Exploring Sicily: Top Tips for Your Ultimate Round Trip august 12, 2024 – Posted in: Italy, Travel – Tags: Attractions, Holiday, Italy, Restaurants, Sicily, Travel, Vacation

Three Weeks Exploring Sicily: A Comprehensive Itinerary

In October 2022, we went on a round trip in Sicily. Prior to that, we had spent a week in Trapani in the spring. We were so captivated by Sicily’s culture and history that we decided to spend three weeks traveling around the island in the fall. We started again in Trapani and traveled counterclockwise: from the west, down the southern coast, and ended up on the east coast. The image at the top shows the cities we managed to visit.

We planned the entire trip ourselves, including booking hotels and arranging transport by bus and train around the island. In the various articles about Sicily, you’ll find recommendations for the hotels we stayed at. We partner with Booking.com and earn a small commission if you book through our link. Sicily’s bus system can be quite complex, so we’ve created a comprehensive guide to getting around by bus and train here: Getting Around Sicily by Bus and Train.

Why Visit Sicily?

Sicily has a city for every mood and type of vacation. Whether you’re into beach holidays, historical excursions, or challenging mountain hikes, Sicily has it all! What makes Sicily so fascinating is the mix of various cultures and religions that have passed through over the ages. If you have even a slight interest in history, each city hides its own intriguing ruins.

It’s hard to pick just a few highlights because we enjoyed everything, but if we must recommend some must-see experiences, they would be:

• The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento
• The Medieval Town of Erice
• The Sandy Beaches of San Leone and Dune
• The Nightlife in Catania
• Mount Etna

And let’s not forget the delicious Sicilian delicacies. Sicilian food is incredibly good! Additionally, the cuisine varies from city to city, with each region having its own specialties. If you want to taste it all, a round trip in Sicily is a fantastic idea.

How to Get to Sicily

There are several travel companies offering guided tours of Sicily. If you prefer to plan your own trip around the island, it’s easier than you might think! Plus, Sicilians are incredibly friendly and helpful.

Sicily is larger than most people expect, covering an area of 25,711 km². This means a bit of planning is necessary. Start by deciding whether you want to land on the west coast or the east coast.

Once you know where you’ll land, you can use our guide to cities in Sicily to plan your itinerary. Here you can decide which cities to visit along your route. We started with a basic guide, listing city names along our chosen route. We then researched the attractions each city offered, which helped us estimate how much time to spend in each place – or whether to just add it to our maybe list.

Do You Need to Speak Italian?

In the larger cities like Trapani, Siracusa, Catania, and Palermo, most Sicilians speak enough English to get by. In smaller villages, particularly those we visited on the south coast, we had to rely on the Italian phrases we knew, along with gestures and sign language. Even if locals do speak English, their vocabulary is often limited.

Fortunately, Sicilians appreciate it when you make an effort to speak even a little Italian, and they will go out of their way to understand you.

When Is the Best Time to Visit Sicily?

During the summer months – June, July, and August – Sicily can get very hot. The average temperature in July is 29°C. Although Sicily is accustomed to the heat, with shady spots, umbrellas, and air conditioning, the high temperatures can make it difficult to explore and see everything.

We visited Sicily in both April and October. In April, the orange and almond trees are in full bloom, offering stunning sights and a wonderfully fragrant atmosphere. In the fall, you can enjoy a relatively affordable beach vacation. While other tourists are paying a premium to travel to places like Malaga for some sun, flights to Trapani are quite cheap. The sea is warm, and we had several days in October with temperatures around 30°C.

What to Pack for a Vacation in Sicily

In both spring and fall, you might encounter several days of heavy rain, so be sure to pack both swimwear and an umbrella. Even though evenings are mild, you might appreciate having a light jacket, especially along the coast or if you plan to visit Mount Etna. If you’re heading to the volcano, also pack a good pair of hiking shoes or boots.

Otherwise, you can find almost everything you need on Sicily, just like back home. There’s no need to bring an extensive travel pharmacy, as you can purchase most necessary items at the many pharmacies, often without a prescription.

How to Return from Sicily

Returning from Sicily can be more challenging than anticipated. While you might think finding a flight home would be straightforward, there are some considerations to keep in mind. For instance, during the winter months, direct flights between Sicily and many destinations might not be available.

If you find yourself needing to travel back to your home country, you could look into alternative routes. One option is to take a bus from a major Sicilian city, such as Catania, to a larger hub like Rome. This journey can take 10-15 hours, and there are multiple departures each day. From Rome, you can catch a flight to your destination.

Alternatively, you might need to use a combination of buses to reach a major airport. For example, you could travel from a city like Catania to Palermo, and then transfer to a bus that goes to an airport such as Trapani. Although this can be a bit more complicated, it’s a viable solution if direct flights are not available.

Regardless of the route you choose, planning your return trip in advance can help ensure a smoother journey home.

Find a Great Hotel in Sicily

In all our Sicily travel articles, you can also read our recommendations for great hotels on the island where we stayed. On Sicily, price and quality are generally well-matched, and you often get a bit more for your money. But see for yourself! You can quickly search for good hotels in Sicily right here:

Booking.com