October is the perfect time to visit Sicily. The extreme heat of the summer is gone and fewer tourists are on the island, making it perfect for traveling. A direct flight from Amsterdam brought us to Catania airport at 10 PM. Here we picked up the rental car at Centauro and luckily only a 15 minute drive to our hotel in Catania.
Read here all about driving in Sicily, where to park and the ZTL zones.
As I always enjoy the freedom of traveling, I only booked the first two hotels, after that we decide on the day where we would spend the night and make last-minute reservations.
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Itinerary for 7 full days in Sicily
// DAY 1 //
Mt Etna
Early in the morning we drove the car from Catania for one hour North to the base of the South side of Mount Etna. Rifugio Sapienza is the starting point to get on the cable car to the altitude of 2500 meters. From here an additional 4X4 bus takes travellers to the altitude of 2750 meter at the crater of Belvedere.
This photo seems peaceful, but extreme wind was crossing this landscape
Unfortunately we were a bit unlucky when visiting Mount Etna. Because of harsh winds, the cable car wasn’t operating, therefore a 4X4 vehicle took us to the terminal on top. From the terminal station we stepped on board a 2nd 4X4 bus for the additional 250 meter altitude. When reaching the 2750 meters we stepped out and immediately got sandblasted by gusts of lava sand. The guide wouldn’t take us to the crater and we went straight back to the terminal.
On the top of the cable car terminal station
Back down at the base is also the Silvestri crater. Again, here the wind was more than fierce, but this time that didn’t stop me from circling the crater. Which was only me and a few other brave souls who defied mother nature’s force.
Silvestri Crater
Walking back down I stumbled upon a rock and fell hands forward into the lava sand, scratching my left hand open. Luckily there was a first-aid close by to bandage it up for me. Good start of the trip 🙂
The last stop on Etna that I wanted to visit was only a few kilometers ahead, with the last 2 km on a gravel road. This would take us to a starting point where we could walk and see some more of Etna’s Valle del Bove. When driving on the gravel road with our rented Citroen C3, my Dad urged me to turn around. I told him that Mom isn’t so easily frightened.
Catania
After visiting Mount Etna we drove back to the city of Catania, the 2nd largest city of Sicily. The afternoon was just enough to explore the historic center of Catania. Walking from Piazza del Duomo, passing the fish market (only in the morning) to Castello Ursino and back. From here along the Via Etnea to Villa Bellini, having a delicious local Italian lunch in one of the side streets.
Castello Ursino
One of the many streets in the historic center of Catania
// DAY 2 //
Taormina
Taormina is one of the most popular and beautiful towns in Sicily. The downside is that it also attracts mass tourism who come in large groups of organized tours. What makes Taormina unique and beautiful is because it’s a coastal town, but elevated. The town consists of 2 levels; a lower level by the sea and the main level at an altitude of 204 meters. We started at even one level higher at Castelmola with an altitude of 529 meters.
My Dad and I at the very top of Taormina
Castelmola & Sentiero dei Saraceni
From Taormina we hopped on the local bus up one-way towards Castelmola. The town is quaint and has an old castle at the very top. We wandered around a bit and stopped for some drinks before starting our route down back to Taormina. The main reason for this side trip is to walk the “Sentiero dei Saraceni”, a walking route with beautiful viewpoints of its surroundings. I loved how this path is only for the true explorers, as we didn’t come across the bus loads of tourists here.
View of Taormina from the Sentiero dei Saraceni path
This chapel was along the path, here we could shelter a bit from the drizzle
Isola Bella
After walking the route and filling our bellies with lunch, it was time to visit the 2nd part of the town, down at the beach. For €10 round trip the cable car brought us to sea level. Here are beaches and the small island Isola Bella. To visit the island, I took off my shoes, held on to my skirt and walked a small path through the sea.
Isola Bella island
Taormina
The main street of Taormina is Corso Umberto with boutique stores, high-end stores and restaurants. At the center is the Piazza IX Aprile, the main square with a view. Because of its elevation, you always have to walk stairs up and down to visit any of the sights. The main sight and definitely not to be missed is the ancient theatre, the second largest in Sicily, with Mt Etna in the background. Closeby is the Villa Comunale Park, an oasis of peace and beauty in the ever so busy Taormina.
Ancient theatre of Taormina
// DAY 3 //
CefalĂą
Cefalu is a small beach town within a one hour drive East from Palermo. It has a beautiful sand beach and the old center is vibrant and alive. We arrived on a hot October day and noticed plenty of people on the beach and swimming.
Cefalu beach in the early morning
Around 4PM I decided to climb La Rocca, perfect timing as the sun was slowly setting and the heat of the day was getting less intense. From the starting point of the path, it takes about an hour to reach the top with an elevation of 268 meters. It’s a rocky climb, but the views were worth it for sure!
On top of La Rocca at the castle
The trail on La Rocca
View on top of La Rocca of the port of Cefalu
// DAY 4 //
Palermo
The capital and largest city of Sicily is Palermo. The city has plenty to offer, we started walking along the Via Vittorio Emanuele, which crosses the Via Maqueda at Quattro Canti – the absolute center of the old city.
Quattro Canti
Next to this square we visited the Fontana Pretoria fountain and the Chiesa e Monastero di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, where I ate a handmade cannoli at the famous bakery inside the monastery. From here we could visit the rooftop too!
Fontana Pretoria
Monastery courtyard
Eating the famous cannoli from the monastery bakery
Next stop was the Cathedral of Palermo and the Palazzo dei Normanni with its chapel Capella Palatina.
Palermo also has quite a bunch of markets, especially in the morning when vendors are selling fresh produce, fish and more. The main markets are: Mercato di Ballarò, Mercato del Capo and Mercato della Vucciria.
Selling fresh fish at the market
// DAY 5 //
Scala dei Turchi
From Palermo on the North shore, we drove through mainland Sicily to the South shore. First stop was the “Turkish Steps”, a spectacular white cliff, shaped like a giant staircase. It’s not open to the public anymore, but this does make for a better photo!
Scala dei Turchi
Valley of the Temples
Arriving at the Valley of the Temples I parked at the West side at Parcheggio Porta V. Here taxi drivers offered a shuttle ride for €3 per person to the East parking lot, this way we only had to walk one-way to visit all temples. The bonus of doing it this way is that we slowly walked downhill too.
Valley of the temples is an UNESCO-listed site that has some of the best preserved Doric temples outside of Greece. We visited around 4 PM, which was perfect to avoid the massive crowds at noon and just enough time before sunset with beautiful lighting.
Temple of Concordia
Temple of Heracles
Temple of Dioscuri
Agrigento
The night we spend in Agrigento. Our B&B host offered some good advice on where to spend the evening. The main street with all the restaurants is Via Atenea, where we had the best dinner of the week at the restaurant Sal8. Just before dinner I walked another whole bunch of steps up to visit the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Greci church, I arrived just before closing time. The small church is built on top of a 5th century temple, with the glass floor I could still see its foundation.
After dinner we strolled the boulevard of the Viale della Vittoria, with a view of the lit temples and the Saturday night vibe with everyone out on the streets.
// DAY 6 //
Noto
A longer drive through the hills of Sicily brought us from Agrigento to Noto, a small UNESCO town with a cathedral and palace. It’s a great stop towards the direction of Syracuse.
My personal favorite was going up the small circular stairs of San Carlo al Corso to the bell tower, where I had a stunning view of the city.
Bell tower
View of Noto from the Bell tower
Ortygia (Syracuse)
When visiting Syracuse, you want to be based on Ortygia island, where it’s all happening! The island isn’t large and easy to navigate on foot. Nonetheless I used the Lonely Planet walking route as my main guide to explore the island. From the start at the temple of Apollo, along the main shopping street Corso Matteotti to Fontana di Diana. Further along we passed the Duomo on the piazza. At the very end we walked past the open spring, along the terraces by the water and finished at the castle.
During the evening we simply enjoyed strolling around the island, having dinner and drinks at one of the many restaurants.
Piazza Duomo
Dad viewing the castle of Ortygia
// DAY 7 //
Syracuse
The last day we drove the car for only a few minutes into Syracuse to visit the archeological site Neapolis. The highlights of this enormous site is the Greek theatre and the famous Ear of Dionysius.
Ear of Dionysius
Greek theatre at the archeological site of Neapolis
With time to spare and a whole week of hot weather and traveling, I didn’t have the opportunity yet to have a swim in the gorgeous Mediterranean sea. Our B&B host wrote down that Punta Maddalena would be a nice place, since we had our own car. I didn’t know what to expect, it seemed like only a restaurant, but when we walked past that and down the stairs, we stumbled upon this very secluded beach. Perfect to spend the last hours before we had to go back to the airport again.
Beach at Punta Maddalena, Dad reading a book and I’m swimming
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Hotels
For overnight stays, I always try to find a place in the center of town in the range of €70 to maximum €120 a night. With preferably twin beds, often I would end up booking a triple room.
- Catania: Hotel Biscari (in the end I booked directly where there were more room options).
- Taormina: Bed and Breakfast Arco dei cappuccini.
- Cefalu: Hotel La Giara.
- Palermo:Â La Vucciria di Guttuso (more of an Airbnb type of place without a reception, but very modern rooms).
- Agrigento:Â B&B Kolymbetra (great room and breakfast, host spoke perfect English and gave good tips of Agrigento).
- Syracuse: B&B Armonia (more of an Airbnb type of place without a reception).
Jullie hebben veel gezien en gedaan in de 7 dagen.Mooie foto’s wat echt een indruk geeft wat er allemaal te zien is op het eiland.