Ten days in Sicily is the right amount of time. It is enough to cover the essential circuit of the island without rushing to spend two nights in Palermo and feel the city rather than process it, to dedicate a full day to the Cappella Palatina and still have time for the markets, to drive the eastern coast with Etna on the left and the Ionian Sea on the right, to eat the arancina in Catania and the cannolo in Noto and the freshest fish in Ortigia. It is not enough to see everything Sicily resists being seen in full but it is enough to know you will come back.
This itinerary covers the full island circuit: Palermo and the Arab-Norman northwest, Cefalù on the Tyrrhenian coast, the eastern coast with Taormina and Etna, the baroque southeast with Syracuse and the Val di Noto, and Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples before returning to Palermo. It is designed as a road trip a rental car collected at Palermo airport and returned there ten days later, with the freedom to stop where the light is right and to linger where the food is too good to leave.
In this guide
- Overview and logistics
- Days 1 and 2 Palermo
- Day 3 Cefalù
- Day 4 Taormina
- Day 5 Mount Etna
- Day 6 Catania and the coast
- Day 7 Syracuse and Ortigia
- Day 8 Noto, Modica and the Val di Noto
- Day 9 Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples
- Day 10 Return to Palermo
- Practical tips
- FAQ
10-day Sicily itinerary at a glance
- Days 1 to 2: Palermo Cappella Palatina, markets, street food, Monreale
- Day 3: Cefalù Norman cathedral, beach, La Rocca hike
- Day 4: Taormina Greek theatre, Isola Bella, sunset
- Day 5: Mount Etna jeep tour or summit hike, Etna wine tasting
- Day 6: Catania Duomo, fish market, coast south
- Day 7: Syracuse and Ortigia Neapolis park, island old town, seafood
- Day 8: Noto and Modica baroque streets, chocolate, Vendicari
- Day 9: Agrigento Valley of the Temples, Scala dei Turchi
- Day 10: Sciacca or Selinunte, return to Palermo
- Total driving: approximately 900 km over 10 days
- Best months: May to June and September to October
Overview and logistics
This itinerary works as a loop you fly into Palermo, collect your rental car, drive a rough clockwise circuit of the island and return to Palermo for departure on day 10. The total driving distance is approximately 900 kilometres, spread over 8 driving days with 2 days (Palermo) where the car stays parked. Daily driving ranges from 45 minutes (Taormina to Etna) to 2 hours (Agrigento to Palermo), well within a comfortable day’s travel.
A rental car is non-negotiable for this itinerary. Public transport in Sicily is possible between major cities but impossible for the off-centre destinations (the Valley of the Temples, the Etna vineyards, Vendicari, Selinunte) that provide the most specific experiences of the island. Book your car at Palermo airport well in advance, always select full coverage (zero excess) and collect a car with adequate boot space for 10 days of luggage.
👉 RENT A CAR
Compare rental car prices at Palermo airport across all major companies. Book well in advance for a 10-day rental and always select full coverage (zero excess). A reliable car is the foundation of a successful Sicily road trip.
👉 COMPARE THE BEST RENTAL CARS HERE
The best months are May to June and September to October. July and August are hot, crowded and expensive; August in particular is the most challenging month with extreme heat and Italian national holiday pressure. September is the finest month for this itinerary: warm sea, cooler air, dramatically reduced crowds at the major sites and the grape and pistachio harvests adding seasonal texture to the food and wine programme. Read our complete guide to the best time to visit Sicily.
Days 1 and 2 Palermo
Arrive in Palermo, collect the rental car and leave it in the hotel car park for two days. The historic centre is entirely walkable and the ZTL (restricted traffic zone) makes driving in it both illegal and unnecessary.
Day 1 is for the Arab-Norman monuments. Begin at the Palazzo dei Normanni and dedicate the morning to the Cappella Palatina book timed entry online before arriving; this is the single most important monument in Palermo and the one most likely to sell out in peak season. The combination of Byzantine mosaics, Islamic muqarnas ceiling and Latin basilica plan compressed into a single 12th-century chapel built by Roger II is unlike anything else in Italy. Allow at least 90 minutes inside, more if you can. After the chapel, walk east via Piazza Bellini (La Martorana’s Byzantine mosaics, San Cataldo’s three red domes) and the Quattro Canti to the Fontana Pretoria, the baroque piazza known locally as the Piazza della Vergogna. Afternoon: the Mercato di Ballarò for street food arancine, panelle, and if you are feeling brave, pane ca meusa. Evening: dinner in the streets south of Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
Day 2 morning: the bus to Monreale (line 389 from Piazza Indipendenza, 30 minutes). The Cattedrale di Monreale contains the largest Byzantine mosaic programme in the Western world and the finest 12th-century cloister in Sicily. Allow 3 hours. Return to Palermo for a late lunch and an afternoon at leisure in La Kalsa, the Orto Botanico and the Foro Italico seafront promenade. Evening: the Teatro Massimo for a guided tour or, if the season is running, a performance.
Read our complete guides to things to do in Palermo, the Cappella Palatina, Palermo markets, Palermo street food and Monreale Cathedral.
👉 PALERMO ARAB-NORMAN WALKING TOUR CAPPELLA PALATINA AND HISTORIC CENTRE
A guided morning tour of the Cappella Palatina, the Arab-Norman churches and the historic markets of Palermo the finest introduction to the city’s layered cultural history, in English, with skip-the-line entry included.
👉SEE THE BEST PALERMO ARAB-NORMAN WALKING TOUR HERE
Day 3 Cefalù
Drive east from Palermo along the A19 and then the coastal SS113 to Cefalù (approximately 70 kilometres, 1 hour). Cefalù is the finest day destination on the Tyrrhenian coast north of Palermo a medieval Norman town on a rocky promontory with one of the best sandy beaches in northern Sicily immediately below the historic centre.
The Norman cathedral on Piazza del Duomo is the primary monument built in 1131 by Roger II as an act of thanksgiving for surviving a storm, with a magnificent apse mosaic of the Christ Pantocrator that rivals the Cappella Palatina in quality if not in scale. The medieval streets and the 16th-century Arab-Norman laundry (Lavatoio Medievale) built over a freshwater spring provide the afternoon walking programme. The hike up La Rocca, the enormous limestone crag above the town (45 minutes, €5 entry), provides the finest aerial view of the beach and the Norman town from above.
The Cefalù beach a long sweep of fine golden sand immediately below the historic centre, accessible on foot in 5 minutes is one of the few genuinely sandy beaches on the northern Sicilian coast. An afternoon swim with the Norman cathedral towers and La Rocca above you is a specific pleasure. Stay in Cefalù overnight for the evening atmosphere of the town.
Read our complete guides to things to do in Cefalù and the Cefalù beaches guide.
👉SEE THE BEST CEFALU’ BOAT TOUR HERE
Day 4 Taormina
Drive east along the A20 motorway from Cefalù to Taormina (approximately 180 kilometres, 2 hours). Taormina sits on a cliff 200 metres above the Ionian Sea with Mount Etna visible across the bay it has been considered the most beautiful town in Sicily since the Grand Tour era and the reputation is deserved.
Park in the new town and walk or take the cable car to the historic centre. The Teatro Antico di Taormina the Greek theatre built in the 3rd century BC, with its backstage wall open to the view of Etna and the Ionian coast is the essential visit and the finest single viewpoint in the eastern Sicilian coast. Allow 90 minutes including the exploration of the theatre’s upper tiers.
Afternoon: take the cable car down to Mazzarò and walk 200 metres south to Isola Bella the small island connected to the mainland by a sand strip that appears and disappears with the tides, now a nature reserve with exceptional snorkelling in the clear Ionian water. A private boat tour from Mazzarò harbour circles the headland, visits the Grotta Azzurra sea cave and reaches Mermaid Bay one of the finest short boat experiences on the eastern coast. Stay in Taormina overnight.
Read our complete guides to things to do in Taormina and the Taormina beach guide.
👉SEE THE BEST TAORMINA TOUR HERE
Day 5 Mount Etna
Dedicate day 5 entirely to Mount Etna. The highest active volcano in Europe and the dominant presence on the eastern Sicilian skyline, Etna is visible from Taormina across the bay and is approximately 40 minutes’ drive from the town to the southern approach at Rifugio Sapienza.
The standard Etna day combines the cable car from Rifugio Sapienza (ascending to 2,500 metres) with a jeep or on-foot excursion toward the summit crater area at 2,900 metres. The jeep tour is the most accessible option for a range of fitness levels and provides excellent access to the craters, lava fields and the panoramic views across Sicily and the Ionian coast below. Those with good fitness and appropriate footwear can join a guided summit hike to the crater rim (900 metres of altitude gain on volcanic terrain, approximately 5 to 6 hours return).
In the afternoon, drive to the northern slope of Etna and visit a wine producer in the Etna DOC zone the volcanic vineyards of Nerello Mascalese above 600 metres produce some of the most distinctive red wines in Italy, and a late-afternoon tasting above the volcano with the Ionian coast visible below is one of the most specific wine experiences in Sicily. Return to Taormina or drive south toward Catania for night 5.
Read our complete Mount Etna guide and Etna wine guide.
👉 MOUNT ETNA JEEP TOUR CRATERS AND LAVA FIELDS
A guided jeep tour to the summit area of Mount Etna craters, lava flows, the panoramic view of Sicily and the Ionian coast. The most accessible and most rewarding Etna experience, available from Taormina and Catania.
👉SEE THE BEST MOUNT ETNA JEEP TOUR HERE
Day 6 Catania and the Ionian coast
Drive from Taormina or the Etna foothills to Catania (approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour). Catania is Sicily’s second city and one of the most underrated destinations on the island a compact baroque historic centre built entirely from black Etna lava stone, a cathedral that houses the remains of Sant’Agata (the city’s patron saint), and the Mercato della Pescheria, one of the finest fish markets in Italy, held each morning in the square behind the Duomo.
The fish market is the essential Catania experience go before 9am when the swordfish arrive and the atmosphere is at its most theatrical. The Piazza del Duomo, the Fontana dell’Elefante (an Egyptian lava-stone elephant, the city’s symbol, mounted on a baroque fountain by Vaccarini) and the Via Crociferi, the finest street of baroque churches in the city, provide the walking circuit of the afternoon.
Catania is also the home of the definitive pistachio cannolo (garnished with Bronte pistachio from the Etna slopes) and the arancino in its pointed, conical eastern Sicilian form a different shape from the round Palermo arancina, and a difference that Sicilians take entirely seriously.
Drive south from Catania in the late afternoon along the SS114 coastal road toward Syracuse, passing the Baroque town of Augusta and the wetlands of the Syracuse coast. Read our complete guide to things to do in Catania.
Day 7 Syracuse and Ortigia
Syracuse is the finest city in southeastern Sicily and, for many visitors, the finest in the entire island. Its combination of the Neapolis Archaeological Park (Greek theatre, Roman amphitheatre, the Ear of Dionysius) and the island old town of Ortigia a pedestrian island connected to the mainland by bridge, surrounded by the Ionian Sea on all sides creates a destination where 2,500 years of history is compressed into a walkable area of extraordinary quality.
Morning: the Neapolis Archaeological Park. The Greek theatre of Syracuse, carved from the living rock and used for performances since the 5th century BC, is the finest Greek theatre in Sicily larger, older and more carefully positioned than the one at Taormina, with a natural acoustic that makes it still usable for the Istituto Nazionale del Dramma Antico performances held each May and June. The Ear of Dionysius, the limestone cave whose acoustic properties amplify every sound, reliably produces the best child response of any monument in Sicily whisper at the entrance and hear yourself amplified back at extraordinary volume.
Afternoon and evening: Ortigia. The island old town, the Duomo (a Greek temple converted to a cathedral with the original Doric columns still visible in the side walls), the Fonte Aretusa freshwater spring by the sea, the seafood restaurants and the evening passeggiata along the waterfront. Stay in Ortigia overnight the island after the day-trip visitors leave has a specific quality of calm and beauty that rewards the extra night.
Read our complete guides to Ortigia and things to do in Syracuse.
👉SEE THE BEST SYRACUSE AND ORTIGIA TOUR HERE
Day 8 Noto, Modica and the Val di Noto
Day 8 is the baroque day a circuit of the UNESCO-listed Val di Noto towns that were rebuilt after the catastrophic earthquake of 1693 in a unified programme of Sicilian baroque that produced some of the finest urban architecture of the 18th century in Europe.
Begin in Noto, 30 kilometres south of Syracuse. The Corso Vittorio Emanuele, entirely pedestrianised and entirely baroque, is the finest single street in the Val di Noto and one of the finest urban promenades in Italy the palaces and churches are constructed from the local golden limestone that catches the late afternoon light with extraordinary warmth. The Caffè Sicilia, whose pastry chef Corrado Assenza was featured in Chef’s Table on Netflix, is the finest pastry shop in southeastern Sicily. The cannolo here, with ricotta, orange blossom and crushed toasted almonds, is worth a dedicated visit.
Drive south to the coast and spend 2 hours at the Vendicari Nature Reserve the lagoons, the 18th-century ruined tonnara and the Calamosche beach, one of the finest undeveloped sandy beaches in Sicily. Then drive to Modica for the late afternoon and the Bonajuto chocolate shop (est. 1880), where the ancient Aztec cold-process chocolate in its full range of flavours is the most specific food souvenir in the Val di Noto.
Evening in Ragusa Ibla the lower baroque town on its limestone spur, the setting for much of the Inspector Montalbano television series for dinner in the streets around the Giardino Ibleo with the baroque skyline lit above the garden.
Read our complete guides to Noto, Modica, Ragusa and the Vendicari Nature Reserve.
Day 9 Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples
Drive west from Ragusa to Agrigento (approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, 110 kilometres). The Valley of the Temples is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Mediterranean and the finest Greek temple complex outside Greece itself seven Doric temples of the 5th century BC arranged along a ridge above the Sicilian coast, their golden limestone catching the early morning and late afternoon light with extraordinary effect.
The Temple of Concordia is the best-preserved Greek temple in the world after the Hephaisteion in Athens a complete Doric temple standing intact 2,500 years after its construction. The fallen columns of the Temple of Zeus, which would have been the largest Greek temple ever built, provide the most overwhelming sense of ancient scale anywhere in the valley. Walk the full archaeological park in the cooler morning hours there is minimal shade and summer heat is significant.
In the afternoon, drive 30 minutes west along the coast to the Scala dei Turchi the extraordinary white eroded marl cliff that descends in natural stepped formations to a sandy beach, one of the most photographed natural formations in Sicily. Swim at the base of the cliff and appreciate the specific quality of the landscape before it closes for the evening (there is a reservation and access fee system, check in advance for current conditions).
Stay in or near Agrigento or drive northwest toward Sciacca for the night. Read our complete guides to the Valley of the Temples, things to do in Agrigento and the Scala dei Turchi.
Day 10 Return to Palermo via Selinunte or Marsala
Day 10 is the return to Palermo (approximately 2 hours from Agrigento via the SS115 and A29), with one or two stops along the western Sicilian coast depending on your energy and interests.
The Selinunte Archaeological Park the largest archaeological park in Europe, covering 270 hectares of Greek temples above the sea at the southernmost point of the western coast is 50 minutes from Agrigento and a natural inclusion for those who have time. The Temple E (the only standing temple, reconstructed in the 1950s) and the colossal ruins of the never-completed Temple G provide the finest sense of Greek colonial architectural ambition anywhere in Sicily. The Cave di Cusa, the abandoned quarry 11 kilometres from the site where the blocks were extracted and left in mid-quarry at the moment of the Carthaginian attack of 409 BC, is one of the most haunting ancient sites in Sicily.
Alternatively, drive north to Marsala for a wine tasting of the famous fortified Marsala wine in one of the historic Cantine (the Florio and Pellegrino cellars both offer guided tastings) and the extraordinary Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi, which contains the only surviving ancient warship in the world a Carthaginian liburna recovered from the sea near Marsala in 1971. Then north along the salt pans to Trapani, where the pink and gold light of the late afternoon on the windmills and shallow water is one of the finest sunset landscapes in Sicily.
Return to Palermo for the final night, or drive directly to the airport for an evening or early morning departure. Read our complete guides to Selinunte and Marsala.
Practical tips for 10 days in Sicily
When to go
May to June and September to October. September is the finest month for this full-island itinerary the sea is warm from the summer, temperatures are comfortable for driving and walking, the harvest season adds seasonal interest and the crowds at the major sites thin dramatically. Avoid August if possible: extreme heat and maximum Italian holiday traffic make every stage of this itinerary more difficult. Read our complete best time to visit Sicily guide.
What to book in advance
The Cappella Palatina in Palermo requires timed entry booked online (coopculture.it) do this before anything else. The Etna summit hike requires a licensed guide booked in advance. The Stromboli night hike (if extending to the Aeolian Islands) fills weeks ahead in summer. Teatro Massimo tours are worth booking ahead. Everything else is walk-up.
Driving in Sicily
The main motorways (A19 Palermo to Catania, A18 Catania to Messina, A29 Palermo to Trapani) are fast and reliable. The SS115 coastal road along the southern coast is slower but more scenic. The ZTL (restricted traffic zone) in historic centres is strictly enforced with automatic cameras park outside and walk in. Read our complete Sicily road trip guide for everything you need to know about driving on the island.
Budget guidance
Sicily is moderately priced by Italian standards. Expect to spend approximately €50 to €80 per person per day on accommodation (mid-range), €25 to €40 per person per day on food (with at least one restaurant dinner and street food for other meals), and €15 to €30 per person per day on entrance fees and activities. A rental car for 10 days costs approximately €300 to €500 depending on the category and season.
Frequently asked questions about a 10-day Sicily itinerary
Is 10 days enough for Sicily?
Ten days is the ideal minimum for a full-island circuit. It is enough to cover the essential destinations Palermo, Cefalù, Taormina, Etna, Syracuse, the Val di Noto and the Valley of the Temples without rushing. It is not enough to see the Aeolian Islands (add 3 to 5 days), Favignana and the Egadi Islands (add 2 days) or to spend real time in the Sicilian interior. A second visit, focused on what the first reveals you missed, tends to follow.
What is the best route for 10 days in Sicily?
A clockwise loop from Palermo covers the island efficiently: north coast to Cefalù, east coast to Taormina and Etna, south to Catania and Syracuse, southwest to the Val di Noto, west to Agrigento and back to Palermo. This avoids backtracking and allows the scenery and architecture to change gradually as you move around the island.
Do I need a car in Sicily for 10 days?
Yes. A rental car is essential for this itinerary. The finest destinations on the island the Valley of the Temples, the Etna vineyards, Vendicari, Selinunte, the Zingaro Reserve are not accessible by public transport at the pace and flexibility a 10-day itinerary requires. Public transport works adequately between the major cities but fails for the off-centre experiences that distinguish a genuine Sicily itinerary from a tourist circuit.
What is the best base for 10 days in Sicily?
For this itinerary there is no single base the loop structure means you move every 1 to 2 nights, which gives the most complete picture of the island. If you prefer fewer moves, the best bases are Palermo (for the northwest), Taormina (for the northeast and Etna), Syracuse (for the southeast) and Agrigento (for the southwest).
The island that stays with you
Sicily has the specific quality of remaining present after you leave in the particular colour of the Cappella Palatina’s gold mosaics when a cloud shifts outside and the light changes, in the exact taste of the Catania granita at 8am, in the moment on the Etna crater rim when the volcanic gas blows across and you realise exactly where you are standing. Ten days is enough to collect these moments. It is not enough to exhaust them.
For more planning resources, read our 7-day Sicily itinerary, our Sicily first-time visitor guide and our complete Sicily road trip guide.
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