Sicily under your own steam
I’d always had an averse attitude to Italy, but the first minutes on Sicilian soil completely changed how I see Italy as a whole. As my colleague put it: “Italy has absolutely everything – mountains, sea, volcanoes, historic monuments, vineyards…”. Sicily under your own steam, helped along by cheap flights, was a very good choice.
With the distance of writing these lines, I remember my first impression with a smile. I’d describe it as “Asian-grade controlled chaos in Europe, where the world is still all right”.
You can reach Sicily by air on a direct flight from Vienna or Prague to Catania, or from Prague to Palermo and back. You won’t go wrong with either, at least if you plan to stay more than 2 days. If you’re not sure how to find the cheapest fares, we’ve written a detailed guide on how to search for flights using Skyscanner.
If your time is limited, I’d recommend flying to Catania – and I’ll tell you why straight away.
Catania
Catania was the starting point for all our other trips along Sicily’s east coast. It also turned out to be the most ideal base for discovering Sicily under your own steam.
The city offers more options than Palermo, for instance. It also felt calmer to me in terms of a sense of safety. For anyone heading to Mount Etna the city is ideal. Don’t expect hipster cafés, but the real atmosphere of Sicily, coloured in by the mess and chaos on the streets – which somehow calms you down.
Taormina and around
I had no expectations, because the evening before I’d read that Taormina is the pearl of Sicily. Thanks to its broad beaches this area became sought after by tourists. What the article forgot to mention was how beautiful Taormina and its surroundings are away from the sea. In summer, walking around the town and up the paths to the various viewpoints will hurt a lot. From Catania it’s roughly a 1.5-hour drive. By bus it’s similar.
Mount Etna
The landmark of the whole east coast, which is already asking to be climbed the moment you see it from the plane. Under your own steam you can get to the last permitted point at around 1,900 m. At that point you can still visit the Silvestri craters without paying a single euro to a guide. For the climb to the summit of Etna itself, using guides is more than recommended. You can go on your own, but if you’re not experienced, don’t be daft. More on climbing Etna here.
Syracuse
We arrived in Syracuse at sunset. Besides a short walk through the streets, we spent the last rays of light on the shore by Castello Maniace, which was unfortunately closed.
You certainly won’t go wrong spending an afternoon here, or combining the trip with another UNESCO-listed town, Ragusa.
In Syracuse I have to recommend a very cosy and tasty restaurant in the centre, A Putia. Very tasty Italian dishes at around 7-10 € a plate.
Ragusa
Our first stop after picking up the car was the town of Ragusa, whose defining feature is the way the old and new parts of town connect. A very pleasant walk of roughly 5 kilometres from the centre of the new town to the centre of the old, with plenty of viewpoints in both directions.
From the old town you can then take public transport back to the centre of the new town.
Ragusa, Syracuse, Modica and Noto all have one thing in common. The same recurring buildings, little churches, historic centres. At first glance it’s beautiful, but it does wear thin with every additional town.
Palermo
Our last stop came from a desire to understand mafia culture in famous Palermo. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to visit the town of Corleone because of time pressure – the place where the mafia’s beginnings are dated.
Palermo itself has a very handsome city centre that feels friendly, alive and pleasant in daylight. You could sit in the little parks and cafés all day. Evening walks, though, struck me as almost frightening.
On the road I try to follow certain rules to avoid misunderstandings – being robbed, getting into conflicts. That’s exactly the feeling I had here when we stepped off the main street. Perhaps a subjective feeling, though it was reinforced by the fact that since the refugee crisis Palermo has turned into a “refugee” hub.
We had the chance to visit all of these places. 4 days is too little to discover the whole of Sicily, but it’s enough to realise what a bubble we live in and how radically different life is from what we consume in the media every day. I value every travel blog that helped us plan our trip, because it’s on those blogs that you find the real, subjective impressions and experiences that let you build a complete picture of what a destination or region on your route is actually like. Discover for yourself what it’s like to dive into the secrets of Sicily under your own steam, and share your experiences with us!
When to go to Sicily
If I go back to Sicily, I’d definitely choose a period outside summer – spring or autumn. The weather in early March is more than pleasant. Daytime temperatures around 15 degrees and constant sunshine. I’d also fly for more than a week, ideally 14 days, rent a car and drive the whole island criss-cross. So you’ll enjoy Sicily under your own steam most in spring and autumn.
Renting a car in Sicily
Discovering Sicily under your own steam is the ideal reason to rent a car. We have a very good experience with the car rental company Centauro, where we didn’t need a credit card to rent. The desk is at the airport. Dealing with the staff is great and quick. The return went like this: we parked, the lady checked the fuel level, we handed over the keys and walked away.
If you don’t want to rent a car you can travel by bus or train. I was surprised by how good Sicily’s public transport infrastructure is. We travelled from Catania to Palermo and the bus always left to the minute, and arrived at its destination on time too. I have good experience with the portal omio.com for moving between towns (secure ticket payments, easy searching and a clear interface). You’ll find both train and bus services there.
And with a car you can enjoy incredible views 🙂
Accommodation in Sicily
We sorted accommodation through Booking; it did happen that a host, on meeting us in person, suggested cancelling the Booking reservation and offered us a lower price if we paid cash. Booking charges a commission of up to 30 %, which is genuinely a lot. Other alternatives include Airbnb, Trivago or Agoda.
Paying in Sicily
You can pay by card in every restaurant. It’s similar in small shops. At street food stalls and markets it’s cash only. Public transport can almost always be paid either way. So can airport transfers. If you’re withdrawing cash, though, always use verified banking institutions. Definitely avoid dubious ATMs. Janek Rubes explains very well in this video on the Honest Guide channel just how dodgy these machines are.
A very good alternative that I use most on the road is Revolut – cheap currency conversion and the ability to pay comfortably by phone. Definitely give it a try.
