Two weeks of bliss in Sicily, Italy
To start my journey in Sicily, I arrived from Reggio di Calabria by ferry, into Messina. I departed Messina straight away and got two buses into a town called Giardini Naxos (close to Taormina).
Taormina/Giardini Naxos
Suggested length of stay is 3 nights.
I had three nights and I stayed in Giardini; a hostel called Gianni House Backpackers Hostel. It was a 15min bus ride into Taormina, otherwise a 2km walk along the beach followed by a very hilly 4km walk up to the city.
Must do’s in the area:
Either of these towns (Taormina or Giardini Naxos) would be a great place to stay. If you want to be closer to beaches and climb up/down less stairs, I would suggest Giardini/Naxos, however if you want more of the old town and views down below, I would suggest Taormina.
I always like finding the best lookouts for each city and some come up on google maps as viewpoints, but I can guarantee you that the best ones were walking down to Isola Bella or from within the grounds of the ancient theatre. Or if you feel like hiking up 3km to Castelmola, that is supposed to be beautiful too - limited transport to/from however.
San Vito Lo Capo
Suggested length of stay is 2 nights
If you’re backpacking like me, there is one hostel here and it is one of the nicest ones I’ve stayed in, in Italy, even up there with all over Europe – it’s called Timbuktu Hostel (link found at the bottom of this guide).
Must do's in the area:
Trapani
Suggested length of stay is 3 nights
I don't remember being overwhelmed by the accomodation choices in Trapani, however I did find one in a good location, near bus stops, the ferry port and plenty of food but it just wasn't the cleanest hostel. So I won't bother linking it for you. I was barely ever at the accomodation anyway because there is so much to do around this area that will take up your whole day!
Boat tour advice: Blu Lines and Torre Lines. These boats are too big (I went on the Blu Lines one for 53 EUR) and hard to get the best seat for views and photo ops. Because it’s a larger boat the swim spots aren’t the best either, we had to park away from other boats and get less freedom. Drove past the clearer blue waters and had to stop in a less picturesque spot
Perks: you get food included and tables, seats and shade
I suggest to book in advance and it is definitely worth considering the 70+€ options for an unforgettable day on the water - sometimes it’s worth the splurge.
Siracusa
Suggested itinerary is 3-4 nights
I stayed in the hostel called Lol Hostel Siracusa – it was 150m walk to the train station. This was a good location if youre arriving with lots of luggage and also doing day trips to Noto, Modica and/or Ragusa, given the train station is so close. It is about 10-15min walk to Ortigia, which is the main city (technically a little island), where the beaches are, marina and old town.
If you are planning on just staying in Siracusa and don’t need to be near the train station, I would suggest staying in or close to Isola di Ortigia. It is a beautiful city, with fresh food markets, boat tours, small beaches (some with sand, some with rocks) and typical Italian old town buildings… not to mention, delicious food also.
Top things to do while in Siracusa (Syracuse):
Solarium Nettuno Ortigia was where a restaurant once was but it is now an upscale swimming spot which I absolutely loved! I c couldn't add it to the map, as the site is permanently closed as a restaurant but if you type it in your Google maps, you will find it still!
Catania
2 days, if that...
Catania was my last stop on my Sicily trip. I only chose to go here as I had an early morning flight out of Catania and the airport is 4km from the Catania hostel I stayed in. Besides Palermo, it is the largest city in Sicily, located at the base of Mt Etna. I only had one full day here and walked through the centre, through the large fresh produce markets and saw some nice old buildings.
If I was not flying out of Catania, I would've skipped it and stayed longer in San Vito Lo Capo or stayed in Palermo before going to Siracusa. However, if you do find yourself here, see the below activities for this city!
Food/drinks you need to try in Sicily
- Arancini (ragu was my favourite one)
- Ricotta cannoli: apparently need to ask for grande size as they tend to make these fresher than the little ones
- Granita al limone: like a lemon slushie, very refreshing
- Granita con panna (with cream): order with a plain brioche and dip into it... That's what the locals do!
- Pistacchio flavoured things as they have the best in the world, i.e. pistacchio gelato
- Brioche con gelato (gelato inside the brioche bun)
- Wine: If you like wine I suggest you try frappato and nero d’avola if you like red.
Final things to consider...
I had 12 days in the region, which honestly felt rushed as it is the largest region in the country. The only downside to Sicily for me was the public transport. I took mainly buses from city to city, besides Syracuse to Noto (took a short train).
The buses were cheaper and more frequent and took you places some trains wouldn’t go (i.e., San Vito lo Capo). In saying this, the buses often had to pass through the main cities like Palermo or Catania, even if that meant travelling backwards to change over to another bus. This meant sometimes you were spending a full day travelling, when in a car it may take less than 4 hours.
So, if you can hire a car here THEN DO IT! You would be able to see so many more things off the beaten track and save so much time.
If you have access to a car and have more time in Sicily...
I would suggest heading to the south west coast of Sicily, to Agrigento, between Marsala and Gela. I mean, LOOK at the hidden gems!
Thank you for reading!
I hope you enjoyed this guide to two weeks in Sicily. Have an incredible time if you're planning on going, otherwise I hope I inspired you to plan a trip to go. If this guide helped you in any way I would greatly appreciate a tip if you would be so kind, as it took me a long time to curate this guide.
If you need any further details, please don't hesitate to reach out on my socials. I have a travel podcast available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well.
Instagram: @isstucks (personal and travel) and @twentysomethings.pod (travel podcast page)
Tiktok: @issytucker
Happy backpacking :) x
Issy
Two weeks of bliss in Sicily, Italy
To start my journey in Sicily, I arrived from Reggio di Calabria by ferry, into Messina. I departed Messina straight away and got two buses into a town called Giardini Naxos (close to Taormina).
Taormina/Giardini Naxos
Suggested length of stay is 3 nights.
I had three nights and I stayed in Giardini; a hostel called Gianni House Backpackers Hostel. It was a 15min bus ride into Taormina, otherwise a 2km walk along the beach followed by a very hilly 4km walk up to the city.
Must do’s in the area:
Either of these towns (Taormina or Giardini Naxos) would be a great place to stay. If you want to be closer to beaches and climb up/down less stairs, I would suggest Giardini/Naxos, however if you want more of the old town and views down below, I would suggest Taormina.
I always like finding the best lookouts for each city and some come up on google maps as viewpoints, but I can guarantee you that the best ones were walking down to Isola Bella or from within the grounds of the ancient theatre. Or if you feel like hiking up 3km to Castelmola, that is supposed to be beautiful too - limited transport to/from however.
San Vito Lo Capo
Suggested length of stay is 2 nights
If you’re backpacking like me, there is one hostel here and it is one of the nicest ones I’ve stayed in, in Italy, even up there with all over Europe – it’s called Timbuktu Hostel (link found at the bottom of this guide).
Must do's in the area:
Trapani
Suggested length of stay is 3 nights
I don't remember being overwhelmed by the accomodation choices in Trapani, however I did find one in a good location, near bus stops, the ferry port and plenty of food but it just wasn't the cleanest hostel. So I won't bother linking it for you. I was barely ever at the accomodation anyway because there is so much to do around this area that will take up your whole day!
Boat tour advice: Blu Lines and Torre Lines. These boats are too big (I went on the Blu Lines one for 53 EUR) and hard to get the best seat for views and photo ops. Because it’s a larger boat the swim spots aren’t the best either, we had to park away from other boats and get less freedom. Drove past the clearer blue waters and had to stop in a less picturesque spot
Perks: you get food included and tables, seats and shade
I suggest to book in advance and it is definitely worth considering the 70+€ options for an unforgettable day on the water - sometimes it’s worth the splurge.
Siracusa
Suggested itinerary is 3-4 nights
I stayed in the hostel called Lol Hostel Siracusa – it was 150m walk to the train station. This was a good location if youre arriving with lots of luggage and also doing day trips to Noto, Modica and/or Ragusa, given the train station is so close. It is about 10-15min walk to Ortigia, which is the main city (technically a little island), where the beaches are, marina and old town.
If you are planning on just staying in Siracusa and don’t need to be near the train station, I would suggest staying in or close to Isola di Ortigia. It is a beautiful city, with fresh food markets, boat tours, small beaches (some with sand, some with rocks) and typical Italian old town buildings… not to mention, delicious food also.
Top things to do while in Siracusa (Syracuse):
Solarium Nettuno Ortigia was where a restaurant once was but it is now an upscale swimming spot which I absolutely loved! I c couldn't add it to the map, as the site is permanently closed as a restaurant but if you type it in your Google maps, you will find it still!
Catania
2 days, if that...
Catania was my last stop on my Sicily trip. I only chose to go here as I had an early morning flight out of Catania and the airport is 4km from the Catania hostel I stayed in. Besides Palermo, it is the largest city in Sicily, located at the base of Mt Etna. I only had one full day here and walked through the centre, through the large fresh produce markets and saw some nice old buildings.
If I was not flying out of Catania, I would've skipped it and stayed longer in San Vito Lo Capo or stayed in Palermo before going to Siracusa. However, if you do find yourself here, see the below activities for this city!
Food/drinks you need to try in Sicily
- Arancini (ragu was my favourite one)
- Ricotta cannoli: apparently need to ask for grande size as they tend to make these fresher than the little ones
- Granita al limone: like a lemon slushie, very refreshing
- Granita con panna (with cream): order with a plain brioche and dip into it... That's what the locals do!
- Pistacchio flavoured things as they have the best in the world, i.e. pistacchio gelato
- Brioche con gelato (gelato inside the brioche bun)
- Wine: If you like wine I suggest you try frappato and nero d’avola if you like red.
Final things to consider...
I had 12 days in the region, which honestly felt rushed as it is the largest region in the country. The only downside to Sicily for me was the public transport. I took mainly buses from city to city, besides Syracuse to Noto (took a short train).
The buses were cheaper and more frequent and took you places some trains wouldn’t go (i.e., San Vito lo Capo). In saying this, the buses often had to pass through the main cities like Palermo or Catania, even if that meant travelling backwards to change over to another bus. This meant sometimes you were spending a full day travelling, when in a car it may take less than 4 hours.
So, if you can hire a car here THEN DO IT! You would be able to see so many more things off the beaten track and save so much time.
If you have access to a car and have more time in Sicily...
I would suggest heading to the south west coast of Sicily, to Agrigento, between Marsala and Gela. I mean, LOOK at the hidden gems!
Thank you for reading!
I hope you enjoyed this guide to two weeks in Sicily. Have an incredible time if you're planning on going, otherwise I hope I inspired you to plan a trip to go. If this guide helped you in any way I would greatly appreciate a tip if you would be so kind, as it took me a long time to curate this guide.
If you need any further details, please don't hesitate to reach out on my socials. I have a travel podcast available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well.
Instagram: @isstucks (personal and travel) and @twentysomethings.pod (travel podcast page)
Tiktok: @issytucker
Happy backpacking :) x
Issy