Draft itinerary for 3 weeks in Sicily without a car

Hi everyone,

I’d love to get your thoughts on the following itinerary (late May). I like to take my time in ruins and museums, and beaches don’t interest me. I’ll be staying in hostels and using public transport. Do you see any major omissions or things that aren’t worth it? Thanks!

Day 1: Arrival in CATANIA Day 2: Catania – visit (fish market, cathedral, Biscarri Palace, etc.) Day 3: Mount Etna (day trip)

Day 4: Morning trip to TAORMINA, visit the town Day 5: Alcantara Gorge (day trip) + more time in Taormina

Day 6: Trip to SYRACUSE, visit Ortigia Day 7: Ortigia Day 8: NOTO (day trip) (or another Baroque town?) Day 9: Syracuse Archaeological Park + more time in Ortigia (or leave for Enna?)

Day 10: Transport via Enna? TO BE RESOLVED (long, 2 or 3 changes, limited accommodation in Enna...)

Day 11: AGRIGENTO: town and Scala dei Turchi (optional) Day 12: Valley of the Temples + archaeological museum

Day 13: Departure for TRAPANI (4h), afternoon: town (+ salt flats?) Day 14: Segesta (day trip) + town/Erice Day 15: Monte Cofano Nature Reserve (hike + summit) (day trip) Day 16: Zingaro Nature Park (coastal route out, ridge route back) (day trip)

Day 17: Departure for the AEGADIAN ISLANDS: Levanzo and Favignana (bike), overnight if possible Day 18: Egadi Islands

Day 19: Departure for PALERMO + first visits Day 20: The city Day 21: The city (Monreale?) Day 22: Options: - Capo Gallo hike (3.5h round trip) (via Mondello) - Cefalù (45 min by train) Day 23: Return flight

Hello! Indeed, you have plenty of time to explore the cities and other places.

For example?

A day in Taormina—there’s plenty to see, in fact. You’ll explore the Ancient Theatre stone by stone. Noto as well—usually just one street to discover unless you’re not the typical tourist. Monreale in a day might feel a bit long. Actually, everything’s like that. You’ve got time to wander. Unless your travel time to the sights takes too long.

Nothing about Corleone? Nothing about Castellammare del Golfo near Palermo? Modica? Ragusa? Don’t miss Palermo’s Ballarò Market and especially the Teatro Massimo—it’s an absolute gem.

Everything’s doable, really. You just need to find the right bus and hostels in the right locations.

Best regards,

Hi,

Here’s something that might interest you: 17 nights in the spring, BUT by car...

https://blogs.crespel.me/sicile/

3 tabs with info and photos.

Jean.

Good evening, Thanks for the comments. I tend to want to "cram" too much in, but maybe I’ve erred on the side of caution for fear of being too rushed. - For Taormina, I had the impression there was enough to do based on sites like voyagetips, which suggests 1 to 3 days... But maybe their list of things to see is padded with stuff that’s only so-so... - For Noto, noted, but are Ragusa and Modica more spread out and/or interesting? - I’ll add Castelammare del Golfo, and Monreale—if it’s quick, I’ll expand my Palermo visit (for example, with your suggestions).

Your itinerary is well thought out—very comprehensive without being overwhelming, though it does get a bit packed at times (especially the long trips like Enna/Agrigente/Trapani). We did something similar but with a car, and even then, the distances add up, so using public transport might get tiring faster. If you want to lighten the load a bit, Enna is the most "dispensable" logistically.

For organizing connections (especially to the Egadi Islands or adjusting certain routes), we checked out this site—it really helps visualize what’s doable. Otherwise, your plan is solid, and for the Baroque towns, you can also take a look here to compare Noto with other options.

Have a great trip—it’s going to be amazing! 🙂

Thanks. Weirdly, your second link is related to Hawaii... I’ll note the one about boats between the Egadi Islands. For Enna, I’ll have to go from Syracuse to Agrigento, so that could split the trip... I’ll see if there are any affordable places to stay (doesn’t look like it at first glance!). Otherwise, I think it’d take up almost a whole day just getting around unless everything lines up perfectly.

Yes, sorry—I meant to add this one instead: https://www.visitsicily.info/en/the-baroque-cities-of-val-di-noto/

And for Enna, I still think your reasoning makes sense. If it helps you break up the Syracuse-to-Agrigento trip without complicating your budget, it might be worth it. Otherwise, it’s probably better to keep a full day of travel and skip a mediocre stop just to “fill” the itinerary.