We are planning a trip to Italy in late April of this year. Our plan is to start in Rome, then to Almafi Coast and end in Sicily. Originally I was planning to travel from Palermo (2 days) through Cefalu to Taromina (3 days). However now I am considering just having one central location. We will not have a car so we also need something easily accessible. So would you stay in one town or would you spend a few days in a couple towns. What transportation would you recommend?
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
Sicily is tough without a car, and less than a week, well it is a long way to go for less than a week, IMHO. What draws you to Sicily? It's early (April) for the beach... Roman ruins? Greek temples? Mt. Etna? Using Taormina for a base I think you can avoid needing a car and have a good experience. Fly into Catania. Look for day trip tours that may take you on escorted jaunts to Etna, Piazza Armerina, maybe even Siracusa.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Palermo is about an hour from Cefalu, I would spend a couple of nights in hassle-free, small city Cefalu rather than Palermo. Taormina is 3.5 hours from Cefalu by train, I would stay with two bases rather than one, or as Laurel suggests, stay in Taormina and concentrate on the eastern side. Five nights is not long for Sicily.
Posted by
Cesena, Italy
791 posts
Sicily is better with a car. Roads are good, traffic light outside cities and a good portion of the autosrada is toll free. Wouldn't recommend trying to drive in Palermo if you should decide to go with a car. Sicily is big. Five days is not much. I would recommend picking one half f the island and seeing that. A lot of wasted time travelling trying to cover coast to coast. I'm partial to the western half myself. BUT, if you do want to stick to your plan I would recommend reversing your split and spend the 3 days in Palermo. I've spent a couple of weeks there over several trips and still didn't see everything. Taormina is beautiful but fairly small. Two days should be more than enough. Try to visit Castelmola which sits above Taormina. 10/15 minute ride up the mountain with beautiful views.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks for the response! :)
After your input and additional research, I have decided to base my trip out of Taromina for 7 days. I hope to then rent a car and visit other nearby cities.
So my new question....
Is there a particular car company you recommend for rentals? How do you go about obtaining an "international drivers license"?
Thanks so much!!
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
Your IDP (International Drivers' Permit) is available at AA offices.
I have rented from Gemut.com and was very pleased with their services. They also have a fantastic guide you can download about driving in Europe. Car Rental Guide.