Your favorite Sicily experiences, recommendations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sicily was the only place I visited in Italy where I was genuinely afraid. Don't wear any jewelry and lock up your cash.

Where were you? The big cities (Palermo and Catania) are a little rough around the edges but I never experienced that anywhere else.

I also disagree with this (I am the Aeolian Islands poster), but I have not been to the mainland in Sicily (besides the port at Messina to get to the Aeolian Islands). They were very safe. Rome was much more unsafe as far as pickpockets go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with the Aeolians if you can fit them in (really liked Salina, although it's a bit quieter than Lipari I think).


Other great places worth a visit-- Ortygia/Siracusa; Taormina (very different from the rest of Sicily-- lots of glitz/glam but it is an amazing site and we did a nice hike on Etna plus winery visit); Agrigento/Valley of the Temples (assuming you are interested in ancient Greek ruins; there's a luxury hotel literally within the Valley of the Temples if you want to splurge).

Cefalu (if you want a beach town) and Trapani/Erice are also nice.

We did a trip to Taormina, Agrigento, and Siracusa (stayed in Ortygia). Great trip. Skip Catania - we spent one night but it was a bit crazy. The other places were fantastic. We hired a private guide to take us on a day trip of Mt. Etna - it was amazing. In Ortygia stayed at Charme Hotel Henry's House - very cute boutique hotel with water views and amazing breakfast. In Agrigento we stayed at Foresteria Baglio della Luna - another nice hotel. Don't miss the Scala dei Turchi - this was a whim and ended up being my favorite memory. Google it.

we would like to visit Scala dei Turchi with our 8 and 5 year old, it seems that it may be a bit difficult to walk to? do you think they can handle it? Are there any restaurants and/or beach chairs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with the Aeolians if you can fit them in (really liked Salina, although it's a bit quieter than Lipari I think).


Other great places worth a visit-- Ortygia/Siracusa; Taormina (very different from the rest of Sicily-- lots of glitz/glam but it is an amazing site and we did a nice hike on Etna plus winery visit); Agrigento/Valley of the Temples (assuming you are interested in ancient Greek ruins; there's a luxury hotel literally within the Valley of the Temples if you want to splurge).

Cefalu (if you want a beach town) and Trapani/Erice are also nice.

We did a trip to Taormina, Agrigento, and Siracusa (stayed in Ortygia). Great trip. Skip Catania - we spent one night but it was a bit crazy. The other places were fantastic. We hired a private guide to take us on a day trip of Mt. Etna - it was amazing. In Ortygia stayed at Charme Hotel Henry's House - very cute boutique hotel with water views and amazing breakfast. In Agrigento we stayed at Foresteria Baglio della Luna - another nice hotel. Don't miss the Scala dei Turchi - this was a whim and ended up being my favorite memory. Google it.

we would like to visit Scala dei Turchi with our 8 and 5 year old, it seems that it may be a bit difficult to walk to? do you think they can handle it? Are there any restaurants and/or beach chairs?

Hi - we were there in the off season and there was a small parking area where we left the car and just walked over via the beach so we started at the base. There was one cafe near the car park but I'll be honest - the rocky coast didn't look too appealing for sitting on beach chairs. My kids were slightly older when we went - maybe 8 and 11. The younger one actually didn't climb up the rock but we did with my older one. It gets pretty high pretty fast and of course no rails or anything. It it was amazingly beautiful and unlike anything I'd seen in my life. There is also a way to park near the top on the road but not sure where you would park. We saw cars parked along the narrow windy road but we opted for the lot. Again, in a peak season it might be chaotic.