want to plan on your own.

I have only travelled by car in Sicily. You should look for Pricilla’s trip report on Sicily from several years ago. She traveled extensively by public transportation and had a great time.

Most guides I’ve seen recommend at least 2 weeks to really experience Sicily, so even 3 weeks would give you a decent amount of time to explore the island. If you have the option and the energy, 4 weeks would definitely let you go deeper.

There are wonderful Greek and Roman archaeological sights, beautiful beaches, medieval churches, and so much more. Going by bus and train will slow you down a bit, which is not a bad thing. All in all, if your only consideration is whether there's enough to keep you interested, I'd say 4 weeks. To give you an idea of what it's like getting around without a car, one of our veteran Forum members, Priscilla, wrote extensively on her solo trip by public transportation. Her trip report starts here. . There are links to other pieces of her trip report as well. There's a lot of information, and some of it may not be relevant, but it's worth going through since there is a great deal of useful information.

Hi Gail, there is lots to see in Sicily. The length of your stay depends on what you particularly want to see and do. Is your seven day tour all around the island or where in particular does it go? Does it include all the places you want to see? Make a list of the must sees for your trip and plan from that. I have been to Sicily three times, but I feel a real tug at the heart when I am there because my grandparents came from there and I still have some family there. My first trip was for just the Palermo area and was only for a few quick days. My second trip I spent three weeks going around the island and I just got back from my third trip spending 18 days around the island. I have travelled by train, bus, and private driver while in Sicily. I have never rented a car myself. With the time after your tour decide whether you want to go clockwise or counter clockwise around the island or in one side and out the other or just concentrate on the east or west side. I found both bus and train travel to be reliable and cheap. Many of the trains were older and some did not have AC but busses were all very nice. If you feel like you will never return to Sicily and you are used to long trips, you can easily fill 4 weeks. These towns that I suggest would make good bases for exploring different areas with daytrips or local day tours: Palermo (has easy access to lots of places such as Monreale, Mondello, Segesta, Cefalu, Borgo Parinni, Castellammare del Golfo); Trapani (beautiful mountaintop Erice), the salt pans, San Vito lo Capo, Salemi, Marsala and Favignana); Mazara del Vallo — this is a pretty fishing town with a very compact historical city center that has lots of Tunisian influence - ( access to Selinunte, Partana, Sciacca); Grigento and Piazza Armerina; ; one of the Baroque towns such as Ragusa, Modica, Scicli or Noto as a base and visit some of the others from there; Siracusa/Ortigia; Catania ( from here you can visit Etna area and some of the Aci towns); Taormina; Messina or Milazzo. Near Milazzo is Tindari. Of course your tour will visit some of these outstanding gems so aim for areas you do not visit on the tour or areas you know you will want to explore further. I find Sicily to still be budget friendly compared to many other European destinations. Trains and busses are cheap. You can still find very reasonably priced B&Bs and the food is delicious.

Thank you to everyone for your replies!
I have decided to visit for a total of 4 weeks.
As mentioned by Lisa from Calgary, it's difficult routing from western Canada to Sicily. I will fly into Naples, then Easyjet to Palermo (I had contemplated the train, but feel it's too long & arrives Palermo too late - 23:00.) My flight home is from Palermo with 2 layovers - Zurich & Toronto.

For anyone who's travelled Sicily recently, did you experience water shortage/rationing? Mixed reviews online about whether tourists should visit. Thanks again!