We will be travelling from the USA to Sicily in April. We are flying into Palermo, spending a couple of days there and taking a train to Agrigento. We plan to pick up a car in Agrigento and explore Siracusa and Taoramina and then drive back to Palermo to fly back. My question is which is the best route for us to take back to Palermo? Google maps says to drive back to Catania and go west and then north back to Palermo. We see that we could also drive north to Messina and go west across the coastline back to Palermo. Does anyone have any insight into either of these options? Driving back along the coast sounds very appealing but no one in our group has experience driving in Italy and I want to make sure we are not going to get ourselves into a pickle that we are not prepared for. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8381 posts
When I drove (the reverse of your itinerary), I took the coastal route then down to Taormina, but we spent a night in Cefalù. Drive time wise (according to Google maps), going back to Catania then west takes about 30 minutes less than the coastal route. The road on the coastal route was fine, and from what I remember, in good condition.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17468 posts
The coastal route via Messina and Cefalu is nicer.
It's all 4 lane freeway and you will be in tunnels a lot, but the view is nice when you are not in a tunnel.
Posted by
1332 posts
I don’t know about the coast road, but the Google route suggestion is an autostrada. Very easy driving. I thought the interior had striking scenery in its own right. Driving with Etna looming in the background was pretty memorable.
This route also takes you near Villa Romana, which is well worth squeezing in if you can.
Posted by
Nevada USA
13 posts
I can't provide info about which route to drive, because we did the Best of Sicily Tour and were in a bus. However, I also recommend going to the Roman Villa del Casale if you can. It was my husband's favorite place on our tour. It has huge rooms of gorgeous mosaic floors, and also remains of baths where you can see the hypercaust system the Romans had for hot water. The mosaic floors depict famous myths, hunts, animals, and more, including the famous so-called "bikini girls" which show women lifting dumbbells and what looks like a heavy ball, and running races, wearing what look like bikinis. It is in the middle of rural countryside. Our tour traveled west to east and stopped at the Villa after leaving Agrigento and heading to Siracusa. Also, cliffside Taormina was really lovely, but it's suited for walking (lots of stairs). Not all roads were open to cars. Hope this helps.