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Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive

Berlin, Germany
8 posts
1 helpful vote
Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive

Hello

I have seen the wonderful advice you have on this forum for people interested in seeing in Italy. We will be in Positano on the night of 7th August and we have to fly to Dubai on the 13th. So would you suggest the best itinerary for us in Sicily in between, ex Positano on 8 Aug? We like food, wine, culture, history and want to soak in the local atmosphere (and in five days!). Thank you.

RC

7 replies to this topic
Taormina, Italy
57 posts
13 helpful votes
1. Re: Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive

Aarcee, how long will you be staying in Positano?

Positano and the AMALFI coast are a fantastic destination!

If you fly to Dubai on the 13th, probably you will be obliged to take a flight out of SICILY on the 12th.

Flights from Naples to Palermo or Catania are available. but between airport transfers, security, baggage claim and flight time how much will you have left to visit and enjoy Sicily?

There are 3 flights from Napoli to Catania on the 8th of August, for a 4 night stay I would probably recc. you the TAORMINA area.

Plenty to see and visit, also TAORMINA is Sicily's most popular destination.

You should try to book accomodations ASAP since the dates you are planning are the during the time that 90% of ITALIAN go on holidays.

Aarcee I wish you had more time to discover SICILIA!

RC, Dubai as the gold souk but this place is a treasure!

Berlin, Germany
8 posts
1 helpful vote
2. Re: Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive

Hello, thank you for the welcome to Sicily. I agree with you that five days will not do any justice to bella Siciliana (?). However, that is all we have time for. Before Sicily, we would have spent some time in Rome, Naples and the Amalfi. We have been to Italy many times before but are trying to see a different region each time.

What is the best way to see Sicily? Driving or is there a better way? I would ideally like to cover Taormina and Mt Etna, Syracuse, Agrigento and perhaps fly out of Palermo? Is this too ambitious? My husband is on another line looking into hotels!

Thanks,

Aarcee

Taormina, Italy
57 posts
13 helpful votes
3. Re: Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive

If you have a car in Positano, I would recc. the night ferry from SALERNO TO MESSINA----------but you should book ASAP, with a cabin.

It is a 12 hour crossing but you will avoid the SALERNO--- REGGIO CALABRIA.

However since you have a flight on the 13th to DUBAI, can you drop off the car rental at the airport in CATANIA?

Flights are available from Naples to Catania and Catania Rome.

I would stick to 1 destination, probably TAORMINA OR close by.

From Taormina, if you choose you can do day excursions to Mt. Etna.

Taormina, deserves at least a full day to explore and savour!

Savoca( COPPOLA'S GODFATHER'S SICILIAN SCENERIES WHERE FILMED THEIR), FORZA D'AGRO, and many more are a shorth driving distance from the TAORMINA area.

Berlin, Germany
8 posts
1 helpful vote
4. Re: Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive

Thank you for your sound advice. We look forward to seeing more of your beautiful country. I will post my experience when we return from Italy.

Aarcee

Here & There
Destination Expert
for Sicily, Taormina
138,794 posts
5. Re: Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive

Welcome to Sicily Aarcee54 – Grazie!

Five days is a limited time, but enough to whet your appetite!

Fly Air Italy from Naples to Catania – Intra-Italian flight are fast and inexpensive.

There’s no reason to fly from Palermo – Arrive and depart from Catania. Your areas of interest are basically located in Eastern Sicily.

When short on time, you would appreciate hiring a car, however it would depend on your base(s) and you could potentially accomplish your itinerary on public transport, or even with excursions.

If you were to decide on one base, Taormina would be your optimal base because you would enjoy many tours and group bus excursions, even to Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples and Siracusa, and Taormina is a convenient base for exploring Mount Etna.

http://www.satgroup.it/excursion_en.asp?cod=summer

However, Taormina is a tourist resort town – You might split your time between Taormina and Siracusa. Siracusa is an ancient town, and a 'real' Sicilian city with a mix of tourism and authentic Sicilian life. Both towns would be possible via public transport.

But if you love food, wine, culture, history, you might still consider another option with Ragusa-Modica, since the UNESCO Val di Noto is stunning, and this area enjoys some of the best cuisine and wines in Sicily-Italy.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1024

This itinerary could be done on public transport, but with your limited time, if you were to decide on a 3-base itinerary, hire a car.

This earlier thread discusses some of your options.

Italy To Tromboli and Sicily:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187886-i343-k4589527-Italy_To_Tromboli_and_Sicily-Sicily.html

Best Wishes!

Vagabonda

Berlin, Germany
8 posts
1 helpful vote
6. Re: Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive

Molto grazie Vagabondo. This is exactly what we are hoping to do. If we can try and limit our bases to two rather than three and take a day trip to Agrigento, I will be completely satisfied. Thank you for the additoinal links/information. Much appreciated I will now start researching the local foods/wines and start making a list of "must do's."

Caio,

RC

Here & There
Destination Expert
for Sicily, Taormina
138,794 posts
7. Re: Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive

Prego Aarcee54,

With two bases in mind, Taormina and Siracusa logistically make the most sense since they nicely frame Catania’s airport, offer many opportunities for see some of Sicily’s top sights, and offer balance of experiences.

Take an excursion to Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples from Taormina – Group bus excursions aren’t offered every day of the week, so you might also consider a private tour from Taormina.

Here are several more group bus excursions and private tours to check for this day trip.

http://www.saistours.com/downloads/EscursioniLocandina.pdf

http://www.interbus.it/Escursioni.aspx

http://www.sicilylife.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17:agrigento-tour&catid=2:sicily-tours&Itemid=18

http://www.newtravelservices.net/en/excursions

You could also visit Mount Etna from Taormina and Baroque Noto from Siracusa.

Kind regards,

Vagabonda

Edited: 13 years ago
Reply to: Five days in Sicily from 8-12 August inclusive
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