Where to stay in Sicily: How to Choose Your Perfect Sicilian Vacation Spot august 12, 2024 – Posted in: Italy, Travel – Tags: Attractions, Holiday, Italy, Restaurants, Sicily, Travel, Vacation
*The article contains advertising links, read more here: Affiliate Partners*
Where to Stay in Sicily?
Planning a vacation in Sicily? It’s good to know that the island has a city for every mood and type of holiday. Whether you’re into beach vacations, historical excursions, or challenging mountain hikes, Sicily has it all! On top of that, the cuisine varies from city to city, with each region boasting its own specialties. If you want to taste everything, you’ll need to explore the island.
We certainly wanted to taste it all and see all the beautiful sights in Sicily. In October 2022, we spent three weeks traveling around the island. Earlier that spring, we had taken a shorter trip to Trapani, so we were quite eager to see if the rest of the island was just as wonderful.
However, it’s hard to find a comprehensive article about Sicily, especially one that details what each city has to offer and whether you should visit one place over another. While we can’t help with the latter, we’re happy to provide an overview of the cities in Sicily that we visited. You can read about it here!
Sicily – Much Larger Than You Think!
Sicily is large, much larger than most people expect, covering 25,711 km². So it’s not just a short drive around the corner to see Etna if you’re in Trapani. Even with a car, that trip takes five hours, and there are two hours of driving between Palermo and the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento.
Before planning your vacation in Sicily, it’s essential to know about the island’s airports. Sicily has three main international airports that serve different parts of the island:
1. Palermo Airport (Falcone-Borsellino Airport): Located on the northwestern coast, this airport is a major gateway to the western part of Sicily. It’s well-connected with many European cities. You can find more information about flights and services at their official website.
2. Catania Airport (Fontanarossa Airport): Situated on the eastern coast, Catania’s airport is the busiest on the island. It offers numerous international flights and is a convenient entry point for exploring eastern Sicily, including the cities of Catania and Syracuse. Check out their official site for flight schedules and other details.
3. Trapani Airport (Vincenzo Florio Airport): Found on the west coast, Trapani Airport is ideal for those heading to western Sicily. It has connections to various European destinations and serves as a gateway to the beautiful beaches and historical sites of western Sicily.
Once you’re on the island, getting around is easy. We’ve put together a guide to public transportation in Sicily, which you can read here: Getting Around Sicily by Bus and Train
An Overview of Cities in Sicily
We’ve traveled extensively around Sicily. This list of cities in Sicily will be updated regularly, as we’re far from finished exploring the beautiful island.
We hope that our descriptions of the various cities and their attractions will help you decide where to vacation in Sicily. And if you end up loving Sicily as much as we do, just start at the top of the list and work your way down!
Trapani
We start off in Trapani, located on Sicily’s west coast. It’s the perfect city for those new to exploring Sicily. Here you’ll find a bit of everything: lovely beaches, major historical sites like Erice, Segesta, and Motya, plenty of shops, wonderful restaurants, options for excursions to the Egadi Islands, and a charming city life. Trapani is clean and well-kept, and even on a busy tourist day, it’s easy to find a quiet spot to enjoy a cold Aperol. Read more about Trapani here!
Egadi Islands
On our first trip to Trapani, we took a day trip to Favignana, the largest of the three Egadi Islands, located just off the coast of Trapani. It was a wonderful excursion, and on the return trip, we passed by the much smaller Levanzo. From the water, we could already sense the tranquility and stunning nature. We promised ourselves that upon returning to Trapani, we would stay on this lovely island.
So in October 2022, we began our tour with three nights on Levanzo. Staying on this small island, in the middle of nowhere, was an extraordinary experience. As you can also read about here, it was incredibly relaxing! Read more about the Egadi Islands here!
Marsala
South of Trapani, still on the west coast, is Marsala. The Phoenicians founded the city when they fled from Motya and settled along the coast. Here you can taste the delightful Marsala wine, visit the salt pans, and relax on the beach. From Marsala, it’s also easy to reach the temple park at Selinunte. See all the lovely hotels in Marsala – click here!
Castelvetrano
You’ll frequently hear the name Castelvetrano. It’s the town famous for its pane nero, the black bread. If you’re heading to Selinunte, you’ll pass through this town. We highly recommend stopping to buy a loaf of bread. If you’re like us and have a strong interest in archaeology, a visit to the tiny museum with finds from Selinunte is also worth it. However, Castelvetrano is a small town with heavy traffic, so unless you can’t find a hotel elsewhere, it’s best to keep driving.
Selinunte
The Temple Park of Selinunte is located next to the charming seaside town of Marinella di Selinunte. If you’re on a family vacation with children who want to swim and adults interested in Greek temples, this is a perfect compromise! The beaches are lovely, and compared to the Temple Park in Agrigento, you can walk freely and undisturbed among the temples in this large park.
The town is lively in the summer with plenty of small restaurants and bars, but aside from the temples, the beach, and the large nature reserve, there’s not much more to see. A couple of nights in the town should be sufficient. Read more about Selinunte here!
Agrigento
If you can only visit one of the three major temple parks in Sicily, choose the one in Agrigento over Segesta and Selinunte. We are glad to have visited all three, but the Temple Park in Agrigento showcases everything the Greeks were, did, and could do. The large archaeological museum is also worth the visit. The city of Agrigento itself is perched on top of a hill, and there is plenty of evening charm in the city’s excellent restaurants.
It’s important to know about the hill, as the city can be challenging for those with mobility issues. There are steep streets and narrow alleys, but it is beautiful. In Agrigento, we met many fellow travelers with sturdy hiking boots and a strong interest in archaeology and history. The Temple Park is a massive experience that everyone should treat themselves to, and the lovely beaches in San Leone by the coast will certainly appeal to children and teenagers. Read more about Agrigento here!
Modica and Ragusa
At the southeastern end of the island are the two small mountain towns of Modica and Ragusa. Modica is known for its chocolate, and Ragusa for its cheese production. Both UNESCO cities offer breathtaking views from their mountain tops. The many baroque buildings, combined with the beautiful nature, make these towns a must-visit if you’re in the area.
We stayed in Modica and visited Ragusa, and next time we’ll do it the other way around – we’ll definitely return! It’s not because there’s a wild nightlife or a huge number of fantastic restaurants, but there are plenty of opportunities for hiking, both up the steep streets of both towns and in Ragusa’s large gorge. Read more about Modica and Ragusa here!
Syracuse / Siracusa
Siracusa on Sicily’s east coast is undoubtedly the most tourist-friendly city of all the places we’ve visited in Sicily. It was also where we encountered the most tourists, which is completely understandable. Syracuse has everything we love when going on vacation: it’s very clean and tidy by Sicilian standards, has great beaches, charming streets with cozy shops and restaurants, and interesting sights within walking distance from the city.
Especially Ortigia, the old town, is popular among both European and international tourists. We also visited the new part of Syracuse, and if you find the hotel prices in Ortigia completely outrageous, you can easily stay across the two small bridges and then walk over to Ortigia. Read more about Syracuse and Ortigia here!
Catania
Catania is a city of contrasts. It’s really, really grimy and dirty, yet incredibly beautiful. Trash lines the streets until it’s picked up by the small garbage truck, while in the next street, elegant Sicilians are out flaunting their finest clothes. Catania is also the city with the strong smell of fish from the market and the aroma of grilled horse from the many outdoor restaurants. Catania has a cathedral that’s more unfinished than the Sagrada Familia and the beautiful, tranquil Bellini Park.
Most tourists will probably get to know the city in connection with a visit to Mount Etna, but Catania itself also offers plenty of new and exciting experiences. Read more about Catania and Etna here!
Palermo
The final stop on our tour of Sicily is Palermo. If you’re feeling a bit tired and disheartened – Palermo is just the cure you need! The nightlife here is as wild as in Catania, but it’s cleaner and tidier. Palermo offers many excellent restaurants, large shopping streets, and lots of sights. There are beautiful beaches, a direct bus to Trapani Airport, and it’s simply fun. If you want to take your partner on a romantic getaway in Sicily, where you can enjoy cocktails and gaze into each other’s eyes like in a Lady & The Tramp movie, Palermo is the place to go. Read more about Palermo here!
Be sure to visit again!
And with these words, our tour of Sicily comes to an end. This article will be updated regularly, as we still need to visit the seaside towns of Taormina and Sciacca and explore the entire northern coast. So remember to bookmark this article so you can find it again.
Find a great hotel in Sicily
In all our travel articles about Sicily, you can also read our recommendations for lovely hotels where we have stayed. In Sicily, price and quality are quite well-matched, but often you get a bit more for your money here. But see for yourself! You can quickly search for good hotels in Sicily right here: