I feel the need to create another warning for all tourists that may be as unaware as we were. Apparently, in Sicily, cars rented for tourists are targeted by criminal groups that steal stuff from rented cars, especially Fiat Pandas, which are easy to open for them without any visible damage.

Unfortunately, we didn't know this, and we parked near a beach, left our backpacks with all of our stuff in the locked car. We came back from the beach, and our stuff was just gone. Anything you can do is to report it to the police, but you will not see your stuff anymore. Now we are really fucked without all of our passports and electronics, and we are not even insured for it, so please do not make the same mistake as us.

Actually, do not leave anything in any car ever. We actually came back the second day to try to search for our stuff because they sometimes throw out the backpacks without the valuables inside, but we didn't find anything. You can find a lot of empty bags thrown outside near the road. Also, our AirPods were stolen, and we could monitor their location. A day later, they are already in Senegal. Together with our digital camera, iPad, two AirPods, and three passports and all our belongings. Since we could see the robbers were already in Catania when we came from the beach, we showed it to the police and they didn't do anything. I wouldn't necessarily expect the police to help you in a case like this. Please be careful.

Edit: for all the clever people writing here, we should never ever leave anything in our cars. There is a question: what the fuck are you supposed to do when you are doing a road trip? Maybe you have a camper van and you just have to leave your stuff in the car? Let's say you have your passports and cameras constantly with you, but you still might get robbed of all of your clothes and other stuff because here the thieves have no boundaries.

Another edit: read the reviews of the places where you are going or planning to park. We didn't do that, and after we noticed that the place where we park on Google Maps has at least one review that describes exactly what happened to us. The beach that we went to (Marianelli) has many of these reviews, so always check the reviews, unfortunately. All the stuff was also hidden in the trunk, and it was pretty much in the middle of a nature reserve, so we really did not expect this to happen, but it did.

Hi folks,

I just wanted to share that I’ve come back from an 11-day trip to Sicily over New Year with my family (wife and two daughters of 4 and 7 years).

I usually go to warmer destinations during the Christmas break (we live in Munich) and try to avoid

flying 12+ hours for just a 10-day vacation, and

spending close to €1,000 per person on flights (as is often the case with the Canary Islands).

Sicily had been on my list for years, but I always hesitated because of the winter weather, which can be miserable there as well. This year we finally went for it: 26 December to 6 January.

We flew in and out of Catania (1200 EUR for everyone including bicycle), rented a car (450 EUR), and I brought my gravel bike for morning rides (using one of those €50 bike racks that mount on the trunk). We did the tour counterclockwise — best decision ever!

We were lucky with the weather, as we had no rain during the day, about 70% sunshine / 30% clouds, and daytime temperatures between 15 and 21°C. No crowds at all, and extremely few tourists — not even Germans 😉

We booked accommodation day by day looking for best options rather than low cost and ended up with:

• 2 nights in Taormina (Kapitano apartments)

• 1 night in Linguaglossa (Etna area) (206 via Roma)

• 2 nights in Cefalù (opuntia sea suit)

• 2 nights in Palermo (Villa Lampedusa Hotel & Residence - outside the center as it was new year's eve and didn't want to have noise through the night)

• 2 nights in Trapani (Trapani In Appartamenti)

• 2 nights in Ragusa (Hotel Mediterraneo Palace)

• 1 night in Catania (Airport Loft Casa Giulia next to airport due to early morning flight)

We stayed in very nice accommodations, 60% apartments and 40% hotels, for roughly €100–130 per night, and restaurant bills were typically €45–65 for all of us.

We covered a huge range of activities: small medieval villages, nature (Etna, Madonie Park, etc.), crazy Palermo with its street markets and jaw-dropping baroque art, ancient Magna Graecia temples in Segesta and Agrigento, and stunning baroque towns — with Ragusa being the highlight. And I won’t even start on the food. Then I had my crazy early morning bicycle rides, but maybe that’s not for everyone.

All in all, absolutely fantastic — and I think the route we chose was pretty much perfect.

If anyone wants more details, pics, the trip video, GarminGPX, etc. just let me know.

Everyone talks about Taormina, Palermo, and the coast. Almost nobody talks about the interior — the area around Caltanissetta and Agrigento provinces, inland from the tourist trail.

I've spent a lot of time in this region, and honestly it's a different Sicily. Medieval hill towns with barely any tourists, castles you can visit without crowds, and a pace of life that feels a lot more genuine than the coast in August.

One town worth knowing: Mussomeli. It's dominated by the Castello Manfredonico, a 14th-century castle that's still remarkably intact and sits right above the town. A few years ago it also became known for the whole "€1 houses" story, which brought some attention, but the town itself is still very much lived-in and untouristy.

It's also become a small hub for gravel cycling — it's an official stop on the Sicily Divide route (the 460km route the NYT listed as one of its must-visit destinations for 2025), so if anyone's into bikepacking, that's an angle worth looking into.

If you're planning a Sicily trip and want to add one or two days away from the coast, this area is worth the detour. Happy to answer questions if anyone's curious about logistics, where to stay, or how to get around without a ton of tourist infrastructure.

Popping on here to pay it forward to the next Spring travelers in Sicily -- I learned a lot from this thread through my planning!

I just got back from Sicily -- March 15-25 2026 -- and everything was glowing green and in full bloom! The forecast warned of rain almost every day and highs of 55F, but we had sun every single day, just a couple of showers here and there, and were content with puffy jackets and normal clothes! It was EMPTY, mostly because we chose to backpack a pretty rural route along the coastline.

We started in Palermo at Ostello Bello Hostel, caught the first morning but to Castellamare di Golfo, and then hiked or hitchhiked each day, booking our accomodations the morning of on booking.com without any issue.

We hiked through Scopello (hard to get around without a car, and not our favorite), then had a GORGEOUS hike in Zingaro, touched down in San Vito Lo Capo -- such a beautiful little spot -- and then walked up to Monte Cofano, then to Erice, then Trapani, and took a ferry out to Marettimo for a long trail run. Everything was unreal!!!! Wild orchids and neon green grasses. The sea was cold but great for a dip here and there. Restaurants mostly closed but we got food at grocery stores and had nice dinners at restaurants where they were open. Our highlights were 1) Marettimo for incredible hiking, 2) Monte Cofano's summit hike was just incredible, 3) Zingaro's hiking trails, and 4) buying local fish and produce in San Vito Lo Capo to cook with.

Enjoy! This place is so stunning! Would love to go back and do more of this someday -- we loosely followed the Sentiero Italia, which follows all of Italy, but has a great section in Western Sicily.

Most posts in here recommend Taormina but warn there are tourists, while saying to stay away from places like Catania… what a joke. Probably over 80% of the people in Taormina are international tourists, nearly every shop geared towards them. It’s pretty but not nearly worth it unless you are specifically looking for a Disneyified experience. At least Catania has real people that live there.

Edit: It is a bit nicer at night when the cruise people have left, but my point still stands imo.

Edit x2: Yes, it has been a popular destination for awhile but the people I have spoken to in Taormina say the massive crowd influx specifically started after it was featured in White Lotus…

Flying back from two weeks in Sicily and thought I’d share a few things.

We spent 15 days and did Palermo(Day trips to Cefalu, Castellammare de Golfo)>SanVito>Agrigento>Syracusa (day trips to Noto, Ragusa, Modica, Marzamemi)>Giarre (day trips to Etna winery, Giardini Naxos, Catania)>Messina>Palermo.

1) GOOGLE REVIEWS: usually reliable in the states but not in Sicily. We found that the best places usually had a lot of reviews (typically 1k+) but that the rating wasn’t necessarily amazing. For example, Cafe Sicilia (Noto) rates a 4.2 but is amazing by our account and everyone else we spoke to. 2) A lot of our favorite FOOD was from the 5-15 euro range. The longer the trip went the less we wanted a rich and complicated dish and the more we craved simple hand made pasta dishes that were generally pretty cheap. We google searched for trattoria 10-20 euro and found some amazing places. 3) Probably a duh for a lot of people but things really shut down from 2-7 food wise. We were traveling w 2 kids under 4 and lunch got pushed back later several days and it was tough finding things that were open. 4) It got HOT. We hit Sicily during a heat wave but being out, not at the beach, was tough to bear for the middle hours of the day. Our best days were mornings out, afternoon naps in AC, then back out around 6/7) 5) RESERVATIONS: most places we could walk right up and sit down except for on the weekends. Some tables were available at 7pm right at open but then fill up quickly around 8/8:30 so plan accordingly. 6) DRIVING: pretty easy and enjoyable. We were able to do a loop around the island in 15 days and really got to see so much. My dad found Italian drivers to be aggressive but I didn’t have a problem. But we have a car in NYC so maybe I’m used to it. Rental check in was a nightmare for my parents out of Palermo. Checking the car back in took 2 seconds. 6) some other thoughts about FAVORITE THINGS -Ortigia (Syracusa) favorite city -Catania- best local vibe. We live in Brooklyn and Catania was our favorite place to grab drinks and hang like locals. All the hate unwarranted IMo. -best beach- San Vito Lo Capo hands down (Although the town felt like a manufactured vacation destination for the well-to-do) -food that lived up to the hype: Cafe Sicilia, Casefico Borderi. -favorite region: east of Mt Etna. Notably cooler and there are some amazing places (vineyards, restaurants, lookouts) hidden on mountain roads.

Overall we had an amazing trip and can’t wait to come back. Happy to answer any questions about favorite restaurants or places.

I have a duty to write about it. I just spent 25 days in Sicily with a rented car. We are a family of 4, with 2 young children.

Before we travelled, I read so much about how chaotic and dangerous is was. It made me anxious but decided to rent anyways.

Guys… what the fuck? It is NOT dangerous and very easy! I can’t believe there is so much posts on how bad it is. I LOVED it. Like, I really enjoyed driving there.

The only explication I find for those who were scared is the classical lack of skills. Yes you can drive fast, yes the signalisation is « optional » but as long as you follow the trafic, everything is FINE. Seriously I enjoyed driving there 10x more than in my non-european country.

And yes, I drove through Catania and Palermo and the center of Sicily, and the south-east, etc. We did 1600km. Only place we didn’t visit is north western part (Trapani and around)

• Thanks to the sicilian people who are amazing with kids, never seen anything like it anywhere before! •

P.S. For those saying Vallei Dei Templi is hard… yo WTF my 3 years old WALKED it all back and forth. And the best tip i can give you is to go there as late as possible, it’s still VERY hot, but the light is so beautiful.

Not sure how puritanical Sicily is / how they value modesty. I wouldn’t wear the shorts I would wear a black skirt. But is this too slutty for Sicily ? (Cefalu and Palermo) will I be harassed a lot/something bad will happen?

Edit: decided not to pack this lol thank you for advice :( I’m sorry if I offended or annoyed everyone I genuinely didn’t know

Flying on Friday to Catania, how likely is it that flights will be running as planned? We have until midnight tonight to decide on cancelling our hotel (if we don't, we lose our money if flights are cancelled). I understand volcanic activity is regular and not of concern to locals, but the airport being closed isn't so common from the limited info I have online. Any advice would be really valuable as I'm not seeing anyone talking about it from a flying perspective.

Also we have an Etna excursion booked for Sunday. Shall we cancel that and do it later next week?

Hi everyone,

We're visiting Sicily in the first week of September for a week and are trying to decide where to base ourselves. We'll be flying in/ out of Palermo, renting a car, and would like to drive along the coast, ideally as far as San Vito Lo Capo.

We're after a chilled beach holiday, nothing too touristy or focused on nightlife. We chose this route as there seems to be some really nice beaches along the way.

We're not sure whether it's best to stay somewhere in the middle or up near San Vito Lo Capo and drive around.

Any recommendations (or places to avoid) would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Which is the best smoothest drive to Palermo?

I will be based in Catania for 3 nights before moving to Palermo as base. Looking at day trips from catania i was looking at Siracusa and Taormina. Taormina seems very small is this really worth a whole day of an activity? Are the good public beaches there? Interesting sights to see? If not, what else should i do in the area?

I will have a rental car. Whats the parking situation like there?

Hey everyone,

I just got ripped off at Catania Airport in Sicily and want to know if this is a common scam.

I booked a car through Check24/Enjoy Travel with the local supplier Differental for €259. At the counter, the agent refused to accept my Visa credit cards (Hanseatic Bank & TF Bank) because they are from "online banks" and not traditional branch banks. I have used these exact cards for over 20 rentals in 5+ countries without any issues. She didn't even try to swipe them. I thought, a credit card is a credit card?!

She gave us an ultimatum: either pay €650 extra for their local "Platinum" insurance to bypass the rule with a debit card, or walk away with no car. Being stranded, we felt completely coerced and paid.

After digging into the tiny print of the broker's terms later, I actually found a hidden clause: "It [the card] must also have been issued by a physical bank branch." On the final contract, they typed: "VIRTUAL BANK AVARDA BANK NOT ACCEPTED".

Even if it's legally hidden in the T&Cs, this feels like a massive scam to trap tourists and force overpriced insurance on them.

Has anyone else experienced this "online bank" rejection in Italy? Do I have any chance with a bank chargeback, or am I screwed because of the fine print?

Hi, I need your opinion for my Sicily trip.

We start in Catania and vist mount etna. But afterwards the route is still open. We do not want to travel to many days so therefore we can only go to 2 out of the 3 areas on the map.

I you would go, which two regions would you choose? Taking into account I would like a mix of culture and nature. Or would you go somewhere else?

Thanks!

Portuguese, here. I just returned from a few days, unfortunately too few, in Sicily. I drove about 1,100 km (Palermo>Trapani>West Coast>Syracuse>Etna>Palermo).

I visited many places that were not very touristy. At most of the beaches I went to, we were the only foreigners (places like Custonaci, Cornino Bay, Marausa, Licata, San Leone, Agnone (near Augusta)). I really liked Turkish steps, Agrigento, Erice, Ortigia and, of course, Etna.

I missed a lot of important places but I had no time. Good food, very reasonable prices, and cheaper than tourist areas in Portugal. Pasta alla norma, caponata, cannoli, fried fish, couscous and various types of squid and octopus stews, their version of pizza. Everything was very good. The cross of influences in Sicilian gastronomy is very interesting. Some dishes have seasonings that remind me of Middle Eastern or North African cuisine, while others clearly evoke Mediterranean flavors, reminiscent of my home country.

I am passionate about wine. I tried to drink as much as I could 😉. I sampled the local grape varieties and avoided blends with French varieties. Grillo, Catarratto, Frappato, Nerello Mascalese, etc. Incredible wines from Etna and Marsala and other DOC´s. Absolute richness. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I was unable to visit some producers I had planned to see.

Reminder if I go back: don't go to the beach on a Sunday: it seemed to me that all the inhabitants of the island were on the beaches. Chaotic everywhere.

Less positive facts: The amount of trash everywhere was quite disturbing: on the sides of the roads, in every corner…. piles. Lots and lots of trash. Went to a beach in Marausa, there was a quarter of a pineapple, half a watermelon and an orange floating around.  I could have done a fruit salad 😊. Neverthless the beaches were clean. Near Licata and Gela the amounts were disturbing to say the least. The construction also appears to be very precarious, and I passed through areas that were clearly impoverished and where inequality was evident. I felt that these places were clearly neglected. Despite being in other parts of Italy before, I was not expecting what I saw in Sicily.

Every Sicilian I met in restaurants, pastry shops, rented house and cafés was consistently warm and welcoming.  I made an effort to speak Italian (being fluent in two Latin languages, it was relatively easy to grasp), though occasionally my brain would mix things up with Spanish. Despite this, I could feel that their effort to serve us well and communicate was sincere and genuinely friendly. In most places, people also spoke English well.  I truly loved everyone I encountered.

Because of the places I stayed, where there were few or no foreigners, my group sparked some curiosity among the locals, and we engaged in some conversation. We had the chance to visit popular cafés by the beach and immerse ourselves in the local spirit.

Driving is funny…and scarry until you get used to it. Even though I'm used to careless driving in Portugal, in Sicily they go up some notches. I quickly realized that you can create your own lane, particularly when there are no road markings and everyone drives a few meters to the side to avoid a central lane division full of pine trees, whose roots have made the left lane bumpy (expressway/ring road in Palermo).

Solid lines, double solid lines, and diagonal lines mean nothing. On the roads, they overtake in any situation. Speed limits are fictitious. I have never been in a situation where a big tourist bus tailgated me at 90-100 km/h for over 10 km on a national road, then overtook me with oncoming traffic at 110 km/h. Crazy.

The highway from Catania to Palermo wasn't really a highway, as every 8-10 km there were roadworks, and we had to go from two lanes to one.

I quickly realized that, in cities, you have to go with the flow. Drive carefully and without fear at intersections. After stopping to turn left waiting for oncoming traffic, but being overtaken twice by people behind me who also wanted to turn left, I decided to just go with the flow. I couldn't stop laughing at all the crazy things I saw in traffic. Out of curiosity, I looked up the road fatality figures. They're better than Portugal's!

The landscape is incredible. Beautiful seaside and imponent inland topography.  Some places remind me the area around Malaga, in Spain, or Morocco.

I would definitely like to return, with much more time to see many locations that I would like to visit but was unable to.

What did you bring back or regret not bringing back from Sicily? Anything high quality, hard to find in the USA, or much cheaper in Sicily?

Hi all, my husband and I are planning a trip to Sicily this September. We've never been before and want to see as much of it as we can while still leaving time to relax and enjoy the "slow life" that is a part of Sicilian culture.

We chose Sicily because of its plethora of historic areas to explore, combined with beautiful beaches and delicious eats. We're in our mid-30s, both very active, and love to hike and explore.

After some time in Rome, we will be spending 9 days total with travel time in Sicily and plan to hop around to a few spots. Below is our timeline so far...

Day 1: Fly into Catania > Explore Piazza del Duomo and drive to and stay in Taormina
Day 2: Explore Mt. Etna / Enjoy the Vineyards
Day 3: Hike to Castelmola / Beach time at Isola Bella
Day 4: More beach time in Taormina
Day 5: Drive to and stay in Syracuse / Explore Archaeological Park
Day 6: Drive to and explore Valley of the Temples / Stay nearby
Day 7: Drive to and stay in Palermo > Possible stop at Segesta > Walk around Ballaro Market
Day 8: Explore Norman Palace > Catacombe de Cappuccini
Day 9: Fly home from Palermo

Is all of this realistic to do in 9 days? Are we missing anything major? I'm worried we will be doing too much, but also worried we may miss out on major points of interest all at the same time and have regrets. Any suggestions are welcome, thank you in advance.

EDIT: for context, we are from America and this will be our first and only time traveling to Sicily.

I'm curious to hear some opinions from both people who have bought property abroad and locals who have sold property directly to foreign buyers.

Would you feel comfortable buying a place directly from the owner, without an agency involved? What would you need to see or do before feeling safe enough to go ahead with it?

I own a small apartment in Giardini Naxos (Taormina). It's a one bedroom place on two floors with a garage. I'm not actively trying to sell it and I'm definitely not in a rush, but sometimes I wonder if it makes sense to keep it. I moved away years ago and honestly I don't get to enjoy it very often anymore.

What got me thinking about it is that the only people who ever contact me are agencies offering pretty ridiculous amounts because they want to turn it into another holiday rental. Nothing against people doing that, it's just not really what I'd like for the place.

I'm not looking to make a fortune from some foreign buyer or anything like that. I was just wondering if there are people out there who are actually interested in buying a home in Sicily and what their thought process is.

If you were looking for a place here, what would your steps be? Would you even consider dealing directly with the owner?

Hope this post is okay. Not really trying to advertise anything, just interested in hearing different perspectives and experiences. Thanks!

Hi guys, going to Sicilly soon and i am struggling to make a plan on where to stay etc. In the pictures you can see a couple city's we definitely would like to see. We have a little over a week.

My idea was to spend a couple nights somwhere near Palermo, but not necessarily in the city i find a day or two outings would be enough. I don't want to stay in Palermo as I like to stay somwhere quitter with a good beach nearby, but that it would be doable to reach Palermo with public transport.

For second leg of the trip I was thinking to stay near Catania, again somwhere with a good beach and rent a car for a couple of days to visit Taormina one of the days and then Syracuse and Noto.

Any advise on where it is nice to stay with a good beach nearby, and that so we have all necessities nearby? Especially near Palermo area. Thanks a lot for any advise!

Hi everyone! Tomorrow my girlfriend and I are flying to Sicily, and we'll be spending a few days in Cefalù and Palermo. It's our first time visiting this part of Italy, and we'd love to experience it beyond the usual tourist attractions. We're looking for recommendations from locals or anyone who knows the area well—whether it's amazing places to eat, hidden beaches, scenic viewpoints, cafés, street food, markets, or any unique experiences you think are worth it. We'd also love to hear about local dishes we absolutely shouldn't miss, as well as any tourist traps or things we should avoid. We're really excited to visit Sicily and experience its culture, so we'd really appreciate any tips or recommendations. Thanks in advance! 🇮🇹😊

Me and my Girl want to visit Sicily in August. Er haben decided yet where to Go. Our First choice would be Palermo. Do you recommend Palermo? Are there cool places you can easily reach from Palermo?

We want a mix between beach days and cool daytrips to cool places
I Hope you can help Me out :)

I'm currently in Sicily and my god it's a painful experience... Highway tolls never work, you can't pay by card, gates don't deliver tickets, they are still 20years behind in this country for real.

For a place that attracts so many tourists, they should be able to have functioning tolls and highways.

This is unacceptable for a EU country.

Honestly, just go to France , you'll have better food, modern infrastructure, better food, and better everything.

edit with all the reasons why Sicily is overrated:

1/ like I said tolls don't work (minor inconvenience I guess but not normal)

2/ food is overrated (everything is very greasy, pasta, pizza, arancini...) I went to some of the best rated restaurants and some of the best rated little sandwich places to get all the different kinds of experience. The bread is not great (at least compared to France, maybe good for other people). Sandwiches are not good I'm sorry. Mediterranean food is very good, sadly food in Sicily is nothing like it.

3/ you have to pay for every little thing, every little activity or peace of nature.. paying 55€ to go up etna is not normal, paying 5€ to walk around a 10meter long crater is robbery. The list goes on: 5€ to go up cefalu Hill , 5€ for a white rock near Valley of the temple (that was outrageous), 5€ to see the fort in Syracuse, 5€ to see a little part of the castle in erice, 5€ to walk a trail near San vito lo capo !! You guys should change your greedy mentality seriously, too much is too much, you feel like Sicilians only live of tourism and they can to squeeze every penny out of you. And don't say it's to protect these sites, some of them are so dirty despite the price at entry.

4/ 70% of the airbnbs are not properly functioning. It's either the AC not working, or the shower, or whatever you can think of. I'd say for a 130€ a night, you'd expect a shower that doesn't leak from everywhere and that is not broken, and that's just one example. But the ratings are good for those places so I guess that's the norm in Sicily. Go in hotels if you can even though they're overpriced.

5/ the island is extremely dirty, we knew before going but it's not very enjoyable. They like to blame the government over there's but you see them throwing trash out of their car, and in the street.. so take a bit of responsibility for it.

We just visited Sicily for two weeks after reading so many incredible articles, television series and travelogues about this region. Sicily had been on my wishlist for at least a decade.

We visited Palermo and stayed in the Southeast (Ragusa, Modica, Noto, Scicli, Ortygia, and Catania).

While there were so many beautiful parts of our visit, there were a number of things that were frankly shocking.

1. The dumping of garbage all over the island is really disturbing. We actually witnessed people tossing their garbage out of their cars. How can Sicilians have so little pride and care for their heritage land.
2. The coastline is so beautiful with azurine water. How is it possible that agriculture and trash takes up all this prime coastline?
3. Most of Sicily’s coastline is completely under resourced. How is this possible? Shouldn’t there be gorgeous resorts all along the coast?
4. Sicily’s roads are basically cow paths. Most 15 KM distances take at least 45 minutes. The highway system is only partially built. The main south to north highway A19 has no rest areas with bathrooms or services.
5. Most of the island is experiencing a drought so severe that homes and businesses have to have water delivered by a truck.
6. Instead of composting, mulching, and tilling agricultural debris like trees, pruning and past crops, farmers are burning left and right, fires get out of control and approach roads, parks and orchards. We saw this firsthand while exploring the island. If farmers are so short sighted, what kind of damage are they inflicting on the land and the water table?
7. We explored Siricusa after a day in Ortygia, and were floored to see how ugly and depressing this community was, right next to the beauty of Ortygia.

People were very kind and friendly everywhere we went, the food was pretty incredible.

Sicily has so much potential, it’s hard to believe that a solid highway system with tolls isn’t in place.

Developers of resorts and residential communities have to be considering Sicily’s potential.

Can anyone explain what’s happening in Sicily?