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Thoughts on my Itinerary as a Solo Traveler - First Time to Sicily 9/11-9/26

I am heading to Sicily on September 12. I have built this itinerary but wanted to get a second opinion on it, is it too much?

Catania — 3 nights (Sep 12–14)
Getting there: flight from Rome, Saturday afternoon
- Etna, guided morning summit trip
- Fish market
- Piazza Duomo, Via Etnea
- Roman theater, Benedictine monastery

Taormina — 2 nights (Sep 15–16)
Getting there: train from Catania to Giardini-Naxos (~1 hr), then bus or cable car up
- Greek theater, late afternoon
- Isola Bella and the beach

Ortigia / Syracuse — 3 nights (Sep 17–19)
Getting there: train back through Catania (~2 hrs), 20-min walk from the station
- Neapolis archaeological park (Greek theater, Ear of Dionysius, quarries)
- Duomo, Fonte Aretusa, morning market
- Swimming off the eastern rocks

Agrigento — 1 night (Sep 20)
Getting there: rental car picked up in Syracuse, ~3 hr drive
- Valley of the Temples at 8:30 opening (little shade on site)
- Temples lit at night

Trapani — 2 nights (Sep 21–22)
Getting there: drive from Agrigento, ~2.5 hrs
- Erice by cable car, late afternoon
- Salt pans

Palermo — 3 nights (Sep 23–25)
Getting there: drive from Trapani, Segesta en route (~45 min stop), car dropped on arrival
- Monreale mosaics
- Ballarò and Capo markets
- Palazzo dei Normanni, Cappella Palatina
- Cefalù, day trip by train (~1 hr)

Flying home out of Palermo, Sep 26.

Posted by
1174 posts

I always advise 2 nights in Agrigento because it is a full day and you want to get there early. Arrive in the late afternoon/early evening, eat and sleep, then a full day there and maybe the museum if you have energy, eat, sleep and leave the next morning for wherever....maybe a lunch stopover at the Roman Villa del Casale to view the mosaics.

No personal experience but a lot of people do Taormina as a daytrip from Catania. That probably frees up that extra day for Agrigento.

Palermo deserves an extra night but it's a good itinerary. If it were me, I'd add days in general but not everyone has that freedom.
1 day - an extra night in Palermo
3 days - + Hill towns
5 days + Southwest Coast or an Island hop.