sicily itinerary help

How wonderful for you all having an adventure in Sicily soon! My first and top suggestion (having spent two wonderful vacations exploring all throughout Sicily) is do not do not DO NOT attempt to drive in central Palermo!!! Other posters will likely say the same thing! Arrange other transportation into the city, then pick up your car back at the airport (or elsewhere?) once you leave central Palermo. Not only is the traffic super crazy for most North Americans to navigate, but there are laws governing what cars can come into the central city. Without the right certification, you would be heavily fined. I don't know if a rental car from the airport would have that certification, but the traffic alone would make this venture highly difficult.

Right, you don't need or want a car in Palermo. Here's a previous thread about where to rent a car without going back to the airport after your stay in Palermo: Rent car

I agree about not driving in Palermo, but more importantly, don’t try to drive in any city at night when you haven’t been there before. Hotels in Europe are not marked the same as they are in the U.S. Don’t expect a large lighted up sign since there probably isn’t one. Street signs are difficult to see during daylight hours even if you know where they should be located on buildings. There may be a small brown or yellow sign with the hotel name and an arrow on it along a street in town, but there’s a slim chance you’ll see it at night. Finally, there are plenty of one way streets, pedestrian only areas, and no driving zones (ZTL) in cities now. Trying to navigate around them could be challenging.

If you’re intent on picking up the rental car upon arrival consider staying near the airport that night. The airport is about a 40 minutes drive from the city center.

When we visited and had a rental car, we stayed in Monreale and took the local bus into Palermo. For the departure we stayed at a hotel about 6 miles from the airport. Catania airport isn’t large and the rental car return is right beside the terminal.

Honest reaction... It's a really full itinerary; which will be compounded by any mobility issues. I think you're moving around way too much and trying to see a lot for such a short time in Sicily.

I agree with others, that a car in Palermo is an expensive and useless hassle. There are rental offices at the port and other places close to your hotel. Driving from those central rentals as you leave Palermo is really not a big deal. ZTLs are clearly marked and I just don’t think you should worry about driving in central Palermo. There is no reason to backtrack to the airport, which is also in the opposite direction of your next destination. If you can drive in a busy American city, you can drive in Palermo. Just avoid leaving at rush hour to avoid delays.

Just driving across Sicily will eat up most of a day out of your 6 days.

Valley of the Temples is awesome. But it involves a TON of walking. Maybe there are golf car tours for folks with mobility issues but the only such thing I saw was a little Cushman shuttle between the lower area and the west parking lot entrance. It wasn't running very often; maybe every half hour??

I could give lots of other specifics but I really think you might want to rethink the whole scope or timeframe of this trip.

I recommend a tour from Linguaglossa for Mt Etna, especially with the mobility issues. That will ensure the best access and experience for you. Pick up your car after you visit Palermo, on your way to Agrigento or Syracuse, a car is a liability in Palermo. Maybe consider spending your last couple of days in Taormina? It is very touristy - especially during the day with day trippers and cruise ships- but the magic is at night and in the early morning. If you can return your car on arrival at Taormina (you don’t want it there!), you can book a private early morning transfer to the airport and skip Catania.

I did not see any golf carts for the mobility challenged at Agrigento and I have been there twice. There is a lot of walking and much of it is on unpaved ground with rocks and gravel and some inclines. As an alternative, I suggest Selinunte, if you want to see Greek ruins. They do have hop on hop off golf carts that shuttle you from one site to another. It is also flatter than Agrigento and has far fewer visitors. I agree with others that you are trying to fit in too many stops and not giving yourself much time to actually explore and enjoy your chosen sites. For example you arrive in Palermo on April 30 and leave May 2. That gives you just one full day and maybe a half day to sitesee. Palermo and surrounding area has much to see and do and you could easily spend more time there. Same is true of Siracusa and Ortigia. Give yourself more time. you arrive on April 30 and depart on May 6, just 6 nights and 5 days. This maybe your preferred style of travel and if you are happy with it, that is fine but many of us will say that you are trying to squeeze in too much. Have you considered just staying on one side of the island, either east or west, and exploring only things on that side? Or limiting yourself to two or three destinations. Maybe Palermo and Siracusa? Sicily is big. If you are departing from Catania airport there is no need to stay the previous night near the airport as it is only a short distance outside of the city. I think it took my taxi only about ten minutes to get from the city of Catania near the duomo out to the airport. Depending on the time of your flight out of Catania, there are buses that go from Siracusa to the airport if you are coming from there, I think Sicily has so much to offer. Enjoy your trip.