Sicily in seven days: Palermo, Catania, Etna, Taormina and Syracuse

Seven days is enough for Sicily as a single line from west to east: two days in Palermo, one in Catania, one on Etna, one in Taormina and two in Syracuse. The route only ever moves forward, since the island is crossed from the northern coast to the Ionian one just once, and every stop has its own stone, its own light and its own era.

Palermo, two days

The first city is also the densest. It was founded in 734 BC as a Phoenician settlement, and layers that elsewhere sit centuries apart lie on top of each other here: Arab, Norman and Spanish. The walk starts at the Quattro Canti, the crossing of Via Maqueda and Corso Vittorio Emanuele, where four Baroque façades with fountains divide the historic centre into four quarters. From there it is a short way to the cathedral of 1185, where Frederick II and Roger II rest in porphyry tombs as heavy as monuments.

The second day is for gold. The Palatine Chapel stands inside the Palazzo dei Normanni, commissioned by Roger II in 1132, with mosaics that cover the walls and a wooden ceiling of muqarnas; entry is €19, open Mon–Sat 8.15–17.40 (last entry 17.00); Sun & holidays 8.15–13.00 (last entry 12.15). The same Arab-Norman sequence, inscribed by UNESCO in 2015, continues at Monreale, a half-day trip by bus, 389 bus (AMAT), direct from Piazza Indipendenza, about 30–35 min. Three old markets go with it, Ballarò, Vucciria and Il Capo; Ballarò, in the Albergheria quarter, most likely arose under Arab rule and is still a dense, loud street of stalls.

3 daysEverything Palermo offers in two to three days, hour by hour:Palermo in 3 days →

Day tripsMonreale, Mondello and Cefalù, each with its own transport:Day trips from Palermo →

Catania, one day

From the northern coast the route heads east, to a city that stands at the foot of an active volcano. Catania was nearly levelled by the earthquake of 1693 and rebuilt afterwards in late Baroque, which is why its historic centre is built of dark lava stone, delivered by Etna itself. On Piazza del Duomo stands the Elephant Fountain, a lava elephant carrying an Egyptian obelisk, assembled in 1736 by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, the same architect who built the cathedral façade. Behind the square is the fish market of La Pescheria, and from there Via Etnea runs straight towards the volcano, which stands at the end of the perspective.

3 daysCatania in order, with the Duomo, Castello Ursino and the Roman theatre:Catania in 3 days →

Etna, one day

Etna is the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps and one of the tallest active volcanoes in Europe; UNESCO inscribed it in 2013. The same volcano whose lava reached Catania's walls in 1669 is now a full-day excursion: AST bus (Piazza Giovanni XXIII) to Rifugio Sapienza, then the Funivia dell'Etna cable car. Transport and ascent are priced together: €6.60 bus (return) + €54 cable car (return, cabin only) or €78 with jeep and guide up to 2700 m. Rifugio Sapienza, the starting point on the southern flank, stands at 1,910 metres, so the air up there is cooler than in the city even in July, and the black lava underfoot looks like nothing else on the island. Weather on a volcano changes fast, so the Etna day should be held with a margin in the plan.

Day tripsEtna, Taormina, Syracuse and Aci Trezza, each with its own transport:Day trips from Catania →

Taormina, one day

From Catania to Taormina runs Interbus coach, direct, about 1 h 15–1 h 30. The town sits on a hill about 250 metres above the Ionian Sea, so everything in it is steep, small and turned towards the water. The main street, Corso Umberto, is a pedestrian zone; at its far end stands the ancient theatre, the second largest in Sicily, about 109 metres across after its enlargement in the 2nd century. Entry is €14, open daily 9–19.45 (last entry 19.00). On a clear day the upper rows give the sea on one side of the stage and Etna on the other, the only view on the route where volcano and sea share one frame.

2 daysTaormina in one day, hour by hour:Taormina in 2 days →

Syracuse, two days

The route ends in the south, in a city that rivalled Athens in antiquity. Corinthians founded Syracuse in 733 BC on the islet of Ortygia, and Cicero called it the greatest and most beautiful of the Greek cities. The first day belongs to the island: the Temple of Apollo, the oldest Doric temple in Sicily; the cathedral built into the columns of an older temple to Athena; and the Fountain of Arethusa, a spring right at the sea with papyrus growing around it. Syracuse is the last leg out of Catania, a regional train (Trenitalia), about 1 h 5 min.

The second day moves to the mainland, to the Neapolis archaeological park: the Greek Theatre, the Ear of Dionysius and the Roman amphitheatre stand in the same park, entry €14. All three share the same light, white and sharp, under olive shade, and after it Catania's black lava looks like another country. The city has been on the UNESCO list since 2005, together with the necropolis of Pantalica.

3 daysSyracuse in three days, with Ortygia and Neapolis:Syracuse in 3 days →

Day tripsNoto, Marzamemi and Pantalica from Syracuse:Day trips from Syracuse →

When to goWhen to go, and when Sicily is too hot:The best time to visit Palermo →