Best Places to Visit in Sicily Italy
How do you imagine a perfect trip? Sunny and warm weather relaxing on a beach and to rest upon nature? Climbing a world famous mountain top? You might rather taste the delicious local food, explore historical places, appreciate multiple art styles or shop among the worlds top luxurious brands. Vineyards, mountain roads, cities, and small towns promise amazing pictures. If you want to explore more of Italy check out our recommendations for the top 11 places to visit in Italy. If you are wanting to travel to Sicily, start planning your trip today with this Guide to Sicily Italy.
Mount Etna – Things to do in Sicily Italy
The highest active volcano in all of Europe. Expert guides can lead you to the 2,920 meter high roof of Sicily, which is a great hiking opportunity. The Etna park shows the different eruptions and volcanic cones. Adventure and outdoor lovers definitely should climb it or do smaller hikes around the base!
Things to do: Trekking in Crater Silvestri and cableway. Explore the three-level grotto before climbing, it’s vital to understand Mount Etna. Saferena Etna is a mountain town to taste typical liquors and honey.
Length of stay: 1-2 days. Tours start from Palermo and Catania. The full crater adventure takes one full day. You also have a choice for camping nearby.
Best Beaches in Sicily Italy
Taormina – Things to do in Sicily
It’s a must-see popular yet, beautiful village on the Mediterranean Sea based on the top of a mountain. You can walk along colorful streets and lovely sea landscapes while in the town. The Italian town offers excellence in sweets followed by mysterious corridors of flavors. On your first trip to Sicily, you absolutely must visit it.
Things to do: Greek Theatre, Corso Umberto Street, Piazza IX Aprile, Piazza Duomo.
Length of stay: 3-5 days It’s ideal to relax on the beaches as well as to probe its passages and top restaurants. A good plan could be going to less crowded beaches like Letojanni if you want more quiet time.
Isola Bella
An exotic beach at the bottom of Taormina’s Mountain. It’s also called the Pearl of the Ionian Sea. A coastland of crystal water and pebbled beaches. A glance of the nature in Sicily in a small town.
Things to do: Sun & Beach. Lovely to chill out, have a bath, as well as to enjoy seafood.
Length of stay: 2-4 days. It’s only ten minutes driving from Taormina. It could be a great place to stay and relax to enjoy the beach and visit Taormina.
Giardini Naxos
Two long beaches of gorgeous landscapes lie over the sea. It can get crowded during the night hours, where everyone meets in the summertime. Giardini Naxos offers excellent food and drinking experiences, beautiful landscapes, and historical places to visit. It was the first Greek colony in Sicily.
Things to do: Recanati and Lungomare beaches. Alcantara Gorge is one of the most amazing places in the Mediterranean. It’s a natural canyon waterfall made by volcanic lava and only eight miles from Giardini Naxos.
Length of stay: 3-5 days. It’s highly recommended to spend some nights in Naxos to enjoy the beach, pubs and nightclubs. If you aren’t into the party scene then you could spend around 2-3 days here.
Ortygia
A Baroque City with blue-sea beaches. A nice opportunity to discover ancient histories like Greek or Byzantine monuments. Italian cafeterias, finest drinks and unforgettable sunsets while living on the sea!
Things to do: Walking tour through Ortygia. The Duomo and the Cathedral, which originally was a Greek Ionic temple. The Abbey of Saint Lucy, in its interior there’s a Caravaggio painting of her murder. Beach and coastal landscapes. The little islet is located in Syracuse’s old town.
Length of stay: 2-3 days. Whether you would prefer historical sites and live the beaches. From Syracuse or Ortygia, visiting Noto is really worth it.
Arts and History in Sicily Italy
Agrigento – Best places to visit in Sicily Italy
The Valley of the Temples is definitely a must in Sicily. The archeological ruins of Akragas date since 500 BC. It also includes The Hercules Temple, Terone’s tomb and other relics of ancient Greece.
Things to do: The archeological park and the regional museum. San Leone, Licata and Punta Bianca beaches. Walk tour along via Athenea, the Cathedral.
Length of stay: 1-2 days. Discovering the archeological park demands one full day, to explore the city deserves another day.
Catania – Top Destinations in Sicily
A charming and picturesque city to get lost in Sicily. It’s unique because of its beaches, mountains, Italian taverns and pubs. It also reveals monuments, temples, and heritage from Greek and Romans.
Things to do: Piazza Duomo, Saint Agatha’s Cathedral, Castello Ursino, Roman Theatre and the Odeon, Aci Castello, Lungomare, Giardini Bellini.
Length of stay: 3-4 days. One of the most popular destinations in all of Sicily. It’s the right gateway to explore the island.
Noto – Best Things to do in Sicily Italy
A baroque city since the 17th Century. A small village that concentrates the finest baroque expression of Sicily. Every single building is beautiful, different, and joyful. Cafes and trattorias complete the landscape.
What to do: Walking tour through Vittorio Emanuele Street, Royal Gate, City Hall, Saint Corrado Cathedral. Nicolaci Palace and its balconies. Old Noto ruins. Eloro & Calamosche beach.
Length of Stay: 1-2 days, to visit the city. However, to discover the beaches you would demand additional days.
Palermo
The Sicilian capital is also known as the most conquered cities in the world. Normans, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines were here. Traditional markets, delicious food, friendly people are the current frame of this multicultural city.
Things to do: Teatro Massimo, Capuchin Monastery and Catacombs, Marvel at Quattro Canti, Palermo Cathedral, Santa Maria dell’Ammiragli church.
Length of stay: 2-3 days. Although there are so many different places to go, Palermo is not all that big.
The perfect season to visit Sicily is from March to October. Summer is very hot to properly enjoy the historical cities. Beaches and the nightlife of the island speak on behalf of a happy and funny spirit atmosphere.
Like every Italian corner, Sicily is perfect for foodie experiences. Especially to taste cannoli, arancino, pasta, pizzas, sauces, chocolates, pistachios, bread, liquors, wines, and thousands of local Italian flavors. Everything is better thanks to Mother Etna.
Sicilian are nice, even when they seem to discuss between themselves. They believe that they’re not Italian, but Sicilian instead. What’s more, their language is a dialect only valid there. Their special southern Italian nature makes them friendly and lovable.
If it’s your first time traveling to Sicily these are the top places you should go. It’s amazing to find so much of centuries old history in only a few small towns. What’s even better is climbing a mountain and having a bath in the sea on the same day after a long hike. The essential and top cities in Sicily are now exposed, it’s now your turn to live your endless experiences journeying to Sicily.
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