My husband and I are going to Sicily the first two weeks in October, flying in/out of Palermo. After 2 nights in Palermo, we are going to Cefalù for a night, then to the Aeolian Islands for maybe 2 nights.
We definitely want to visit: Taormina, Catania and Siracusa; Villa Romana del Casale and Agrigento. We don’t want to hop to a different place each night, and we would appreciate suggestions of places that might be a base for a few nights, particularly one in the country or a small town. Specific suggestions for BnBs, agriturismo etc. would also be great.
And, do you have any suggestions for don’t-miss places in the west?
Thanks!
Posted by
West Bloomfield, MI
7 posts
I’m also visiting Sicily this coming October joining the RS 11 day tour. I strongly recommend you buy the RS Sicily guide book, assuming you don’t already have one. It is the best resource to address all your questions. One must see sight is the Cathedral located in Monreale. The RS guide book has a very comprehensive tour for that impressive site. His book has a detailed chapter on all the cities and places you mentioned. Have fun.
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1869 posts
This spring, we really enjoyed this B&B guesthouse in Piazza Armerina --- it allowed us to get to the Villa Romana when it opened in the morning to avoid the crowds. La Casa sulla Collina d'Oro is also an hour and a half to Agrigento --- that sounds like a long drive, but we found driving through the countryside in Sicily a huge part of the fun of Sicily. This B&B is not actually on the hill of the hilltown, but across a valley from it with a nice view of the town --- so it's easy to drive to. There is a casual restaurant we liked a lot in the town and ate at twice: La Locanda
Posted by
California 🦋
5369 posts
My husband and I are going to Sicily the first two weeks in October, flying in/out of Palermo.
If you haven’t booked your flights yet, consider flying to Palermo, and out of Catania, or vice-versa, to avoid backtracking.
If your flights are booked, consider traveling counterclockwise starting in Palermo, then onto Trapani where you can visit Erice & Segesta , then you may consider following this route:
Trapani >> Agrigento >> Piazza Armerina>> Syracuse ( stay in Ortigia) > day trip to Noto, Ragusa, or Modica >> Taormina >> Aeolian Islands (via Messina or Milazzo) >> Cefalú>> Palermo.
As suggested by previous poster, consider reading RS Sicily book.
I found the Lonely Planet Sicily book very helpful as the RS Sicily book was not available when planning my trip.
Here’s my trip report with more details.
Will you have a rental car?
Wishing you a wonderful trip!
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1869 posts
Oh, yeah, here's my trip report, too: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/sicily-spring-2025
Posted by
3 posts
Hi there! Just checked on ferryhopper and in early October you can take seasonal ferries from Palermo to the Aeolian Islands (like Lipari (aprox. 3h45), Filicudi (aprox. 2h30), or Alicudi (aprox. 1h55), but keep in mind that there are typically 2–7 weekly departures per route. For a base, in general Lipari and Salina are more central with daily ferries to other islands like Panarea, Stromboli, or Alicudi. Hope that helps! xx