Hello, My wife and I are interested in visiting Sicily in early September and we are having a tough time trying to construct an itinerary. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We have twelve days (including the two days of travel). We would like to have some days in a beach location and some days in a village/small town. We prefer not to rent a car, but would consider it. Thank you very much in advance for your thoughts---I greatly appreciate it. Greg
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, United States
174 posts
We had a rather whirlwind trip to Sicily a couple of years ago, with a car. Essentials I'd want to see: Taormina, Siracusa (but be sure to stay on the island of Ortygia), Agrigento, Selinunte (incredible Greek ruins in the latter two), the Piazza Armerina Roman villa, Erice, Segesta, and Monreale. We wanted to stay in Palermo but all hotels were full. Same with Cefalu. Several of these towns have beaches, but you'll have to read up on them. You'd be better with a car, but ditch it when you get to Palermo. We loved Sicily.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Greg, Katherine gave you some great ideas. Sicily is very big and cannot be seen on one trip. When we were planning our first trip, we picked up a copy of the Lonely Planet guidebook, did some reading, determined what interested us the most, and then planned our trip around visiting those sites. We found that a rental car, with our GPS from home, was the best option (especially to see out-of-way sights.) We always rent thru Auto Europe.com. It is a good idea to NOT drive in Palermo or Syacusa, especailly during rush hour. Some of the Country is bi-sected by some pretty good freeways, so that makes it easy to get from one side to the other. We have done the beaches in the Aeolian Islands, Taormina, and the neat sand beaches of San Vito de Capo. Some beaches require swim shoes, because they have very small pebbles, and get get VERY hot. You may want to post this very same question on Trip Advisor; "Vagabonda" is wealth of info. Also look for lodging in an Agritourisimo; lots of fun, and a great way to meet the locals.
Posted by
roswell, ga, usa
1501 posts
I spent a whole week in Taormina and did some day trips from there. Rented an apartment from:
http://holidaysinsicily.co.uk The Landlord is Claudio. He has a lot of apartments in many price categories and has an unofficial guide (Angelo) who can take you on day trips. He was a local, inexpensive, native to the area, and both the driver and Claudio speak perfect English. Had the BEST trip of our lives. I was nervous, never having done this before, but Claudio was honest in every regard, and I wish we'd taken even more advice from him! He definitely knows what he's doing. Have fun!