Sicily Solo

In a couple of weeks I will be making my third solo trip to Sicily. It is so very different than the mainland! And I mean that in the best possible way. Ortigia grabbed my heart immediately so I returned. This time it's Palermo and Agrigento. Come on down!

Any special tips - must see - must experience? I love history, art and music.

We spent a week in Ortigia and it was hard to leave there.

Ortigia is definitely on my list. I am trying to piece together a trip with either public transportation and need be, private transfers.

I traveled solo in Sicily for 17 nights using public transportation. I did Palermo (5), Agrigento (2), Siracusa (5), Taormina (3) and Catania (2).

I actually wanted to stay two nights in Ragusa and day trip to Noto from Ragusa but getting to Ragusa from Agrigento using public transportation was pretty much impossible.

I don’t like to drive but if had to do it over, I would have rented a car in Agrigento, driven to Ragusa, stayed two nights, day trip to Noto, then return the car in Siracusa. In some portions of Sicily a car really helps.

Taormina is nice, but not worth 3 nights, I think 2.

Do you mean "south" of Italy or of Sicily? When are you planning to go and for how long? What are your main interests? For instance, I most wanted to see ancient sights: Greek temples, Roman mosaics. Those would have been more time-consuming to see if I didn't have a rented car.

I meant the south is Sicily. I don’t want to race all over - have a more leisurely time - I would like to choose 2 - 3 bases and take day trips from there. While a car is always helpful, I will not be renting one. I will try to find some day trips (organized) if public transportation is not available.

In 2019 a friend and I ( both senior women) did a 22 day trip around Sicily, using trains and busses as our primary means of transportation and hiring two different private drivers for some trips. We mostly stayed in smaller, cheaper BnBs but did stay in one hotel in Cefalu and two different Air BnBs. We started in Catania to Taormina to Olivera ( to see Tindari) to Cefalu to Palermo. We used Palermo as a base for a week and from there did daytrips to Monreale, Segesta, Erice, Marsala and Borgetto. Next stop was Mazara del Vallo, with a daytrip by train and bus to Selinunte. Mazara del Vallo was so worth a visit. I really enjoyed the old historical center of town with its mixture of cultures and heavy Tunisian influence. It is filled with narrow alleyways decorated with tile murals telling the history of the town. And a visit to see the Dancing Satyr at the small local museum is a must. I recommend this town as it is very different. The train station is right next to the old historical part of the city so it is very convenient. Everything in the old town was walkable. From Mazara del Vallo we visited the Greek ruins at Selinunte. We took a short train ride to Castelvetrano and there was a local bus that picked up right at the train station and took us to a stop near the archeological park. The Selinunte park is impressive. It is quite spread out, right on the coast. There are relatively few tourists here, compared to Agrigento, which was absolutely packed. I liked the beauty of Agrigento and certainly recommend seeing it but be prepared for crowds. I found the experience at Selinunte to be more peaceful. There are little golf carts that make the rounds throughout the park that go from area to area. There was a fee of 5€ I think and you can hop off and hop on at your will to get around the extensive park. From Mazara del Vallo we went to Agrigento and Piazza Armerina to see the Villa Romana. We finished our trip in Ortigia/Siracusa. Ortigia was beautiful. We did not get to the Baroque towns of southeast Sicily. Just could not fit them in on that trip. That is my next Sicily destination as they look so pretty. You said you are considering the south. Research Noto, Ragusa and Modica but there are some other gems in that area as well. Take a look at Scicli, Ispica, Marzamemi, Donnalucata, Donnafugata, and Buscemi and see if any of these catch your interest. Our biggest splurge, cost wise, were the private drivers. Otherwise, our lodging and transportation and food were all very reasonably priced. We never felt unsafe.

I was in Palermo last April on my own for 5 nights while I waited for my friend to join me from the U K.
I’m late 60’s, female.
I felt very safe, though I’m not out after dark on my own when I’m solo traveling, unless I’m in the UK which is very familiar to me.
I took local buses around Palermo, went to Monreale on a Sunday when the buses sort of disappeared and I had to walk quite a way through very quiet streets to get back to the centre, and I also explored the markets and old streets.
I thought the people were very helpful and courteous, even drivers who would stop to let me cross a busy road!
I think you will be just fine.
Sicily is amazing.

Thank you for all your kind words and suggestions.

Any beach suggestions ? Last year was the first time I dedicated 3 days to the beach (to recover from COVID while in Croatia ). It was a new (and refreshing) experience just to sit and enjoy. I would like to build that into this trip.

I did Sicily solo back in 2021. You haven’t provided any general thoughts on time you’ll have or time of year, and I think both of these are significant planning factors. While generally “small” getting around Sicily takes time. To make a trip here really worthwhile (so you can include both eastern and western sights) I think you need 10 nights minimum. Even then you’ll leave things on the table. Don’t automatically assume you’ll need to figure out your own airfare from Rome. Look at flying open jaw Catania/Palermo and flip them around. I found significant savings flying into Catania versus Palermo.

I went in late May, and the weather varied a lot. There were some chilly days and a couple hot ones. The common conception that it’s generally warmer isn’t necessarily the case. So, if you’re intent on a lot of beach time, I’d plan for the summer months. June at least.

Getting around via public transport can be challenging. Trains are few and far between, and can be a far cry from what you’ll experience on mainland Europe. Busses are much better, but using them for longer day trips is complicated. You’re best served renting a car for at least part of the trip. I started my trip in Ortigia, then picked up a rental to see Villa Romana and Agrigento before dropping it in Cefalu. Driving was generally fine, the autostrada was great. But in central Sicily it’s very hilly. This can make for some challenging driving, with so much gear shifting you’ll feel like you’re at Le Mans. Navigation was a problem. It was tiring and stressful on my own, something I had not anticipated.

Ok that’s out the way. Sicily was great solo! There’s so much to see. My must sees are Ortigia, Palermo, Villa Romana and Agrigento (ok, yes that’s just everywhere I stopped lol.) Cefalu was also very chill and great for the beach. Give yourself a few days to explore the cities. Imho, Palermo is among the most underrated cities in Europe. There’s a real vibrancy in its decayed elegance. It’s clean, sophisticated, hip, and is just a pleasure to explore. The old center is greatly pedestrianized, and is almost all locals. I felt like the only tourist in town.

Sicily is great adventure eating, be prepared to experiment. Order anything with ricotta, pistachio or almonds. That stuff is in an entire other universe in Sicily. Otherwise, I felt like Sicily was not so different from mainland Italy. Like, there’s a perception that it’s wildly different culturally, but maybe it’s not as apparent to someone passing through. I think that was part of my experience with Palermo, I expected it to be more like Naples but it felt closer to Milan in a way.