Sicily is three trips pretending to be one. The west of Sicily is mosaics, markets and salt flats. The southeast is Greek temples and honey-colored Baroque towns, and the east belongs to Etna and Taormina, which means you can't do it all on one visit and shouldn't try. Rick Steves's Sicily route needs eight days just to link Palermo, Siracusa, Agrigento, Etna and Taormina, which tells you how much ground the island of Sicily covers.
This is our list of the best things to do in Sicily, built for first-timers: 26 picks grouped by side of the island, with 2026 prices, what to book ahead, what's free and what to skip.
It's a researched guide to Sicily, not a trip diary. Every price, hour and closure comes from the operator's, park's or city's own page, checked on 28 October 2026, and we've left out the numbers we couldn't confirm. For the big-picture plan, start with our Sicily travel guide. Updated October 2026.
This guide contains affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Short on time? Don't miss these
- The gold mosaics of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo (#2), best with a guided Palazzo dei Normanni tour
- Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 (#17), via the Etna trek to 3,000 meters
- The Valley of the Temples at Agrigento (#13), with an audio-guide ticket
- Ortigia and the Greek ruins of Syracuse (#20), on a guided walking tour
- Taormina's Greek Theatre (#21), with a skip-the-line ticket
What's changed this year
Sicily's list of closures is long this autumn, and most of it isn't in older guides, so check this list before you lock in a date.
- Isola Bella (Taormina) closes to the public on 2 November 2026 for maintenance, with works expected to finish around 15 December.
- The Erice cable car is closed every day from 3 November to 4 December 2026 and reopens on 5 December.
- The Zingaro reserve reopened only partly in March 2026 after the 2025 fire. Check which entrance is open before you drive out there.
- Etna was under a local ordinance restricting the summit zone from August, and on 28 October the volcano's aviation alert went up to orange, according to local press. Tours run weather-permitting and can be cut back to the cable car.
- The Cappella Palatina is being restored, so some areas can close without notice.
Things to Do in Sicily: Palermo and the West
Wondering what to do in Sicily first? Start in Palermo, where the mix of Arab, Norman and Baroque layers that defines Sicily is easiest to see, and give the city two full days before you move on. For a deeper dive, see our things to do in Palermo list.
1. Eat Your Way Through Palermo's Street Markets
Start in the morning at Ballarò, where the stalls are at their fullest, then walk over to the Capo market.
Both are loud, a bit chaotic and free to wander, and they're the fastest way to understand why Sicilian food has such a reputation. Buy as you go: panelle (chickpea fritters), arancine (stuffed rice balls) and pane con la milza (a spleen sandwich, which sounds worse than it tastes if you order it the way locals do, with a squeeze of lemon).
Tip: Eat light before you arrive and graze for two hours. A guided street food walk is worth it if you want someone to explain what you're ordering; we'd choose the highly rated Palermo Street Food and History Walking Tour on GetYourGuide.
2. See the Gold Mosaics in the Cappella Palatina
If you only pay for one thing in Palermo, make it this, because nothing else in Sicily packs as much gold into so small a room.
The Cappella Palatina sits inside the Palazzo dei Normanni, the Norman royal palace, and its walls and ceiling are covered in gold mosaic that you can stand a few feet from. It's smaller than you expect, and the effect is stronger for it.
The palace ticket is €14.50 Thursday to Monday and €10 on Tuesday and Wednesday, when it covers the chapel and gardens only.
Hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (last entry) Monday to Saturday, and 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM on Sundays and holidays. Skip Sunday morning: the chapel closes to visitors from 9:30 to 11:00 AM. The Sicilian Parliament sits in the palace, so closures can come without notice, and restoration work in the chapel may close some areas.
Cost: €14.50 (Thu–Mon), €10 (Tue–Wed, chapel and gardens only). Book on the Fondazione Federico II ticket page, or take a guided option such as the Cappella Palatina and Palazzo dei Normanni tour on GetYourGuide.
3. Step Inside Palermo Cathedral
The cathedral's mix of Norman, Arab-influenced and later Baroque details is the reason to come, and the nave is easy to see on a walk between the palace and the markets. The church is open Monday to Saturday from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, but Sunday visits are limited to 12:00–1:00 PM and 4:00–5:30 PM.
The monumental area (treasury, crypt, tombs and roofs) has its own hours, from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM Monday to Friday, 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM Saturday and 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Sunday, per the city's 2025 tourism sheet. Hours change, so check the cathedral's page before you plan around the roof.
4. Take the Short Ride to Monreale's Mosaics
Monreale is a half-day trip from Palermo and the one outing here we'd call a must for mosaic fans.
The cathedral's golden interior is bigger and busier than the Cappella Palatina, with stories from the Old Testament running along the walls. The cathedral is free to enter but closes for a break in the middle of the day, so go in the morning or late afternoon and check current hours first.
Tip: Cover your shoulders and knees, as in most Italian churches.
5. Visit the Teatro Massimo
Teatro Massimo is one of Europe's largest opera houses, and the closing scenes of The Godfather Part III were filmed here, which is as good a reason as any to see it.
The official guided visit costs €14 and runs daily from 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM, with the last visit starting at 6:20 PM. Visits are sometimes suspended for rehearsals, so check the date. Honest take: the €14 tour is for opera lovers. If you aren't, admire the facade and the steps for free and spend the money on dinner.
6. Meet the Capuchin Catacombs
Palermo's Capuchin Catacombs hold thousands of mummified bodies in corridors by category: men, women, children, priests.
It's macabre and surprisingly moving, and not for everyone, especially young kids. We've given it its own page: Palermo Capuchin Catacombs has the opening hours and tickets.
7. Spend Half a Day in Cefalù
Cefalù is the easy beach-and-old-town day trip from Palermo, about an hour by train. The Norman cathedral dominates the little center, there's a sandy town beach, and the rock above the town, La Rocca, has a steep walking path to the ruins at the top. Go in the morning, climb La Rocca before it gets hot, then eat lunch by the old harbor. More in our Cefalù travel guide.
8. Hike (or Boat) the Zingaro Reserve
The Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro is a protected stretch of cliffs and pebble coves between Scopello and San Vito Lo Capo, and the best coastal walk in western Sicily.
It reopened in March 2026 after the 2025 fire, but only the Scopello (south) entrance was open at first, and the northern side was closed for municipal works. Confirm which gate is open and the current fee before you drive out. If you'd rather not hike, boat trips from San Vito Lo Capo stop at the coves; a well-reviewed option on GetYourGuide is the boat trip with three swimming stops.
Tip: Bring water and swim shoes: the coves are pebbly.
9. Ride the Cable Car Up to Erice
Erice is a medieval hilltop town above Trapani, with stone alleys, almond pastries and views across western Sicily that run all the way to the Egadi Islands on a clear day.
The cable car costs €9 one-way or €15 return, and from 21 September to 2 November it runs most days into the evening. Important: it's closed every day from 3 November to 4 December 2026, so you'd have to take the road in that window.
10. Cross to Mozia From the Salt Pans
The salt pans between Trapani and Marsala are one of Sicily's more photogenic and underrated landscapes, with old windmills and shallow pools that change color through the day.
Boats cross from here to Mozia, a small island with the remains of a Phoenician city. Entry to the island and museum is €12 for adults (the boat isn't included), and the museum closes 2:00–3:00 PM.
11. Take a Ferry to Favignana
Favignana is the largest of the Egadi Islands and the easiest to enjoy without a plan: rent a bike, ride to a cove, swim, repeat. Hydrofoils and ferries run from Trapani; check the current timetable and fares with the operator before you go. If you'd like a guided day at sea, the Favignana and Levanzo day cruise from Trapani is rated highly on GetYourGuide. You can check ferry options on Ferryscanner.
12. See the Unfinished Temple at Segesta
Segesta's Doric temple stands alone on a hillside in the middle of farmland, and it was never finished.
That's the appeal: you get a 5th-century BC temple with almost no one around it. There's also a hilltop theater higher up. Confirm prices, hours and the shuttle bus on the park's page, as we couldn't confirm a current standalone ticket price. It's an easy stop between Palermo and Trapani if you're driving.
Southern Sicily: Temples, Mosaics and Baroque Towns
You'll want a car, or a tour, for most of this part of Sicily, because distances between the sights are big and public transport thins out fast once you leave the main towns.
13. Walk the Valley of the Temples
This is Sicily's top archaeological site: a ridge of Greek Doric temples near Agrigento, including the Temple of Concordia, one of the best-preserved Greek temples anywhere.
The temples ticket is €14 and the combined ticket with the Kolymbetra garden is €20. Official sources differ slightly on the winter closing time, so check the hours for your date. In summer the park stays open late on weekday evenings, and the stone turns gold at sunset.
Buy online ahead of time: the park recommends it, and the ticket is valid for the whole day.
An exhibition supplement of €3 applied until 31 October 2026. We'd pick the ticket with an audio guide on GetYourGuide if you want context. Our full guide is Valley of the Temples.
14. See the White Cliffs of Scala dei Turchi
The Scala dei Turchi is a stair-stepped white limestone cliff by the sea, and it's one of the most photographed spots in all of Sicily.
In 2026 it isn't the free roadside stop it used to be. Local press reports say entry is €6 on site only, capped at 1,800 people a day, with groups of 50 admitted every 20 minutes. Our take: worth it if you're already driving the coast; don't build a day around it. Details live on the Scala dei Turchi page.
15. Spot Roman Mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale
The Villa Romana del Casale has one of the best collections of Roman floor mosaics in the world, including the famous "bikini girls".
It's a long drive inland near Piazza Armerina, so it works best as a stop between Agrigento and the east coast. Admission is €14, and it's open daily from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with the ticket office closing at 6:00 PM.
16. Explore the Val di Noto Baroque Towns
After the 1693 earthquake, the towns of southeastern Sicily were rebuilt in an exuberant late Baroque style, and eight of them are on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Noto is the showpiece, with a golden-stone main street. Modica is famous for its grainy chocolate. Ragusa Ibla climbs a hill above its cathedral.
If you only have a day, pick two. Noto plus Modica is the classic pair. If you don't have a car, a day tour from Catania covers Noto, Modica and Ragusa; the Baroque Tour is available on GetYourGuide. Our best beaches in Sicily page covers the sandy stops on the same coast.
Things to Do in Sicily: Etna, Syracuse and Taormina
17. Hike Mount Etna
Etna is Europe's highest active volcano, and the biggest single thing to do on the eastern side of Sicily.
The Funivia dell'Etna cable car takes you from 1,920 to 2,500 meters, a 4x4 bus continues to about 2,800, and a guided walk goes up to roughly 3,000 meters. The full "Tour 3000" costs €82 for adults, takes about 2.5 hours and runs daily from 8:30 AM to 3:15 PM, weather permitting. The cable car alone, return to 2,500 meters, is €54.
Because Etna is active, the rules change.
The operator suspends high-altitude excursions when the volcano institute or civil protection issues a warning, and offers no refund for volcanic activity. A local ordinance (Bronte, 14 August 2026) also restricts the summit zone except for licensed guides, and rules can differ by slope. Our advice: don't try the summit without a guide, and book something flexible. The popular Mount Etna trek to 3,000 meters with cable car and 4x4 on GetYourGuide is the one most people book. Full details are on our Mount Etna page.
Tip: Wear layers. Even on a hot day in Catania, 2,500 meters is cold and windy.
18. Taste Wine on Etna's Slopes
Etna's volcanic soil makes some of Sicily's most interesting wines, and a winery visit is the easiest way to feel the volcano without hiking it.
You can drive yourself, but tours with a designated driver are the better call after a tasting. A well-reviewed option is the Etna Wine Tasting and Food Tour on GetYourGuide.
19. Eat Through Catania's Fish Market
Catania's fish market, La Pescheria, is a morning affair, so go early.
It's a noisy, slippery, fascinating scene just behind the cathedral square, and a good first stop on a street food walk through the city. If you'd rather go with a guide, The Original All-Inclusive Catania Street Food and Market Tour is available on GetYourGuide. See also our things to do in Catania list.
20. Wander Ortigia and Syracuse's Greek Ruins
Ortigia, the old island core of Syracuse, is the nicest place on Sicily's east coast to just wander: a tangle of limestone lanes, seafront promenades and a cathedral built around a Greek temple. Entering the cathedral costs €2 plus a €1 online fee.
On the mainland, the Neapolis Archaeological Park holds the Greek theatre and the Ear of Dionysius.
Admission is €14. In late October the park closes around 5:15 PM (the ticket office at 4:00 PM), and hours change with the season, so plan a morning or early afternoon visit. A guided Ortigia and Neapolis walking tour is available on GetYourGuide if you'd like the two linked together. More in our Syracuse and Ortigia travel guide.
21. Sit in Taormina's Greek Theatre
Taormina's Ancient Theatre has the postcard view of eastern Sicily: a Greek-Roman theater with Etna and the Ionian Sea behind the stage. Admission is €12. In October it opens at 9:00 AM and closes around 5:45–6:15 PM, depending on the date, and hours shift by season. Go at opening, before the tour groups, and book the skip-the-line ticket with an audio guide if you'd like the history explained.
We've given the theatre its own page: Teatro Antico di Taormina. For the town itself, see things to do in Taormina.
22. Visit Isola Bella (Not Until Mid-December)
Isola Bella is a tiny island and nature reserve just below Taormina, and normally one of the easiest swims in town.
Entry is €5. But it closes to the public on 2 November 2026 for extraordinary maintenance, with works expected to finish by about 15 December. Skip it this winter: the theatre and the old town are the real reasons to come to Taormina anyway.
23. Wade Through the Alcantara Gorge
The Alcantara Gorge is a narrow basalt canyon formed by an old lava flow, with cold river water running through it.
It's a pay-to-enter site, and people wade in wearing waders or water shoes. It's a pleasant half-day stop from Taormina, especially in summer, but not a priority if you're short on time. Confirm the current entrance fee with the park.
24. Island-Hop Around the Aeolians
The Aeolian Islands, off the northeast coast of Sicily, are a volcanic archipelago with black beaches, hot springs and a still-active volcano on Stromboli.
Hydrofoils from Milazzo reach Lipari in about an hour. Vulcano's famous mud pool reopened in November 2025 after a closure, but it's a seasonal draw. Honest take: the mud pool smells strongly of sulfur and isn't for everyone.
For a day trip, a boat tour such as the Lipari, Vulcano, Panarea and Stromboli cruise on GetYourGuide covers more ground than a ferry. Our Aeolian Islands travel guide goes deeper.
Food and Culture
25. Take a Sicilian Cooking Class
A market visit followed by a hands-on class is one of the best ways to understand Sicily's food, which blends Arab, Greek, Spanish and Italian influences. In Palermo, the Cooking Class and Market Tour has a high rating on GetYourGuide. Plan on a half day, and arrive hungry.
26. Catch a Puppet Show
Sicily's opera dei pupi, the traditional puppet theater that retells the legends of knights and paladins in loud, clattering sword fights, is recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
Palermo is the best place to catch one, and the sword fights suit kids who like a show. Check current showtimes with the venue before you go.
How Many Days in Sicily?
Seven days in Sicily is enough for one side of the island, not both.
Rick Steves's itinerary runs four days for Palermo (with Monreale) and Siracusa, six if you add Agrigento, and eight if you add Etna and Taormina. We'd pick the west or the southeast-and-east for a first trip to Sicily and save the other half for next time. If you're searching Sicily holidays from the UK, the same split applies. For day-by-day plans, see our Sicily itinerary.
Getting Around Sicily
You can see Palermo, Cefalù, Agrigento, Syracuse and Taormina by train and bus, but the best rural sights in Sicily (Zingaro, Segesta, Val di Noto) are far easier by car.
Watch for ZTL (limited-traffic) zones in historic centers, and read our driving in Italy guide before you rent. To cross the island, see Catania to Palermo. Flying in? Start with Catania airport and how to get to Sicily.
Best Time to Visit Sicily
Late spring and early autumn are the safest bets for Sicily: warm enough for the coast and cooler for the ruins.
Many sights stretch their hours in summer, but the heat is punishing at Agrigento and Syracuse. Some seasonal attractions close in November, like the Erice cable car. Our best time to visit Sicily page covers the weather month by month.
Where to Stay in Sicily
Pick your base in Sicily by side of the island. In Palermo, the Grand Hotel et des Palmes on Via Roma is a classic central option (rated 9.0 on Booking.com from 916 reviews at the time of checking). In Ortigia, the Grand Hotel Ortigia sits on the Viale Mazzini seafront (8.6 from 846 reviews). In Taormina, the Grand Hotel Timeo is a splurge beside the Greek Theatre (9.8 from 169 reviews). For more options, read where to stay in Sicily and our best hotels in Sicily.
Plan Your Trip
- Hotels: see our where to stay in Sicily and best hotels in Sicily pages.
- Tours and tickets: book timed and guided entries ahead for the Valley of the Temples, Etna and the Cappella Palatina. Browse our Sicily tours page.
- Ferries: compare Egadi and Aeolian crossings on Ferryscanner.
- Car hire: a car unlocks the south and west; read our driving in Italy guide first.
- Connectivity: a Yesim eSIM saves roaming fees; see our Italy eSIM guide.
- Airport transfer: arrange a Welcome Pickups transfer for your arrival in Catania or Palermo.
- Insurance: take out travel insurance before you go, especially if you plan to hike Etna.
Frequently asked questions
What should I not miss in Sicily?
In Sicily, the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Ortigia in Syracuse, Taormina's Greek Theatre and Mount Etna are the sights that turn up on nearly every list. If you only have a few days, base yourself in Palermo and add Monreale and Cefalù.
How many days do you need in Sicily?
Seven days in Sicily covers one side of the island comfortably. Rick Steves's route fits Palermo, Siracusa, Agrigento, Etna and Taormina into eight days. With only three days, stay in Palermo and add Monreale and Cefalù.
Can you see Sicily without a car?
Yes, for the main cities in Sicily. Trains and buses link Palermo, Cefalù, Agrigento, Syracuse, Taormina and Catania. A car, or a tour, is much better for Zingaro, Segesta, Villa Romana del Casale and the Val di Noto.
What is the best time to visit Sicily?
Late spring and early autumn are the usual sweet spots, with warm weather and fewer crowds than July and August. Summer is hot at the ruins. Some seasonal attractions, such as the Erice cable car, close for part of November and early December.
What is there to do in Sicily when it rains?
Palermo has the most indoor options in Sicily: the Cappella Palatina and palace, the cathedral, a cooking class and the Teatro Massimo tour. A winery tasting on Etna works in any weather.
Is Mount Etna safe to visit right now?
Etna is Sicily's active volcano, so rules change with its behavior. Official operators suspend high-altitude tours on warnings, and a local ordinance (Bronte, August 2026) restricts the summit zone except for licensed guides. Book through an operator and check conditions the day before.
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