Looking at a trip in late May/early June. I don't think I've seen this destination discussed here, at least not in recent history.

Any and all recommendations welcome.

Palermo was Meh about 10 years ago when I went

Check out Cefalu. It is a cool little beach town

I would love to explore the countryside

Cefalu is on the radar. Considering an Airbnb there. I've also got a two day cooking class tentatively booked. And we want to see the ruins near Agrigento and do an ATV tour of Etna.

Flights are expensive and the schedule is terrible, so I'm contemplating maybe a 2-day stop somewhere else…but I can't decide where.

Did you drive while you were there?

I had typed up a longer reply initially but it disappeared when I tried to post.

I was on a Mediterranean cruise with a stop in Palermo about 10 years ago. I think it was early March when we visited and the weather was nice since it is so far South.

We took a tour bus and spent a few hours in Cefalu. It looked like it would be a popular place in the Summer.

A quick search of google flights shows Frankfurt, Munich, or London as one stop option from Houston.

Maybe spend some time in Italy and fly to Palermo. There is probably a ferry from the mainland too.

Here are all of the direct flights to PMO. Basically most places in Europe.

Oh, I've looked at flights. Getting there isn't a problem; it's getting home. The flights out of Palermo all have extended overnight layovers on the main continent. We will probably have to fly home out of Catania. There was one flight option to come home through Munich that didn't involve spending the night. We are looking at 15-17 hrs each way, best case.

I suppose their might be some regional carriers, if I'm willing to book a two separate tickets, but I'm not sure I want to do that.

We've been other places in Italy (Rome, Florence, Amalfi Coast), so I was thinking someplace else. Maybe Switzerland. But I hate the travel time an extra stop adds.

Mrs. 82Ag and I are also looking at a trip to Sicily this year. We plan on flying into Catania.

An overnight in Munich on the return is very doable as there's a nice Hilton hotel right at the airport. You can catch the train into town and see the sights and you're right there for your morning departure back to the states.

82 Ag said:

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Mrs. 82Ag and I are also looking at a trip to Sicily this year. We plan on flying into Catania.

An overnight in Munich on the return is very doable as there's a nice Hilton hotel right at the airport. You can catch the train into town and see the sights and you're right there for your morning departure back to the states.

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Good to know about Munich and the airport hotel. We've flown out of that airport after a Germany trip, but we were staying in town.

I do prefer Frankfurt over Munich, only because Frankfurt is usually a 777 (or if you get lucky a 787) and Munich is usually a 767. The difference in comfort was HUGE for me. The 767 was awful (and I am not a large person). Something about the seat pitch, I think. But we may be stuck with Munich, at least for the return trip.

Anyway, what are your other plans? Renting a car? Any hotels in mind? I've got a mental list but haven't decided on anything.

I haven't planned anything out yet. A real good friend of mine now lives in Sicily and hes an avid bicyclist. I'm gonna get ahold of him shortly and find out what to see and where to stay.

Please share!

Stay at The White Lotus.

chick79 said:

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Stay at The White Lotus.

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WAY out of my price range!

I'll be there in May. We are going via Milan and doing a side trip to Como while en-route. Flying into Palermo and back through Catania, with stops in Cefalu and Taormina. We have a mix of hotels and AirBNBs, hotels mostly for our relaxing days.

I'm looking at a similar itinerary. Fly into Palermo, one night in Agrigento, two nights at a farm for the cooking class, and 8-10 more nights aloud between Cefalu and Taormina. Fly out of Catania. Hotels seem to be on the high side eight now, but there are a lot of nice Airbnbs at reasonable prices.

Pulled the trigger and booked two Airbnbs today - one in Cefalu and one in Taormina. Both have free cancellation up until right before we would arrive.

Just waiting to see if airfare goes down. It's well over $2k at the moment.

I thought I'd update this since most of the important details of our trip are booked. We are traveling the Saturday before Memorial Day and return on June 8.

This plane ticket was the hardest I've ever booked. We can get to Palermo pretty easily from IAH through FRA, but the tickets are on Lufthansa, and they seem to be the most expensive of all the European airlines. The United flight from IAH to FRA with the same Lufthansa connection in FRA was also double the cost of the Lufthansa flight that leaves IAH earlier in the day (I don't think this is always the case, just what I ran into on our particular travel day).

Getting home was another story. It is not easy to get back to the EU mainland from Sicily and catch a flight to the US on the same day. We wound up on an itinerary on United that departs Milan at 3 in the afternoon (on a Dreamliner...I'm excited about that!) routing us through ORD. We arrive back to IAH around midnight. I selected this flight to give plenty of time to depart Sicily. We are going to have to book a one way ticket from Catania to Milan on one of the "discount" EU airlines (options are EasyJet, Wizz Air, or Ryan Air).

Airfare was $2k, not including the hop from Catania to Milan. I said "discount" airlines, because by the time we book a ticket that allows us to select a seat and have a carry on/checked bag, those tickets will be about $150 each.

During the booking process, I was told by a TA to not select any connections with less than a 2 hour layover. That's part of what made the process difficult. There are a lot of options offered with 1-1.5 hour layovers, and I wasn't willing to take that risk. Another good option is AA from Rome to Dallas, but we couldn't make the flight over there work. It was a codeshare on British Airways with barely a 1 hour layover at Heathrow. If we miss that connection, we'd be delayed until the next day.

I will say, even though Palermo is the capital and the city that most people probably associate with Sicily, Catania is the bigger airport with more flight options. Your best bet for options to get to/from the island is a connection in Italy. Flights to/from other EU countries are limited and significantly more expensive (Lufthansa is currently charging $500+ one way from Frankfurt and Munich).

Rented a car in Palermo using my company discount code. This probably cut the price in at least half for a much better car. We will not be returning the car to Palermo, since we are departing from Catania, and I know this ran up the price. I am sitting at just over $600 for an 11 day rental. We are getting a small Mercedes sedan (automatic) at half the cost of something like a Fiat Panda (with a manual transmission, which I can drive, but I'll take the upgrade) if I didn't have the discount. I could have downgraded the car and paid maybe $300-$400 for the rental.

We will arrive in Palermo and go to Agrigento. Hotel Athena was crazy expensive, so I found a little B&B with spectacular reviews for like $150/night. The hotel is Segreti della Val, and I splurged for a room with a view of the Valley of the Temples.

The next two nights will be spent at the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school. This was my son's request, and it's all-inclusive.

After that, we will spend one night at Susafa. I'm on the mailing list for Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and this place looked gorgeous. I got a junior suite at a small discount. This place looks stunning, and I fully expect to want to stay more than one night. It's just hard to justify the cost (about $320/night).

Next up is 3 nights at an Airbnb in Cefalu. It's kind of like a duplex, within walking distance to the beach. This is <$500 for the three nights.

We finish our stay in Taormina at a luxury apartment, also booked via Airbnb. It has a pool and a stunning view of Isola Bella. This place has 2 bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a washer/dryer, which will allow us to travel with carry-ons. This was the splurge of the trip at $550/night, but hotels in Taormina are crazy expensive for our dates. The "White Lotus Effect", I guess. Our host has already offered to help us book activities for our stay.

I did have to pay deposits on the Airbnb bookings, but all of our accommodation reservations have very generous cancellation policies. The Airbnb in Taormina gives full refunds up until May 4, the Cefalu Airbnb up to May 25, Susafa up to May 15, and Segreti della Valle up to May 22. After that, there are partial refund offers. The cooking school requires a deposit of 20% 60 days prior to arrival.

Anyway, I know there isn't a lot of info on this board about this particular destination, so I thought I'd share. Booking that airfare really stressed me out, but now that almost all of the critical reservations are made, I'm super excited about the trip. I'll follow up with a trip report.

We lived in Sicily for a year 30 years ago and loved it . Catch Messina and Siracusa if you can, there is a cave/cavern in Siracusa that Paul preached in on the way to Roma

Just got back from a short stay in Sicily. Stayed in Catania for Carnivale which was a blast! Then climbed Mt Etna got a tour afterwards at a vineyard, then stayed in Taormina. We used a couple tour company's, the Mt Etna company was called Etna Tours, can't remember the other one.

Food was the highlight, fantastic! Granitas, Aracinis, Calamari, Pasta Norma and Sicilian wine are all must tries. Catania is nice to see for a day. Taormina was breathtaking gorgeous! Weather was cool in the mornings and warmed to 60 during the day. Mt Etna still had a heavy snow pack and we snowshoed for our climb up the mountain. When you go, it should be hot with lots tourists, book your tours now!

Beaches in Italy are also to die for, while we didn't breakout the swimsuits, the ones in Taormina were incredible.

For souvenirs we brought back a pottery head and the Trinia wallhanger. When you get there, you will see tons of the pottery heads. By any account my wife fancied to get one and I lugged it back home.

Enjoy the trip and safe travels!

Thank you…this is great info!

It's been 11 years but absolutely loved Sicily. So much history. Greek & Roman…Let me echo Siracusa…. Amazing place & the history, the churches are outstanding.
I also loved Taormina… So beautiful…
You will love Sicily. Enjoy!

Update because we got home from our trip a couple of days ago.

Arrived in Palermo and drove to Agrigento (about 2-2.5 hours). Got a great deal on a rental car through my company discount code.

Night 1 - Stayed at a fantastic B&B for the night called Segreti della Valle, booked on Booking.com for a great price. Very clean and new room with a view of the Valley of the Temples, fantastic restaurant right downstairs, and breakfast included. They also arranged a tour guide for the Valley of the Temples for us.

Day 1 - Took a quick drive to Scala dei Turchi since it was only about 15-20 min away. Walked along the road and down to the beach and enjoyed the views of this unique formation.

Valley of the Temples was amazing. The park is very large, and similar to Roman Forum, I think a guide is a must. The ruins are amazingly well preserved, and the photos and views are gorgeous. We really enjoyed this and it was worth the trip.

Days 2-3 - Did a Cook the Farm stay at the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school. This was amazing, and if anyone is specifically interested, I can give more info about it. I'll sum it up by saying the accommodations, staff, and food is the epitome of Sicily. We loved it.

Night 4 - Stayed at Susafa. I can't even describe it. It's probably the most unique property I've ever visited. It's literally in the middle of nowhere (the drive was interesting), and there is nothing but a few abandoned farmhouses for as far as you can see. Unfortunately, there was a rainstorm when we arrived, so we weren't able to enjoy the grounds and pool as much as I wanted, but I'm glad we stayed here. It feels very exclusive (but wasn't really all that expensive), and I kept thinking I was in a James Bond movie.

Day 4 - Drove to Cefalu, stopping at several villages in the Madonie Mountains along the way (Petralia Sonatta, Petralia Soprana, and Gangi). The drive is very scenic, and there are tons of options for things to stop and do in the Madonie mountains (towns, homes, scenic vistas, etc).

Nights 5-7 - Airbnb in Cefalu

Days 4-7 - Cefalu. I think this is the most beautiful town in Italy that I've ever visited,, and I'm so glad we stopped here. The harbor and beachfront areas are picture-perfect. Day 5, we hired a boat captain to take us to the Aeolian island of Alicudi. This was a very memorable experience that I highly recommend. The boat we hired was very reasonable compared to other options, and I can provide more specific details. Day 6, we walked around Cefalu, enjoying the town, and Day 7 we hiked to Rocca di Cefalu before departing for Taormina.

Another random highlight of Cefalu was the cemetery. We stumbled upon it on our way to the market, and it was amazing. Each family has its own little mausoleum that looks like a small chapel. Every single one is different. Some are traditional and others are modern, but they are all beautiful works of art. I've never seen anything like it, and we spent a couple of hours just walking around and taking pictures. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nights 8-11 - Gorgeous Airbnb in Taormina with an incredible view of Isola Bella. This was a modern, spacious, and clean 2 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen and large bathroom/shower at a VERY reasonable price, especially compared to hotels in the area.

Taormina was pretty crowded, even in early June. We didn't do a whole lot besides walk around and explore the streets and views. We also walked down to Isola Bella, but honestly, the view from our apartment was better.

Day 9 - Guided Jeep tour to Etna and Alcantara Gorge with Etnalcantara Tours. This was a fantastic experience. There were just 6 of us on the tour, plus the guide, who was VERY knowledgeable about the history and geology of Etna. It was also very reasonably priced. Since we also went to Alcantara Gorge, this took all day, but we were picked up and dropped off at our location.

Day 11 - Departed Catania airport for Milan to come home.

In summary, this was an amazing trip. We only scratched the surface of everything to see and do in Sicily. I had a very long list of options, and we simply didn't have time for it all. A big reason for that is, while it's not difficult to drive in the countryside and smaller cities, the speed limits are slow - we maxed out at 50-60 mph, but only a few times for short distances. Most of our travel was at 30-40 mph. So, it takes 2-ish hours to go maybe 60 miles (if you're lucky).

I would love to go back to Cefalu and do a longer stay at the cooking school. I'd also like to see more of the Aeolian Islands and visit Siracusa, Ortigia, and the fish market in Catania. Noto is supposed to be beautiful, too.

The food was amazing (as expected). Pasta alla Norma and caponata were highlights. Local wines and cheeses (especially the fresh ricotta) are delicious.

We just got back too. I agree on your points about Cefalu, it's a fantastic little city. We stayed down by the beaches in Taormina looking out the window at Isola Bella. We went up to Castelmola one day and the view is pretty awesome.

The Sicilian food was so amazingly fresh tasting...we eat a lot of fruit and veggies and the melons and tomatoes were so incredibly good.

PICS!?!?!?!?

We will be heading there next April/May. Thank you for posting!

Project Gemini said:

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We just got back too. I agree on your points about Cefalu, it's a fantastic little city. We stayed down by the beaches in Taormina looking out the window at Isola Bella. We went up to Castelmola one day and the view is pretty awesome.

The Sicilian food was so amazingly fresh tasting...we eat a lot of fruit and veggies and the melons and tomatoes were so incredibly good.

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Didn't make it to Castelmola. It was on my list, but I was just too tired on our last day.

We were just up the hill from you! Our view of Isola Bella was toward the north and east of our apartment patio. What a joy to fall asleep and wake up looking at that view every morning! I didn't even have to get out of bed to enjoy it.

Agree on the food. Simple ingredients, simple preparation, but major flavors. I could eat like that all the time (minus the pasta).