Places in Sicily
Discussion
You guys were super useful for some views on Portugal the other year, so Im asking again!
We are thinking (2 adults and an 11 year old boy) are thinking of going to Sicily for 5 days...we found a nice hotel on the north coast near a place called Pollina - anyone got any insider knowledge on that general area? Would it be a good place to go and explore around for a few days?
Cheers
We are thinking (2 adults and an 11 year old boy) are thinking of going to Sicily for 5 days...we found a nice hotel on the north coast near a place called Pollina - anyone got any insider knowledge on that general area? Would it be a good place to go and explore around for a few days?
Cheers
If we go for that hotel we have identified (good budget, good TA reviews etc) its along the coast from Palermo.
I am thinking of hiring a car. I have done a similar holiday to Sardinia a few years back and hired a car so following that format!
I wondered if that northern coast is a good spot to do. Looking to stay in this area
Quite fancy heading out trying local foods, exploring etc. but it might look a bit too remote?
I am thinking of hiring a car. I have done a similar holiday to Sardinia a few years back and hired a car so following that format!
I wondered if that northern coast is a good spot to do. Looking to stay in this area
Quite fancy heading out trying local foods, exploring etc. but it might look a bit too remote?
Went the first year of Covid and stayed in Mascalucia which is a suburb of Catania, it was a great base being close to Etna and the main roads that got us across to Palermo easily, as well as the southern side of the island. Plenty to see and do. If you're so inclined there are some good walks up Etna and we did a quad bike tour that cut through lots of the little village on Etna and chopped off road in places.
Food is well priced across the island and very homely like all Italian food. We did Sardinia a few years before, it's a bit more manic in places and a bit dirtier but a much cheaper option.
Food is well priced across the island and very homely like all Italian food. We did Sardinia a few years before, it's a bit more manic in places and a bit dirtier but a much cheaper option.
coldel said:
If we go for that hotel we have identified (good budget, good TA reviews etc) its along the coast from Palermo.
I am thinking of hiring a car. I have done a similar holiday to Sardinia a few years back and hired a car so following that format!
I wondered if that northern coast is a good spot to do. Looking to stay in this area
Quite fancy heading out trying local foods, exploring etc. but it might look a bit too remote?
You will need to hire a car. Train service not great and transfers to/ from airport (presumably Punta Raisi) are expensive as it’s quite a way the far side of Palermo.I am thinking of hiring a car. I have done a similar holiday to Sardinia a few years back and hired a car so following that format!
I wondered if that northern coast is a good spot to do. Looking to stay in this area
Quite fancy heading out trying local foods, exploring etc. but it might look a bit too remote?
I’ve not been to Pollina but have visited the area several times staying close to Castelbuono. You’ll be close to the Targa Florio route which is a nice drive although road surfaces are variable. There’s a museum in Termini Imerese which generally has one of the T33’s on display. There are other museums eg Collesano. Local specialities include the local Caponata and Nebrodi black pork, very nice. Also supposedly the best panettone is made in Castelbuono by Fiasconaro. There’s a good vineyard and hotel at St Anastasia - the chef that was here is now at a resort hotel in Pollina and he’s very good - that does visits and tastings although it’s wise to check before just turning up. You’ll be close to Cefalu which has a good beach but does get busy in the season.
Another suggestion would be to turn right from the airport and head to Western Sicily. Trapani and Marsala (where I live) are both good places to visit and the Egadi islands are a short hop for a day trip or short stay. Depending on where you’re flying from, Ryanair are currently flying into Birgi airport which is between Trapani and Marsala.
It’s a great island and I’m sure you’ll enjoy wherever you choos to go.
Just returned from a 5 day tour of Sicily, my first time there but not my first time in Italy, which is one of my favourite countries. What a fabulous place it is too, highly recommended but some of the roads are nuts - I’ve driven in Rome, the Amalfi coast road and the Barcelona rush hour to name just a handful, but Palermo takes the biscuit!
We flew to Palermo, night stopped in Cefalu (about 90mins drive east from the airport) which is a stunning little coastal town. Then drove around the coast to the hilltop tourist trap of Taormina, which was absolutely stunning - parked in the multi-storey and got the shuttle bus to the town. The Roman amphitheatre is simply incredible and heaps of amazing bars and restaurants too. Next day we drove to Ragusa, just a beautiful hilltop medieval town, not much to do there but gobsmackingly beautiful and the usual fabulous food.
For the last two days we went to Palermo, which is an experience and a half! Driving in was like a scene from mad max with cars, mopeds and e-scooters coming at you from literally every angle. Our accommodation was in the heart of the city and we knew parking was going to be a nightmare so we chose one of the largest garages. Following the sat nav took us up an alley that must have been about 1 inch wider than the car and when we got there, we couldn’t find anything remotely like a car park so had to get out again…back down another alley that was even narrower but with a 1m drop concentrating the mind! Straight out into the madness again and we realise we were in the right place so back up the tiny alley again and find the largest car park is basically a large yard….had the feel of a ripoff but they were great and very reaknably priced. Palermo was truly a crazy city and as nuts as we thought - you can find plenty of deprivation, poverty and dog s
t not far from the central areas in some of the markets, but we never felt like we were needing to hold onto valuables too tightly. The main thoroughfares however are just chocka full of amazing bars and restaurants and we spent a fab couple of days wandering around markets, old palaces and browsing shops while stuffing our faces for very reasonable prices. I’m not a city guy but I loved Palermo, it’s insane but got a great vibe and just full of Italians (and tourists) having fun.
The last day we drove out Palermo and hands down it was the worst driving I have ever seen: 5 lanes of traffic where the markings are for two, roadworkers in one lane and people just changing lane without looking and scooters everywhere! We went to the salt museum near Trapani and then drove up to what I thought was just a nice mountain (Mount Erice) but was an incredible walked town perched on the top. This was another tourist trap but was gobsmackingly beautiful and a great place to wander around admiring the views of the plains thousands of feet below.
I was dreading returning the hire car given everything we read about Italy, we used a highly recommended local place and had bought a third party CDW cover rather than their own (€220). The car was undamaged but having taken it over at night in the dark I hadn’t spotted a slight crease in one door, luckily no issue and all returned fine.
What a fabulous place and people - cannot recommend it enough and desperate to go back now when it is a bit warmer, that said it was lovely when it was sunny - 26c but it was very windy when we were there. As ever with Italians we found them to be really lovely and friendly with amazing food and welcomes. Dare I say it, eating/drinking was very reasonably priced too.
We flew to Palermo, night stopped in Cefalu (about 90mins drive east from the airport) which is a stunning little coastal town. Then drove around the coast to the hilltop tourist trap of Taormina, which was absolutely stunning - parked in the multi-storey and got the shuttle bus to the town. The Roman amphitheatre is simply incredible and heaps of amazing bars and restaurants too. Next day we drove to Ragusa, just a beautiful hilltop medieval town, not much to do there but gobsmackingly beautiful and the usual fabulous food.
For the last two days we went to Palermo, which is an experience and a half! Driving in was like a scene from mad max with cars, mopeds and e-scooters coming at you from literally every angle. Our accommodation was in the heart of the city and we knew parking was going to be a nightmare so we chose one of the largest garages. Following the sat nav took us up an alley that must have been about 1 inch wider than the car and when we got there, we couldn’t find anything remotely like a car park so had to get out again…back down another alley that was even narrower but with a 1m drop concentrating the mind! Straight out into the madness again and we realise we were in the right place so back up the tiny alley again and find the largest car park is basically a large yard….had the feel of a ripoff but they were great and very reaknably priced. Palermo was truly a crazy city and as nuts as we thought - you can find plenty of deprivation, poverty and dog s
t not far from the central areas in some of the markets, but we never felt like we were needing to hold onto valuables too tightly. The main thoroughfares however are just chocka full of amazing bars and restaurants and we spent a fab couple of days wandering around markets, old palaces and browsing shops while stuffing our faces for very reasonable prices. I’m not a city guy but I loved Palermo, it’s insane but got a great vibe and just full of Italians (and tourists) having fun.The last day we drove out Palermo and hands down it was the worst driving I have ever seen: 5 lanes of traffic where the markings are for two, roadworkers in one lane and people just changing lane without looking and scooters everywhere! We went to the salt museum near Trapani and then drove up to what I thought was just a nice mountain (Mount Erice) but was an incredible walked town perched on the top. This was another tourist trap but was gobsmackingly beautiful and a great place to wander around admiring the views of the plains thousands of feet below.
I was dreading returning the hire car given everything we read about Italy, we used a highly recommended local place and had bought a third party CDW cover rather than their own (€220). The car was undamaged but having taken it over at night in the dark I hadn’t spotted a slight crease in one door, luckily no issue and all returned fine.
What a fabulous place and people - cannot recommend it enough and desperate to go back now when it is a bit warmer, that said it was lovely when it was sunny - 26c but it was very windy when we were there. As ever with Italians we found them to be really lovely and friendly with amazing food and welcomes. Dare I say it, eating/drinking was very reasonably priced too.
It’s a while since we were in Sicily but like you we found the driving absolute madness.
We stayed in Taormina which was lovely and we ended up hiring a car for 3 days to see some of the sights.
First of all, parking was a nightmare - if you were lucky you could park in a yard near to the hotel but space was at a premium. Every night during our 14 night stay, the local police would be picking cars up onto transporters to be taken to a compound if they were illegally parked - every single night, it was obviously a lucrative business.
We called into a petrol station to top up with fuel and the guy filing up (attended service only) actually had a cigarette in one hand whilst the other had the pump - I couldn’t believe it and actually walked away.
We had a great trip to Syracuse and found a lovely little bar up a side lane where we enjoyed a proper antipasti - there were a few locals in and we were the only tourists but we loved it. Well worth a trip.
On the way back our next eye opener was 2 petrol tankers overtaking each other on a blind bend going uphill - they really live life on the edge!
We really enjoyed Taormina and found some great bars and restaurants and the amphitheatre is very impressive.
Like a lot of Italian cities, there are some really dodgy looking areas and one that sticks in our mind was the area around Catania airport.
As I say it was a good while back.
We stayed in Taormina which was lovely and we ended up hiring a car for 3 days to see some of the sights.
First of all, parking was a nightmare - if you were lucky you could park in a yard near to the hotel but space was at a premium. Every night during our 14 night stay, the local police would be picking cars up onto transporters to be taken to a compound if they were illegally parked - every single night, it was obviously a lucrative business.
We called into a petrol station to top up with fuel and the guy filing up (attended service only) actually had a cigarette in one hand whilst the other had the pump - I couldn’t believe it and actually walked away.
We had a great trip to Syracuse and found a lovely little bar up a side lane where we enjoyed a proper antipasti - there were a few locals in and we were the only tourists but we loved it. Well worth a trip.
On the way back our next eye opener was 2 petrol tankers overtaking each other on a blind bend going uphill - they really live life on the edge!
We really enjoyed Taormina and found some great bars and restaurants and the amphitheatre is very impressive.
Like a lot of Italian cities, there are some really dodgy looking areas and one that sticks in our mind was the area around Catania airport.
As I say it was a good while back.
I've been three times always go to Chefalu find an airbnb in the old town its magical hundreds of restaurants on the doorstep. Last time we went we took the train from the airport to Parlemo then on yo Chefalu took the kids 10 years ago and they still talk about it. Also prices are very cheap compared to the other touristy places in Scicily
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