It was March 2022 and my colleagues and I were planning our annual nomad trip. The choice fell on Sicily. We booked flights from Vienna to Catania and believed it would be ‘a nice trip to Italy’. Except Sicily isn’t Italy. Or rather – it’s more than Italy. This article is a comprehensive guide I’ve been putting together for over 3 years. It shows you what to see in Sicily – whether you’re going for 5 days or 3 weeks, whether you want volcanoes or beaches, whether you love history or just good food eaten standing up.
🎒 A backpack of information for those short on time
- 1,000 km of coastline and three different seas – west, north and east each have a completely different character
- Largest cities: Palermo (west) and Catania (east) – each is the starting point for a different kind of trip
- The finest view is from Taormina – the Greek theatre with Etna in the background
- Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe and you don’t need a guide for the lower craters
- Best time to travel: May-June and September-October – warm sea, fewer people, reasonable prices
- You won’t manage in Sicily without a rental car – public transport off the main routes barely exists
- Flights from Prague to Catania are run by Ryanair, Smartwings and Wizz Air – a direct flight takes roughly 2 hours
Why go to Sicily
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and historically one of the most important crossroads in the world. Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards – every one of them left a mark. And that’s exactly what makes it a place you can’t compare to anywhere else.
It isn’t only about history. It’s that in Sicily you get to experience (and isn’t that the point?) things you won’t find anywhere else in Europe: an active volcano that smokes every day. Nature reserves without roads or cars. Markets where fishermen sell their catch straight out of ice crates. Islands where people still cook to recipes two hundred years old.
And the people. The Sicilian temperament has a reputation, but that reputation is unfair. Sicilians are among the most hospitable people in all of Italy. You just have to make a bit of an effort.
Now, though, let’s get to the list of what to see in Sicily and how to make the most of it.
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What to see in Sicily: an overview of cities and areas
Sicily is big. You can arrive and ‘do the whole thing in a week’, but then you don’t see anything properly. Below are the places worth more than an hour.
Palermo
Palermo is like one of those books with a battered cover, where a different world hides behind every page. It doesn’t welcome you immediately. It needs time. And then you fall in love with it. Like I did. The first time I left with mixed impressions; the second time with the feeling that I’d be back.
Sicily’s capital hides Byzantine gold mosaics in the Cappella Palatina, the Capuchin catacombs with 8,000 mummies in the monastery corridors, and the best street food on the whole island. The Ballarò and Vucciria markets are lively, loud and a bit chaotic – exactly as they should be. 2 days is enough for Palermo. Ideally avoid July and August.
👉 The complete guide to Palermo: what to see, where to eat and how to find your way around
Catania – the city beneath Etna
Catania lived in Palermo’s shadow for a long time. But anyone who makes it here quickly understands why it’s the more popular destination for plenty of travellers. The city is more compact and the airport is just 5 km from the centre.
The city’s symbol is the elephant carved from black lava on Piazza del Duomo. A morning stop at the La Pescheria fish market is compulsory – get there before 11:00 or the show is over. And then there’s Etna on the horizon. Always there, always smoking. Catania is also the best base for a trip to Etna, Taormina or Syracuse.
👉 The complete guide to Catania: what to see in the city beneath Etna
Trapani
Trapani isn’t bombastic or elegant. It’s a port town with salty wind and the smell of fresh fish – and that’s exactly why I like it. You can walk the centre in half a day, but the surroundings will keep you busy for a week.
A compulsory stop is the salt pans at sunset. The most photogenic spot in the whole northwest (especially if you want to see flamingos!). Add a trip to Erice (a medieval town literally in the clouds) and a ferry to the Egadi Islands. Trapani is the natural base for exploring the whole of northwestern Sicily.
👉 The complete guide to Trapani: what to see and where to head from town
Taormina: the postcard hit
Taormina is packed. In July and August the streets are crammed with tourists from all over the world. And yet millions of people come here every year. Why? Because the view from the Greek theatre, the Teatro Greco, over Etna and the Ionian Sea is one of those you carry with you for years. And also the series The White Lotus.
Guy de Maupassant said that everything here was created to please the eye. He was right. You’ll enjoy Taormina – just come early in the morning or after 17:00.
👉 The complete guide to Taormina – how to experience it without the tourist traps
Cefalù
Cefalù was always our goal, and on none of our previous Sicily trips did we ever make it there. Either we didn’t have time or something got in the way. Third time lucky – and I have to say it was worth it.
The Norman cathedral Duomo di Cefalù is a UNESCO site and hides gold Byzantine mosaics comparable to Palermo’s. Even more interesting, though, is the story behind it. Below it is a sandy beach right by the historic centre; above it the enormous rock of La Rocca with views over the whole area.
👉 The complete guide to Cefalù – what to see and why go
Sicily’s islands
Few people know that two archipelagos lie off Sicily that deserve a trip of their own. Each is different. Each will surprise you, as they did us. The islands definitely belong on your list of what to see in Sicily.
The Aeolian Islands
Seven islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily. Each has its own character. Vulcano has an active crater you can climb. Stromboli erupts practically non-stop and the explosions are visible at night from a boat. Salina is green and quiet. Panarea is small and exclusive.
The ferry port for the islands is in the town of Milazzo. From there you can reach all of them. We got up at 3:55 in the morning to climb Vulcano before the first rays of sun. The reward of a cornetto in the port and a nap until midday made it worth it.
👉 The complete guide to the Aeolian Islands – 7 islands, 7 characters
The Egadi Islands
Three islands: Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo. Each different, each quieter than you’d expect.
The ferry from Trapani takes 25 minutes. The archipelago has been a protected marine reserve since 1991. The water is crystal clear, crowds are minimal (outside the season) and time genuinely passes differently here. We went out of season, in relatively lovely weather of around 18 degrees, and experienced an atmosphere that’s rare in today’s Europe.
👉 The complete guide to the Egadi Islands: Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo
Nature and outdoor experiences in Sicily
Sicily isn’t only about cities and beaches. For lovers of nature and the outdoors there’s perhaps even more here than you’d expect. To our amazement, almost too much.
What to see in Sicily for nature lovers: climbing Etna
From the plane it looked unreal – an enormous dark silhouette with a white cloud of smoke above the blue sea. That’s not a storm. That’s Etna. Europe’s highest active volcano (3,329 m) and one of the most powerful experiences Sicily has to offer.
The climb starts at Rifugio Sapienza in the south at around 1,800-1,900 m. You can reach the Barbagallo craters (2,900 m) on foot, free and without a guide. The cable car costs 54 € return; an organised tour from Catania starts at 35 €.
👉 The complete guide to climbing Etna – routes, prices, tips
The Zingaro nature reserve: 7 km of wild coast with no cars and no roads
Zingaro is 7 km of coastline accessible only on foot. No roads, no cars, no snack bars. Two wild coves – Cala Tonnarella dell’Uzzo and Cala Berretta – are among the most beautiful spots on the whole island.
Entry is 5 € at both gates (Scopello in the south, San Vito Lo Capo in the north). Bring at least 1-2 litres of water and sturdy shoes. The reserve was created in 1981 literally as an act of defiance. Local residents physically blocked the building of a road and forced through the creation of a protected area.
👉 The complete guide to Zingaro – trails, coves, practical tips
Sicily’s best beaches
Sicily has over 1,000 km of coastline and three different seas. The Tyrrhenian in the north is calm and warm. The Ionian in the east is crystal clear and in places dramatic. The Mediterranean in the south offers the wildest coves and the fewest tourists.
Our top 3 beaches:
- San Vito Lo Capo – the island’s most beautiful sandy beach, white sand, turquoise water, ideal for families with children
- Scala dei Turchi has white limestone cliffs near Agrigento, unique in the whole Mediterranean
- The coves in the Zingaro reserve are the wildest and quietest, accessible only on foot
👉 A roundup of Sicily’s 10 best beaches, with a map
What to eat in Sicily
Sicilian food will surprise you. Not because you know nothing about it – almost everyone knows cannoli and arancini these days. It’ll surprise you with what the word fresh actually means in Sicily.
Five things you mustn’t skip:
- Granita with brioche – a compulsory breakfast or afternoon snack, ideally eaten standing up
- Arancini – fried rice balls, best straight from the market
- Cannoli filled with pistachio – pistachios from Bronte below Etna, harvested in September; that’s not a marketing slogan
- Fresh fish at the market – La Pescheria in Catania or Vucciria in Palermo, in the morning
- Caponata – a sweet and sour vegetable mix, perfect as a starter
👉 The complete guide to Sicilian food – what to eat and where
Practical information before you go
When to go to Sicily
Sicily works all year round, but every month is good for something different. June and September are the best compromise – warm sea, reasonable prices, fewer people. April and October are ideal for hiking and the nature reserves. The sea is warmest at the end of August and throughout September (up to 26-27 °C).
👉 A detailed guide – when to go to Sicily depending on what you’re after
Flights to Sicily
There are direct flights from Prague to Catania (Ryanair, Smartwings, Wizz Air) – roughly 2 hours. From Vienna there are direct flights to Palermo as well as Catania with Ryanair. For travellers from southern Moravia or South Bohemia, Vienna may be the better bet.
Catania = the base for the east of the island (Etna, Taormina, Syracuse). Palermo = the base for the west (Cefalù, Trapani, Marsala, the Egadi Islands).
👉 Flights to Sicily – direct routes, tips on cheap fares and choosing your airport
Renting a car in Sicily
You’ll struggle to see everything worth seeing in Sicily without a car. Public transport works between the big cities, but most of the loveliest places lie off the main routes. Renting a car in Sicily is cheaper than in other Italian destinations – and with two people it works out about the same as buses.
Be aware that the driving style in Sicily is distinctive. Turning without indicating is the norm, parking is a creative science, and ZTL zones (restricted traffic zones) in old town centres are a reality worth being prepared for.
👉 Renting a car in Sicily – our experience, tips and how to avoid trouble
Accommodation in Sicily
The range of accommodation is varied – from boutique hotels in historic palaces to simple apartments by the sea. In high season (July-August) book well in advance; prices are significantly higher then.
To compare prices and availability we use Booking.com, which has the largest choice on the island, including smaller places and the islands.
Safety in Sicily
Sicily is safe for tourists. Comparable to other Mediterranean destinations. The main risk is pickpocketing in the big cities. One rule that applies everywhere on the island: don’t leave anything visible in the car. Everything in the boot.
👉 What you actually need to know about safety in Sicily
A Sicily itinerary – how to put it all together
We’ll close this guide to what to see in Sicily with two itineraries that give you a better idea of how to build your trip.
5 days in Sicily – the west of the island
Ideal for a first visit, based in Palermo.
| Day | Programme |
| Day 1 | Arrival in Palermo, getting your bearings, dinner at the Vucciria market |
| Day 2 | Palermo – Cappella Palatina, catacombs, Ballarò market + Mondello beach |
| Day 3 | Day trip to Cefalù + an afternoon on the beach |
| Day 4 | Trapani + the salt pans + sunset |
| Day 5 | Erice or the Zingaro reserve, departure |
10 days in Sicily – west + east (our recommended route)
Combining both airports – fly into Palermo, out of Catania or the other way round. So-called open-jaw tickets – and they’re cheaper than they look.
| Days | Programme |
| 1–3 | Palermo + Cefalù |
| 4 | Trapani + the drive west |
| 5 | The Egadi Islands (full-day trip) |
| 6 | Drive to Catania (stop in Agrigento – the Valley of the Temples) |
| 7 | Catania + climbing Etna |
| 8 | Taormina (full day) |
| 9 | Syracuse or the beaches near Catania |
| 10 | Departure from Catania |
For organised trips (climbing Etna, a boat trip around the Aeolians, tours of Syracuse) we’ve been happiest with GetYourGuide – the widest choice of activities on the island.
