Sicily
Sicily
A first trip to Sicily for UK travellers: where to base on the east coast, real costs for Etna, Taormina and the Valley of the Temples, and whether you need a hire car.
In short
Sicily at a glance
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and a region in its own right, not a side trip from mainland Italy. For a first visit the east coast is the easy win: fly into Catania and you have Mount Etna, Taormina, Syracuse and the baroque towns of the Val di Noto all within 30–90 minutes. A week covers the east comfortably; you only need to range west for Palermo, Agrigento's Valley of the Temples or the beaches around San Vito Lo Capo. A hire car is worth it the moment you leave Taormina, but it's a liability in the towns themselves.
Sicily is its own country in everything but the passport — Greek temples, Arab-Norman cathedrals, baroque hill towns and a live volcano, on an island bigger than Wales. The mistake first-timers make is trying to “do” all of it in a week. You can’t: it’s a four-hour drive from Taormina in the east to the Valley of the Temples in the southwest, and another two to Palermo. So pick a coast. For a first visit, make it the east.
Fly into Catania, not Palermo, and the island’s headline sights line up neatly: Mount Etna smoking above you, Taormina’s Greek theatre framing it, Syracuse’s island old town for the swimming, and the honey-coloured baroque towns of Noto, Modica and Ragusa an hour inland. You can base twice — Taormina or Catania first, then Ortigia in Syracuse — and barely touch the autostrada. Etna’s south-side cable car runs to about 2,500m for €52 return; pay €78 for the 4x4 and guide if you want the recent craters, which is the version worth doing.
The car question answers itself the moment you leave Taormina. Trains link the coastal cities cheaply, but they don’t climb Etna and they don’t reach the baroque towns, so most people hire. Just don’t drive into the historic centres — Taormina, Ortigia and the baroque cores are pedestrianised or permit-only — and pick the car up as you leave Catania rather than feeding a city car park. Come in late May, June or September: warm sea, open kitchens, and none of the August furnace or the midday cruise-ship crush that makes Taormina feel like a theme park.
The route
A relaxed week down the east coast, basing twice to cut the daily driving. Times are car estimates on the A18 autostrada; trains link Catania, Taormina and Syracuse but leave you short of Etna and the baroque towns, which is why most people hire.
-
Days 1–3
Taormina & Mount Etna
Base in or below Taormina. Do the Greek theatre (€14, go for the Etna-framed view at opening), wander Corso Umberto, then give a full day to Etna — the south-side cable car runs to about 2,500m, and a guided 4x4 takes you higher to the recent craters. Drive up via the wine roads around Linguaglossa; the lava-field landscape is the real reason to come.
-
Day 4
Catania
About 50 minutes south. A working lava-black baroque city, not a resort — the fish market (La Pescheria), the Duomo and a granita-and-brioche breakfast. It's the cheapest base on the coast and the airport is 15 minutes out, so it suits the first or last night either way.
-
Days 5–7
Syracuse & the baroque towns
Move base to Ortigia, the island old town of Syracuse — Piazza Duomo, sea-swims off the rocks and the Neapolis park with its Greek theatre and the Ear of Dionysius. Use it as a launchpad for the Val di Noto: Noto for the honey-stone main street, Modica for chocolate, Ragusa Ibla for the long climb and the view. Pick two, not all three.
Where to base yourself
Pick one or two bases rather than moving every night.
Taormina (old town or Mazzarò below)
£££ premiumThe picture-postcard base: hill-town lanes, the theatre and the best sea views on the island. It's the priciest spot in Sicily and clogged with cruise-day crowds by lunchtime — stay overnight to have the place to yourself after 6pm, and consider the beach district of Mazzarò below if you want the cable car and the sea.
Best for: Looks, the theatre, a romantic first base
Catania (centro / via Etnea)
££ mid-rangeThe value base on the east coast — a real lived-in city with markets, street food and the airport on the doorstep. Less polished than Taormina and noisier, but you eat far better for the money and it's the most central point for Etna and the south.
Best for: Budget, food, first or last night, Etna access
Syracuse (Ortigia island)
££ mid-rangeThe most atmospheric place to sleep on the whole coast: a baroque island old town ringed by sea, with swimming off the rocks and dinner in the Piazza Duomo. The ideal base for the southeast and the Val di Noto baroque towns, and quieter at night than Taormina.
Best for: Baroque towns, sea-swims, a second base
Getting around Sicily
Trains run down the east coast (Catania–Taormina–Syracuse) and are cheap, but they don't reach Etna's cable car or the Val di Noto baroque towns, so most first-timers hire a car. The A18 and A19 autostradas are fast and the toll is small; the catch is town driving — Taormina, Ortigia and the baroque centres are pedestrianised or ZTL-restricted, so park outside and walk in. Pick the car up at Catania airport as you leave the city rather than keeping it parked, and avoid driving in Palermo or central Catania if you can help it.
Book the essentials
Where to stay
Tours & tickets
Airport transfers
Car hire
Stay connected
Sicily FAQs
How many days do you need in Sicily?
Do you need a car in Sicily?
Should I fly into Catania or Palermo for Sicily?
What is the best time to visit Sicily?
Ready to book?
Compare car hire