Ciao,

I am planning my trip to Sicily this fall (26.09. - 07.10.). I am renting a car and traveling to multiple locations.

On 01.10. I am moving from San Vito to Agrigento. I had initially planned to stop for lunch in Sciacca and maybe visit the castle there, but then I found Caltabellotta. It looks really spectacular, but I'm wondering if driving there as a tourist (with 20+ years driving experience and some small village roads in Germany as well as single track roads in Scotland under the belt) would be too difficult.

I checked all the roads via Street View, also to see which ones might be one-way even if Google Maps claims otherwise.

My plan was to drive to the parcheggio at the cattedrale, hike up the pizzo (or halfway at least), then drive to the monastery over the Via San Pellegrino, and then down and out of the town again.

(Here you see the route, from middle bottom to the Parking top right corner, to the left, and back again in a loop). Is this doable?

Next question: to get to Caltabellota I could either take the E90 down to Castelvetrano and then the SS115, and the SP37 for the last bit to Caltabellotta, or I could take the scenic route - SS624, SS188, SP37. For the last 20 km or so, the SP37 looks very narrow and winding. I am sure the drive time Google Maps calculates is overly optimistic and I would have to add at least 20-30 Minutes in the estimate.

Would you recommend taking that scenic route or better the easy one?

My plan is to leave San Vito at 8, arrive at Caltabellotta by roughly 11, spend 4 hours there, then drive to the Belvedere Scala dei Turchi so I can take photos in the golden hour, and then move to my accommodation near Agrigento (Villagio Mosè). With the Caltabellotta stop it would be ~220 km for that day - which doesn't sound much on paper but could get a lot with how narrow the roads are.

Here’s a very tentative plan for three weeks in late March/early April.  What am I missing? What is unnecessary? Bonus: tell me great places to eat anywhere!

Arrive in Palermo for 4 nights. Bus and train to visit Monreale on Day 3, and Cefalú on Day 4

Pick up car Day 5 and drive to Trapani.  Day 6 visit Erice.  Day 7 Favignana tour, or perhaps rest up in Trappani

Day 8 Segesta, and return to Trappani. Day 9 on to Agrigento, spend the night. Day 10 leave midday for Ragusa.  3 nights in Ragusa. Day 13 to Ortigia/Siracusa  for  3 nights. Day 15 to Taormina for 3 nights, one day touring Etna if possible. Turn in car and spend 2 Nights in Catania where we depart.

I have a general idea of what to do in each of the cities listed – recommendations welcome. Does this sound like too much? Too many days in any of these places? I’m just beginning to make arrangements, so nothing is set in stone.

We have previously really enjoyed group boat trips in other parts of Sicily (e.g. Castellamare del Golfo to Lo Zingaro, or from Trapani to Favignana) that fitted the bill of being a small group (10 people or under), with lots of swim stops and tanning space on the boat for everyone, and with lunch and some drinks included.

We are now trying to find similar options from Salina (Malfa) and from Lipari, but are struggling. Most boats seem to take c. 20 people (if not more) and have crammed bench sitting rather than tanning space, and they seem to not include any food/drinks and just drop you off at ports for you to eat. The number of swimming stops they quote also seems low to me for full day trips.

Am I missing something? Is there some incredible provider of small group boat tours in either island that I haven’t found / haven’t been able to see from the information online how good their tour could be? The options seem to be either what I described above or a private tour, which doesn’t make sense for us since we are only two people.

Any recommendations will be extremely gratefully received!

Hey guys! My name is Chris and I am thinking about a short trip to Catania just before Christmas around 16 Dec, 2026 - 18 Dec, 2026 - would anyone be able to host me perhaps?

I would usually use Couchsurfing for this, but sadly I am not getting any replies at all anymore on the CS site since their horrible update... you can check my 600+ references still here hopefully: https://www.couchsurfing.com/c/users/Chris_1984

Cheers,
Chris

My boyfriend and I are heading to Sicily from London towards the end of Sept for 10 days. We’re staying on the west side - 3 days near Trapani/Erice, 3 days in Scopello and 4 days in Sant’Elia (40 mins east of Palermo). We are hiring a car for the duration of our stay, and we’re happy to drive reasonable distances, for example we def wanna do a day trip to Cefalu when we’re staying in Sant’Elia. We also want to take a ferry to Favignana for the day when we’re staying near Trapani, and have heard it’s pretty easy to get an e-bike there to see more of the island.

We’d love some recommendations for where to visit, eat and swim around the areas mentioned above. We’re looking for a fairly relaxed trip as this is my first proper holiday abroad since getting the all clear from cancer (yay!), so priorities are eating good and visiting some great beaches and towns. We’d also be looking to hire a private boat (no license required) so if anyone has any tips for where best to hire from, and which coves are worth heading to, that would be amazing.

Would appreciate any recs from any seasoned visitors or locals. We can’t wait to visit!

I have been googling it but can't seem to get a straight answer.

I’ve been to Sicily a couple of times before (Cefalu, Aeolian Islands, Taormina, Favignana and a couple of wine stays on the south west). Looking to go back for a week and hire a villa. Have previously travelled as a couple, this time would be with two young kids (3 and 6). I’d like a spot that is close to good food markets, beaches, vibrant towns. ChatGPT suggests somewhere in Val di Noto. Thoughts? I’ve not been to the south east so have no experience in this area.

Hi, we are planning to visit Sicily from 14th to 18th Sep, our initial plan was to rent a car there to go around. But our visas came late, and now there isn’t enough time to get an IDP (International Driving Permit), we are leaving for Rome on 4th Sep.
Our driving license is from India and they are in English.

What can we do now, is there a way to get a car in Sicily, if not, is there good public transport available to ho around?

Please suggest. Thanks.

Hello! I will be traveling to Sicily for 2 weeks in early October. Will be staying Taormina -> Ortigia -> Noto -> Palermo. Instead of renting a car, I like the idea of a local driver(s), that could drive to excursions around town and then transport to each city.

Are there any such services that you have had positive experiences with?

We’ll be driving with our 3 year old from terrasini to Catania. We have a flight out at 945am, so want to spend our last night in Sicily in a quiet comfortable town within 45 min of the Catania airport. Any suggestions?

Hola, si salimos de Ortigia a la mañana y vamos al valle de los templos y stairs of the Turks. Llegamos a dormir a Trapani? O tenemos que dormir en Agrigento?

Hola, estamos planificando un viaje de 9 días a Sicilia. Pregunta, cuáles son las mejores playas? Tanto para descansar como para hacer snorkel. Vamos los primeros días de octubre. Gracias!

Looking for a reliable plug for bud around marina di ragusta need to be able to accept cash on delivery as been scammed to many times any where in catania, will be much appreciated if u manage to sort it

Where can I book?

Hi I’m planning activities for day trips in Cefalu, San Vito Lo capo and Agrigento.

for Cefalu what is there to do besides swim. I’m with my boys and need fun activities. Paddleboarding, kayaking etc. what can we book for reasonable price. we are planning to the hike there and get some nice views of the city, go bear, d town etc. I like the idea of booking a boat to maybe take us around, we don’t drink tho so could we maybe ask them to give us apple juice? I just need some suggestions.

Agrigento from Palermo is quite far - what is the best service to book for this and is it worth how long we’d spend on transport.

for San Vito I’ve seen getyourguide I’ve seen Palermo: Zingaro, Scopello & San Vito Lo Capo Boat Day Trip, is that worth it. Just need a mix of chill but also activities that are actually stimulating.

Also, any good Go Karting places in Palermo or nearby.

just need some ideas for fun activities for a group of boys.

I will be there mid October. Because the Zinargo reserve is closed, our group will have an extra day and more free time in Palermo. Any must see places? Restaurant recommendations? Thanks

Flying out tonight and need to find some smoke for when I land any ideas anyone would be greatly appreciated 👏

Going on my honeymoon in Sicily and hitting Palermo for a few days in a couple weeks. A friend recommended going on a food tour - have people done this as well? Do you actually recommend? And if so, which one felt most authentic and worth it (not just wandering and hitting tourist traps).

Hi everyone,

I'm an international student applying to the University of Palermo for the 2025/2026 academic year.

My application portal currently shows:

It also says that a request has been sent to the Degree Programme Coordinator for evaluation.

I submitted my application a while ago and I'm starting to get a little concerned because I still haven't received an admission decision. I'm also worried about the time needed afterward for the visa and enrollment procedures, so I'm hoping to get some information about the usual timeline.

For anyone who has applied to UniPa recently:

• How long did your application stay on "Waiting for validation"?
• Did it eventually change automatically, or did you have to contact the university/coordinator?
• How long did it take to receive your admission letter after this status?
• Is there anything I should do at this point besides waiting?

I'm also considering emailing [internationalstudents@unipa.it](mailto:internationalstudents@unipa.it) to ask for an update.

I've attached a screenshot of my application status for reference.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share their experience!

Hi all, I’ll be visiting in September with my wife and the original plan was to take a train from Cefalu to Messina and then another train to Taormina (~4 hours journey).
It’s a 2.5 hour drive but Private transfers are about €500. As a result I was considering renting a car in Cefalu and parking in Parcheggio Lumbi and getting a shuttle or walking.

I only have about a year and a half’s experience driving in the UK but I think I should be able to manage the drive okay. I wanted to see if anyone had any advice or experience on making this trip?

I was also hoping that some other redditors are going that way on September 17th so I could arrange to travel together and save some money!

Please let me know, thanks.

Buongiorno!

Vorrei un opinione vostra riguardo i miei 8gg di tour con macchina a noleggio presa e consegna in aeroporto a Palermo:

1 tappa. 2 notti a Sciacca

2 tappa. 1 notte a Mazara

3 tappa. 3 notti tra Marsala e Trapani ( ancora non ho deciso in quale paese)

4 tappa. 3 notti San Vito lo Capo

Con il mio compagno cerchiamo:

Buon cibo

Bei panorami

Passeggiate in paesi caratteristici

Non abbiamo la necessità di vedere mille cose per forza, poche ma gustate e fatte bene.

(Non ho messo nel tour Palermo perchè temo i fiumi di turisti)

Tappa 3 e tappa 4 con l'intenzione poi di avventurarci nei dintorni con la macchina.

Avete consigli sulle tappe o i numero di giorni? Consigli su paesini dove alloggiare vicino alle tappe?

Grazie a tutti!