Should you wish to stick around a little longer, here you will find advice on what to see and do in Sicily 🙂
Sicily is not a super small island, so depending on the time you have, it is probably advisable to focus on one area (either east or west). If you have 10 days, you can probably try to do both sides of the island. Something we recommend is renting a car or a motorbike as transportation via trains and buses can be very sketchy and might not cover all of the sights.
Erice is a medieval hamlet with cobblestoned streets close to the city of Trapani. You can go up the mountain by cable car. If you go to Erice, try the local treats, “genovesi” and “cannoli”, the town is known to make them really well.
Segesta and Selinunte
Segesta and Selinunte are a short drive from Trapani and used to be two Greek antagonist towns back in the days. Segesta has got a beautiful temple in the middle of the countryside and an amphiteater with a grand view. Selinunte has got an acropolis, temples and ruins….it is very cool because while you walk through the archeologic park, you will walk past some great sea views.
Valley of the Temples in Agrigento
Agrigento has got a famous archelogical park with a wealth of ruins. If you go there, make sure to stop by a very popular beach, Scala dei Turchi.
Palermo
Palermo is the capital of the island and has got lots of attractions (Palazzo Normanno, Cappella Palatina are very nice). If you wish to do some local staff, visit the two markets: “Ucciria” e “Ballarò” and eat some fantastic street food at Antica Focacceria San Francesco. For lunch, try Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo – they do great past dishes & famous local dishes there 🙂
San Vito Lo Capo
This is a very cute little town with a beautiful beach. I recommend doing a trecking trail nearby, Riserva dello Zingaro, too.
Cefalù and Monreale
Cefalù has got a very nice beach and Monreale (if you want to check the pictures and has got a famous cathedral (there is an image of Christ which overlooks you from anywhere you stand in the church).
Siracusa
Siracusa is a very pretty town with a beautiful historical centre – it also has an archeological park very close to it. One of my favourite cities in Sicily.
Gole dell’Alcantara
If you are staying in Taormina, then a visit to the Alcantara Gorge is an easy trip and might make for an adventurous little excursion. The gorge is only about thirty minutes from Taormina by bus and considerably shorter than that if you have a car
Acitrezza, Acicastello
Very cute fishing villages close to Siracusa.
Taormina
Very pretty coastal town with Roman ruins and fantastic beach options.
In the north of Sicily, you will find the Unesco protected Aeolian islands: Vulcano, Lipari, Salina, Panarea, Stromboli, Filicudi and Alicudi. In the west coast you will also find the Egadi Islands: Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo. Google them, they are great for swimmers & hikers 🙂 For those who wish to venture a bit futher, Pantelleria, Linosa and Lampedusa are also beautiful options.
If you love Baroque architecture, venture to the south east of Sicily and visit: Noto, Modica, Ragusa and Scicli – I love this part of Sicily!
