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Two Weeks in Sicily – Split Stay or Base in Palermo?

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Hello everyone,

I've booked my flights and currently have an Airbnb reserved for 15 nights in Palermo (April 7–22). My flight out is from Palermo to Athens on April 22. I originally planned to stay in Palermo the whole time, taking it easy—enjoying the atmosphere, walking around, relaxing at cafés, and doing some day trips to nearby towns, villages, or beaches.

However, since I can still adjust my Airbnb booking, I'm wondering if I should split my stay and spend about five nights in another city before returning to Palermo for my flight. Right now, I'm considering either Syracuse (Ortigia) or Catania.

Syracuse seems like a charming place to unwind, especially in Ortigia, while Catania is more vibrant and well-connected for possible short trips. My main goal is to relax, not rush around too much, so I don’t want to move between too many places—just two bases maximum.

For those familiar with Sicily, would you recommend splitting my time, and if so, which city would be a better second base? Or would it be better to stay in Palermo the full two weeks and just do day trips?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Posted by
2924 posts

Sicily is quite large and really can not be seen from one base. We were there for 16 nights and stayed in six places. We did not see it all.

So I certainly think you would be better off with more than one base. We stayed 4 nights in Ortigia and enjoyed it very much. People do make day trips from Ortigia to some of the baroque towns like Moderna and Ragusa from Ortigia, although we made a separate stay in Ragusa.

Palermo is a fascinating city and you can see some of western Sicily from it. We went to Cefalu as a day trip.

Posted by
878 posts

There are other threads on this topic, most recently "Exploring Sicily at a Relaxed Pace". As much as I love Palermo and its surrounds, with this much time you certainly could spend a few days (or more) in Ortigia. There are a few day trips from there worth making, including Noto. If you decide to stay in Siracusa/Ortigia for a few days, I'd recommend the Neapolis Archeological Park. The better beaches, however, are near Palermo. I liked Catania, too, but I tend towards the gritty cities. Not as much to do there, but a good jumping off point for Etna. It's easy to get to Catania from Siracusa, so you might want to make that a day trip only.

Posted by
1090 posts

I love Palermo but 15 nights is way too much. Ortigia is fantastic, and splitting between these two cities is an easy choice. However, even at a relaxed pace I feel like a full week in each is a lot. Are you planning longer day trips to places like Agrigento or Villa Romana? Those are two sights that are must see. Also, April is early for beach weather. Spring can be quite cool to downright chilly and rainy. I think I experienced the whole weather gamut when I was there in May.

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