Must visit places in Sicily

Most European travellers think about Tuscany or Rome when they are planning a trip to Italy. However Italy has so much more to offer, such as the Island of Sicily. Sicily has beautiful nature such as the National Park Etna, beautiful crystal-clear ocean views from the white sandy beaches or if you prefer the city, there is also much to explore! In this blog we will give you 5 must visit places when you are planning your trip to Sicily!

1. Palermo

Most people that visit Sicily arrive by plane at the international airport of Palermo. The list of must visit places in Sicily can’t be completed without a visit to Palermo since you are starting your journey here. Palermo is a busy city with a lot of traffic. At first we thought the city was a bit to chaotic, but when you are going to walk through some of the little streets away from the mainstreet you will find out that the city has a lovely vibe. In the old city center you will find some beautiful churches and other national monuments. Visit the Cathedral of Palermo, you can take a walk up the stairs and enjoy the amazing view over the city skyline. 

One of the things we most loved about Palermo were the lovely markets in the small alleys. There are three markets called Mercato di Capo, Mercato del Ballaro and Mercato della Vucciria. The last one we liked the most since there are many small businesses where stallholders are loudly trying to sell there products. They have a lot of local products such as nougat, big fishes like swordfish or you can try some of the amazing delicious street food. 

2. Etna Volcano

The Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in Europe. The most recent eruption was in 2021 and the biggest eruption was 2001. this eruption was 24 days long and it destroyed one of the cable cars.

When you want to visit the Etna you can book a tour or you can go there by yourself. you drive to the parking place (1910 meter) or take the bus from the village on the side of the mountain. From there you can take a cable car to 2580 meters and then you can take different routes. You can go by 4×4 jeep and walk or you can walk from the cable car all the way to the top.

The parking place is available for cars, campervans and buses. You pay a small price to park and you can even spend the night in your campervan. a little bit down the road you have a few small flat spots where you can also park for free. It will be busy during tourist season but it is a beautiful place to spend the night. If you are curious to see how the Etna looks like, click here. You can see some drone shots from around the parking spot and the  craters which you can reach on foot.

3. San Vito Lo Capo

While we were traveling in Sicily we drove with our own campervan. To our opinion, San Vito Lo Capo, was the most beautiful spot we have been on Sicily. San Vito Lo Capo lies north-west on Sicily. It is a small city with a few nice restaurants and cafes. This place is very famous for the crystal-clear seawater. The coast near the beach is very shallow water and that makes the temperature pretty warm. In the background are some beautiful mountains and the place overall looks very like something out of Europe. We spent the night a little more to the south, near the place Macari. We found a spot with a lot of other campers on the beach. It’s lovely to wake up with the sound of waves and to take a refreshing morning dive. If you are totally in to scuba-diving you can take a boat tour from San Vito Lo Capo. Since the water is very clear you can see pretty far and there is a lot of fish. 

4. Taormina

Taormina is to many tourists the most beautiful city on Sicily. The city is located on the east coast between Messina and Catania. The city center lies on the top of a mountain and it is hard to reach by car. The easiest way to get into the city is to go by train or to park the car next to the central station and take a bus up the mountain. Once you arrive in the city center you will see a large gate. When you go through the gate you will arrive on Corso Umberto I, which is the mainstreet of Taormina. There are many small shops with art, local products and even luxury brands. Walk to the end of Corso Umberto and you will arrive on the Piazza Duomo. This square has two beautiful old churces and an amazing view along the coastline of Sicily and on the horizon you can see the Etna Volcano. 

Besides the lovely streets and view, Taormina is also well-known for the excavations which have been found in the area. Somewhere near the bus station there is small mountain which leads to an ancient Greek theater. The theater was built in 300 after Christus and you can visit the place for €10 euros per person. If you have some time left you can take the bus a little further to Castello di Mola. This ancient castle lies even higher and you have an amazing view over the city.

5. Valle dei Templi

Last but not least on the list of must visit places in Sicily is Valle dei Templi. This is an archaeological site in the southern part of Sicily. There are a lot of remains from 7 different temples. It has a lot of history from ancient Greece and it’s been put on the world heritage list in 1997. The temple of Concordia was built during the 5th century and is one of the best preserved Temples in the area. 
The temple of Hercules is the oldest one but most of it was destroyed during an earthquake. Today you can still see the remaining 8 columns. The other Temples are for the goddess Hera; the supreme God Zeus; Castor and Pollux; Hephaistos, the god of blacksmithing and asclepius, the god of healing. 
When you want to visit the park you can park close to the entrance (for a small price) and pay for your ticket. It is a big area so put on your walking shoes. If you have difficulty walking for a long period of time they provide little shuttle buses to bring you to the other side of the park. 
There is a Cafe but the prices are high so if you want to save money you can bring your own food and drinks. There is also a museum but you need to pay extra for that.

If you want to see more about the places we have been in Italy, then check out our Youtube channel playlist of Italy here.