Sicily recommendations needed

Mary L, I would do two things, and then start firming up my trip. Sicily is HUGE, and you can't see it all in 5 days. Pick up a copy of the Lonely Planet guidebook and do some reading. Decide what you want to see then read their transportion recomendations. Personally, we always use a rental car when we visit, but public trans is available. November is one of the rainest times of the year in Sicily, so be prepared. Also realize that not all of the tourist things are open. http://www.bestofsicily.com/weather.htm Flying is the best option. You can fly into one town and out of another (Catania, Palermo) Use Whichbudget.com to pick one of the lo-cost inter EU airlines for your flight. Next, post this same question on TripAdvisor. One of their frequent posters is just wondeful, and can give you lots of great suggestions. I would not describe any Sicilian city as "rushed", (especially in November.) but Palermo could be a little overwhelming, especially if you tried to drive there. The Sicilians are warm and friendly people. Enjoy your trip!

Yeah, 5 days isn't much to see Sicily. I would pick one half and spend it there. Myself, I prefer the western side and love Palermo. You could fill up most of your time just there if you wanted to.

Hi Mary, We spent 2 weeks in Sicily last May flying into Catania and back from Palermo. We had a rental car. There are so many options! One of our favorite cities was Ortigia. With 5 days, I would consider flying into Catania and dividing time between Taormina and Ortigia with a day trip or two from either. I'm not sure about public transportation options but as Steve suggested, Vagabonda on Trip Advisor can give you lots of great advice.

Mary, I would bypass Catania unless you are going to Mt. Etna (I've never tried this in November). Ortygia is the old town part of Syracuse, a fabulous city. If you decide to do the North Coast, I would recommend Palermo if you feel up to a big city, or Trapani a little further west (and definitely go to Erice, at the top of a mountain near Trapani; I went in November and got great photos, but I like fog) and Segesta, which has a beautiful Greek temple and theatre. One of my favorite places is Cefalu, which has beautiful mosaics in the Cathedral and some very good restaurants. All of these places are on the north coast. You might google the cities that interest you and look for images (I make a lot of decisions based on what I see in a photo).

We loved the entire place, and I'd recommend renting a car to see Piazza Aremenia (sp?), Agrigento's valley of the temples, and/or Erice on the west coast. The Roman Ruins at Piazza, near Enna, are amazing.

Just returned from eight days in Sicily. We did not rent a car. We stayed in Taormina. From there we took day trips to Mt. Etna and Agrigento to the Valley of the Temples. Taormina is lovely. We flew from Rome to Catania on Alitalia. We had the b&b arrange transportation for us. There is a bus that will take you to Taormina from Catania.

PS: Just realized you will be traveling in November. You probably would not be able to go to Mt. Etna. Best touring times for Etna are April-October. Other times, snow hinders visits. Taormina might have restaurant, b&b closings in November as well. You might want to stick to the west coast during that time. I would highly recommend your visit to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. It is amazing.