Palermo Travel Forum

Hello all,

I am planning to visit Sicily for 5 days in late March 2008. My draft itinerary is as follows. Please advise if this is ok (background information: we are a group of 5 with no car, youth hostel-studenty type of indepenedent traveller).

Day 1 - arrive to Palermo in the evening, night in Palermo
Day 2 - sightseeing in Palermo, night in Palermo
Day 3 - travel to Catania in the morning or afternoon, sightseeing, night in Catania
Day 4 - day trip to Mount Etna, night in Catania
Day 5 - return to Palermo, flight back to London in the evening

Is this ok? We will be taking public transport all the way - I'm not sure my plan is sensible or not. Please comment!!

Also, I left the following questions on the Catania section of the VT forum but I'd be grateful if anyone would like to have a shot at it.

1. Is Catania the best place to stay if we are spending a day in Mount Etna, say, overnight stay in Catania?

2. Assuming that Catania is our 'base', what trains or buses are available to catch to go up to Mount Etna (I read this on some websites before)?

3. What 'destination' should we be aiming for for a day-trip to the Mount Etna?

4. How much does it cost? Transportation? Entry fee to the National Park?



Many thanks for all your help in advance.

I look forwarding to hearing from you.

Catania is nice, but I wouldn't miss Agrigento which is also much safer than Palermo and has tons to see and a great beach at St Leone.

Hi! Catania is probably the closest place to Mt Etna, however keep in mind its a fair hike from Palermo to Catania...a few hours each way. Taxis are expensive, but if there are five of you it would be possible to hire a van and split the cost.
If you have a free day, go for a day trip out to the Eolian Islands. Go and see 'Lipari' and catch the ferry the long way home so you can see the others. Boats leave from Messina and Milazzo. There is also a good airport at Catania where you can catch your flight back home. I have a few pics of the area on my site.
Cheers.

Aquacraig

I agree about Agrigento but I should warn - there you will probably not be able to swim - the water is almost ice-cold!
As it was mentioned above - it is a long way between Palermo and Catania (I have been driving from Cefalu, but even there I got tired). So, I would really recommend to fly to Catania and make trips to Etna, Syrakusa and maybe Agrigento (although Agrigento is also rather far).
You can also have a look at our pictures from Sicilien at http://www.pixbox.se/alb555633

Hey VT guys and girls, thanks a lot for your advice!

Well, having done a bit more research, and hearing from what you said, I think I might change my plans a bit. We're still flying into Palermo, and should spend 2 full days there (is this too much)? We won't be doing any swimming or sunbathing though. Assuming that's the case, I have 3 days left. Where should I really go? My friend who's been there said I should go to the islands, and Mt Etna as well. Is there enough time for that?

And honestly, what's the best place to stay if I need public transport to visit Mt Etna? Is Taomina good? I mean, T is a nice place to stay whereas Catania isn't.

Many thanks again.

in March for the islands is too cold... for sure you should go to Taormina rather then stay in catania