Spain & PortugalCanary IslandsTenerifeLanzaroteFuerteventuraGran CanariaMajorcaMenorcaIbizaCosta del SolCosta BlancaBenidormAlgarveMadeiraPortoMadrid

Holiday typesAll inclusiveMulti-centreCity breaksLuxuryFamily holidaysAdults onlyHoneymoon

Holidays by monthHolidays in JanuaryHolidays in FebruaryHolidays in MarchHolidays in AprilHolidays in MayHolidays in June

An aerial view of a Sicilian coastal town below the mountains

Italy · Sicily

Sicily

Greek theatres, an active volcano, baroque hill towns and the best food in Italy — on an island the size of Wales with two airports at opposite ends. Not a lie-down holiday, and much the better for it.

3h 15m direct · CTA / PMONo visa for UK passportsApr–Oct seasonGuide price from £469pp

The short version

Three regions, and you can't do them all in a week

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and it doesn't reward trying to see everything. The east around Taormina and Etna is where most first visits go — dramatic, well-served, and closest to Catania airport. The south-east is baroque: Noto, Ragusa, Ortigia, all rebuilt in honey-coloured stone after the 1693 earthquake. The west around Palermo and Trapani is Arab-Norman, rougher-edged and much less British. Pick one, or split two.

A stone building among green trees in a Sicilian hill town

The east

Taormina, and the volcano behind it

A hill town 200m above the sea with a Greek theatre framing Etna — genuinely one of the great views in Europe. It's also steep, car-free in the centre, and busy from May. Most people stay in Taormina and take the cable car down to the beach at Mazzarò, or stay at Giardini-Naxos below and come up. Etna itself is forty minutes away and you can be at 2,900m by lunchtime.

A view of the sea framed by an old stone building

The south-east

The baroque towns nobody's heard of

An earthquake flattened this corner in 1693 and it was rebuilt all at once, in one style, by architects with a free hand. The result is Noto, Modica, Ragusa Ibla and Ortigia — UNESCO-listed, honey-stoned, and still surprisingly under-visited by British travellers. Base yourself in Ortigia, the island half of Syracuse, and drive out. This is the Sicily we send people back to.

An aerial view of a Sicilian town beside the sea

Pick your corner

Four regions, two airports

Catania (CTA) serves the east and south-east; Palermo (PMO) serves the west. They're about two and a half hours apart, so match the airport to the region — or fly into one and out of the other.

East · 50 min from CTA

Taormina & the east

The best-known corner and the easiest first visit. Hill town, Greek theatre, volcano, and a proper beach strip below.

Taormina: The hill town itself. Steep, beautiful and car-free in the centre. Book a hotel with a lift.
Mazzarò & Isola Bella: Directly below Taormina by cable car. The beach half, and the smartest hotels.
Giardini-Naxos: A proper resort strip on the bay. Cheaper, flatter, and ten minutes from Taormina.
Letojanni: North of Taormina, quieter, sandier, and popular with returning families.

A honey-coloured baroque building under blue sky

South-east · 1h from CTA

The baroque south-east

UNESCO towns rebuilt in one style after the 1693 earthquake, plus the best sandy beaches on the island south of Syracuse.

Ortigia: The island heart of Syracuse. Piazza Duomo, seafood, and the best base in the region.
Noto: The most complete baroque town, and quiet once the day-trippers leave.
Ragusa Ibla: Stacked down a gorge, and worth a night rather than an afternoon.
Marzamemi & Vendicari: Fishing village and nature reserve at the southern tip. Long empty beaches.

People walking a street beside old buildings

West · 40 min from PMO

Palermo & the west

Arab-Norman architecture, the best street food in Italy, and a coastline of salt pans and Greek temples. Considerably less touristed.

Palermo: Markets, mosaics and chaos. A real city, and the food capital of the island.
Cefalù: An hour east. A Norman cathedral, a sandy beach and a rock above. The west's resort town.
Trapani & Erice: Salt pans below, a medieval town in the clouds above. Ferries to the Egadi islands.
San Vito Lo Capo: The best beach in Sicily, in the far north-west corner. Worth the drive.

Green slopes and a brown mountain from the air

Centre · 40–90 min

Etna & inland

Europe's most active volcano, the vineyards on its slopes, and hill towns with almost no tourism at all.

Etna north slope: Wine estates around Randazzo and Linguaglossa. Cool, green and a different island.
Zafferana Etnea: On the eastern flank, and the usual base for the cable car and the craters.
Agrigento: South coast. The Valley of the Temples — better preserved than most of Greece.
Piazza Armerina: Roman villa mosaics under a roof in the middle of nowhere. Extraordinary.

Our speciality

Fly into one airport, out of the other

Sicily is the destination where open-jaw pays off most. Catania in, Palermo out means you cross the island once rather than twice — and it usually costs the same as a return. Nearly every online quote will price it the wrong way.

Taormina4 nightsGreek theatre, Etna, and the beach below.
Drive · 1h 45m
Ortigia3 nightsBaroque towns and seafood.
Drive · 3h
Palermo3 nightsMarkets, mosaics, and fly home from PMO.

Ten nights is the minimum for all three. If you only have a week, do the east and the south-east and leave Palermo for next time — it deserves better than a rushed day.

When to go

Hot, and hotter than people expect

Sicily is further south than Tunis. July and August regularly pass 35°C inland and the sirocco can push it higher. May, June, September and October are the months that work — warm, open, and considerably more comfortable for the driving and walking this island demands.

JanQuiet

FebAlmond blossom

MarMild

Apr21°

May25°

Jun29°

Jul33°

Aug34°

Sep30°

Oct25°

NovClosing

DecQuiet

September is our pick — the sea is at its warmest, the heat has broken, and the grape harvest is on around Etna. August is the month to avoid if you can: hottest, busiest, and half of Sicily is on holiday too.

Worth leaving the resort for

What we'd actually book

Teatro Greco, Taormina

A Greek theatre with Etna framed in the missing back wall. Go at opening or for an evening performance.

Mount Etna

Cable car and 4x4 to around 2,900m. Take a jacket — it's fifteen degrees colder at the top, whatever the coast says.

Noto and Modica

Baroque at its most theatrical, plus Modica's grainy Aztec-style chocolate. A very good day out from Ortigia.

Palermo street food

Arancine, panelle, sfincione and — if you're brave — pani ca meusa. The Ballarò and Capo markets, in the morning.

Ortigia at dusk

The island half of Syracuse. Piazza Duomo, a temple built into a cathedral, and dinner by the water.

The Aeolian islands

Hydrofoil from Milazzo to Lipari, Salina and Stromboli. Two nights minimum; day trips don't do them justice.

Etna wine

Nerello Mascalese grown on black volcanic soil at 900m. The north-slope estates do tastings and lunch.

San Vito Lo Capo

White sand and turquoise water in the far north-west. Three hours from Taormina and worth it if you're based west.

The practical bits

Things that catch people out

Two airportsCatania (CTA) east, Palermo (PMO) west, about 2h 30m apart. Open-jaw is usually the same price as a return.

Hire a carEssential outside Taormina and Palermo. Sicilian driving is assertive rather than dangerous; the motorways are good.

Time zoneOne hour ahead of the UK, all year.

CurrencyEuro. Cards widely accepted, though small trattorie and markets still prefer cash.

HeatFurther south than Tunis. July and August inland are genuinely punishing — plan the driving for mornings.

EtnaActive, monitored and safe to visit, but ash can occasionally close Catania airport for a few hours. Rare, and worth knowing.

ZTL zonesHistoric centres are restricted to residents' vehicles. Fines arrive by post. Park outside and walk in.

PassportsEU rules: three months' validity beyond your return, under ten years old on entry. We check both.

An aerial view of a green and brown Sicilian island

Before you book

Five things worth knowing

This is a touring holiday. Sicily rewards a car and a route. If what you want is a sun lounger for seven days, Sardinia or the Greek islands will serve you better.

Taormina is steep. The centre is car-free and built on a hillside. Lovely, and hard work with luggage, a pushchair or bad knees — ask us about lifts and access before booking.

Fly open-jaw. In at Catania, out at Palermo. Same price, and it saves you a five-hour backtrack across the island.

Watch the ZTL signs. Restricted traffic zones in every historic centre, camera-enforced, fines by post months later. Park outside the walls.

Avoid August if you can. Hottest month, busiest month, and the month Italians take their own holidays. September gives you the same sea for considerably less.

Next step

Tell us your dates and we'll build the route

Send your dates, party and rough budget and we'll come back with an open-jaw itinerary, the right bases, hire car included, and the payment plan written out in full.

Your money is protected. Trip Tides is a travel agent — we book your holiday with a travel company, and that company is named on your quote and confirmation. Your contract is with them. If your holiday is a package including flights, put together by an ATOL holder, you'll get an ATOL certificate naming that company. We confirm in writing what protection applies before you pay.

Sicily packages

Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.

7 nights in Sicily

All inclusive · May–Oct

Return flights and private transfers
All inclusive throughout
Financial protection confirmed in writing before you pay

from £519per person

Get a quote

10 nights in Sicily

All inclusive · May–Oct

Return flights and private transfers
All inclusive throughout
The extra nights cost proportionally less — fixed costs don't change

from £659per person

Get a quote

14 nights in Sicily

Half board · May–Oct

Return flights and private transfers
Half board throughout
Best value per night, and worth it on a longer flight

from £789per person

Get a quote

Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.