Sicily itinerary

You can see Ragusa as a daytrip from Siracusa. You will be covering almost the entire island, and if any of your bus days is on a Sunday, I would rearrange your itinerary.

Unless you have an early flight out of Catania, I would suggest Taormina instead, assuming you can get transportation to Catania airport. Check rome2rio.com for schedule comparisons.

I did Ragusa as a day trip (from Siracusa) and less than one day was not nearly enough (and my timing was dictated by the train schedule, which meant having to depart at 7pm or so - no time to have dinner there, which was sad). Since Ragusa-Modica-Noto-Siracusa are on the same train corridor, I would just do them sequentially and spend the night at each one if you can (or use Ragusa as a base to do a short trip to Modica and Siracusa as the base for Noto). I think Ragusa deserves at least 1 full day as does Modica...too many fine churches and sites to see (trying to fit those two and Chiaramonte into less than 3 days seems like too much). Siracusa has an excellent archeological museum (in the new town outside Ortygia) that could have literally taken me almost a day to see (I wish I had time to spread it over two days, which would have made it more enjoyable). Of the cities mentioned, I would say that Noto is much smaller/doable and could be done in a half day if you're short on time (although I would have liked to be there longer as well). Sunday bus/train schedules are quite sparse, so I would look at the bus/train schedules when forming this itinerary. Is the bus connection from Palermo to Ragusa as feasible as Siracusa?

My impression is that you're covering a lot in 8.5 days and it's going to be a hectic trip. If you want less hectic, then just concentrate on region, like southeast, etc. It's not clear how much time you're giving to one city (unfortunately the train/bus schedules will decide that as they are sometimes a bit constraining).

The Lonely Planet book helped me a lot in my planning, so I would recommend that as a good source to check against.

Thank you both. More details, I will be arriving on a Friday and have an early flight out the following Sunday, so based on above there will be no commuting on Sunday, other than getting to airport.

I'm thinking 2.5 days in Palermo, 2 days each in Ragusa and Siracusa, then probably less than 1.5 days in Catania will allow me to see most of what I'd like without it being too hectic. But I understand I'll be at mercy of bus schedules. And I can modify if necessary.

Good attitude, David. I usually spend about three weeks in Sicilia, but I go slowly on purpose.

David --
I have two suggestions. First, reduce Catania to just one night. We spent a couple of hours downtown there between bus connections, and the part we saw was very gritty and unappealing, with graffiti and lots of traffic. I personally would add another night to Ortigia, then bus into Catania in the morning on Day 9 to give you a little sightseeing time before flying home the next day. I heard Catania does have an amphitheater, but have no information about it.

And, second, if you love gelato, try it in a brioche. And try it early in the trip ... don't wait til the last day like I did!

Thanks Charlene. I have been debating about nights in Catania, but do want to visit the markets. I will probably arrive there late afternoon or so which will give me a night and a full day there, but still thinking about it. And I've read about the gelato en brioche. Will definitely make the most of that. Grazie.

David, I highly recommend the World War II museum in Catania - Museo Storico dello Sbarco.

David, I endorse Barbara's recommendation of the WW II Museum in Catania. It deals with the Allied liberation of Sicily in 1943, first step in liberating Italy, and is very well done. I really knew nothing of that aspect of the War. Also, it's a shame you're not including Taormina in your trip, for me one of the highlights. I'd rather spend some time there than in Cefalu.

Another vote for the WWII museum in Catania (that's the only place I saw there). I was glad I stayed overnight in Cefalu, but I didn't get to Taormina, so I can't compare them.

I've been to both Taormina and Cefalu and would include both if possible; Cefalu can be a daytrip from Palermo if you can't give it a night.

2 years ago we stayed in Taormina and loved it! We also took a day bus trip to Palermo and Cefalu. We even climbed Mt. Etna with a guide (Davide), the owner of Agon B&B. A great experience, wonderful host and hostess and so many wonderful memories. We are planning a trip back in a few years to rent a car and drive the whole Island.

Catania is, indeed, gritty around the bus station. It improves greatly over near the cathedral and university. Definitely worth some wandering, and the markets are interesting.

I enjoyed all of Noto, Ragusa, and Modica. Noto was pleasantly quiet when I arrived before 10 AM. It is quite small, but the walk from the bus stop to the historic area takes 5 or 10 minutes.

It's a bit of a scramble to figure out the bus schedules. Verify that you won't encounter any holidays, and check on the meaning of any symbols appearing on the schedule. Sometimes the tourist office has printed schedules to give you, but always try to confirm the return time and pick-up spot when you arrive.

It is wonderful to wander around in Ortygia. I made multiple side trips from Siracusa and didn't allow enough time for Ortygia itself. It needs a lot more time than Noto, even aside from other sights in Siracusa.

For me the top sight not included in your itinerary is the Villa Romana del Casale outside Piazza Armerina. It's a Roman villa with stupendous mosaics. Your schedule won't permit a trip there by public transportation, but I thought I'd mention it in case you happen to run into someone who offers you a ride.

A few thoughts on food:

The classic granita in Noto (Caffe Sicilia or Dolceria Constanza are commonly recommended) is mostly almond with a dollop of very strong coffee granita on top. Only occasionally available elsewhere in Sicily. I don't remember the special name of that combo, but I'm thinking about my late breakfast of granita and brioche right now.

The food in Sicily is very good in general, with stronger flavors than you tend to get on the mainland. The pastries are good, too. I had been in Italy for 3 weeks by the time I reached Sicily, so I was looking for food that was interesting as well as good, but not too expensive. I found two places memorable enough to recommend:

If you're hungry in Modica, I can vouch for Basilico. I see that Trip Advisor reviewers liked it, too. The menu is more interesting than the restaurant's simple though stylish appearance would suggest. The address is Corso Mazzini 2. It's visible from Via Marchesa Tedeschi, which seems to be the main drag. By the way, have a map of Modica (electronic or paper) with you. The bus didn't drop me off where I expected, and I had considerable difficulty orienting myself.

In Ortygia/Siracusa I lucked into a real find, which is also well known to the Trip Advisor crowd. Locanda Mastrarua is at Via Vittorio Vento 11, not far from Via della Maestranza. That's roughly midway down the peninsula on the east side. This is more of a white-tablecloth spot. The menu doesn't seem to be online, but I think there were 5 meat, 5 seafood, and 5 vegetarian options for each course. Maybe it was only 3 of each. In any case, I opted to eat there twice. It's small and is obviously known, despite the off-the-beaten path location. It can fill up.

Thanks acraven. Will look into your recommendations.

So you're saying the bus to Modica doesn't leave you close to the town center?

Thanks acraven. Will look into your recommendations.

So you're saying the bus to Modica doesn't leave you close to the town center?

Here's a map of Modica so you can locate the bus station:
http://www.pietrenereresort.it/wp-content/uploads/Modica-Historical-Centre.jpg

Map of Ragusa
http://www.comune.ragusa.gov.it/turismo/mappacitta/_allegati/cartina_rg.pdf

I don't remember exactly where the driver put me out, but it was definitely somewhere in the town center. It's just that what I'd read in my guidebook was so specific about the bus drop-off spot, and I had a clear (I thought) mental picture of the path to the tourist office. It was so simple that I didn't bother making a little sketch map in my notebook as I sometimes do. When things didn't look right and I didn't yet have a map from the tourist office, I was befuddled! Now that I think of it, my bus-arrival info wasn't quite right for Ragusa, either, and Ragusa is much more complicated to navigate.

It only mattered because I was dependent on public transportation and wanted to see as much of Modica as I could before catching what was probably the last bus back. In that situation I'm always quite nervous until I have a map from the tourist office in my hand.

Where I went to pick up the bus (western end of Corso Umberto I, per Agnes's map) was different from where I was dropped off in Modica (still not sure where that was, but definitely more to the east). I really think that sometimes the termination point is just a spot near the café where the driver wants to take his break!

Always start out with as much schedule info as you can on buses that might support your route, then verify the information at every opportunity. It doesn't hurt to talk to locals waiting at the bus stop, either. I remember once, I think in Scicli or Ispica, being told that a useful bus I didn't know about would arrive soon. And so it did.

3 nights in Palermo with Cefalu and Monreale is good
2 nights in Siracusa is also good, but you could increase by one and visit Ragusa from there.
I'd have 2 nights in Taormina and no more than one in Catania (I would even contemplate the last night in Taormina before the flight if doable).

Thanks again acraven, I empathize. Thanks for the great maps Agnes.

While I'm not considering Taormina, I have been thinking about only spending my last night in Catania, near the airport, as I have 7am flight. That would give me another night in Siracusa or Ragusa. Stop not sure though.

I agree for the need to confirm where the bus pick up/drop off points are exactly with the bus driver (guide books do not often have up-to-date or totally reliable info on public transport). If I did not have those maps with me (which took a lot of sleuthing to find on the internet since they're on Italian websites), the guide book I had (Lonely Planet) was not adequate or had enough detail to see the surrounding streets for navigation purposes. Ragusa is very well signed and has a tourist office where you can pick up a huge version of that map. It was very helpful to navigate from the upper town Ragusa Superiore to the lower town, Ragusa Ibla. There are also audio tours if you have a smartphone with you (each stop has a smart phone code you can scan). What a wonderful place it was!!! Modica will have twisty streets as well, so you do need a map to orient yourself. It seems like every city will have Corso Umberto running through it as the main drag.

I don't know why, but a lot of posters tend to stay clear of big, congested cities like Palermo or Catania in favor of the pastel, touristy-perfect spots with seemingly little blemishes....I tend to like the variety and don't mind the grit - that's how people live and there's nothing wrong with experiencing it - it's as "real" as anywhere else in Italy. I took a bus through Catania and the driver gave me a narrated tour in Italian (I was the only one on the bus and he was incredibly gracious)...he said Catania was the "best city in the world" :-) That made me smile. I think if I stayed there longer, I could probably warm up to it as well (unfortunately I had no time there at all, but spent time in Naples as a comparison and really enjoyed it). The only downside of Catania is the it's several temps hotter than anywhere else on the island.

Have a great trip!

David, you'll want to verify once on the ground, but I think you can get to the Catania airport pretty easily by bus if you allow a safe amount of time. I took some day trips from Catania via public bus, and it seemed as if they often made an airport stop along the way.

Thanks again, much appreciate Agnes and acraven, can I bring something back for you :). Agnes, I live in Manhattan, so grit is not an issue. I think my decision will be based on the bus schedules and how much time I'll get to spend in the other cities. I think if I can sufficiently do the other cities on my original plan, I'll stick to it. At the moment, I'm staying at Ai Cartari b&b near San Francesco church in Palermo, hotel dell'orologio in Ragusa, La Corte Degli Angeli in Ortygia and Bianca b&b in Catania. Any knowledge of or thoughts on those?

hotel dell'orologio in Ragusa

That sounds great - I doubt you'll be disappointed.

If you have a 7am flight out of Catania, spend the night there and have your hotel call a taxi for you to the airport. The airport bus runs early, but I don't recall anything before after 4:30am, and it makes a number of pickup stops. Taxi at 5am was about €25.

Thanks Zoe.

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