Sicily & Aeolian Islands — Self-Launched (8 Days)

Land at Palermo Falcone-Borsellino airport and take the Prestia e Comandè bus or the Trinacria Express train into the centre (about £5-6, 50 mins). Check into a hostel in the Kalsa or Vucciria quarter. Spend the late afternoon wandering the Quattro Canti, Piazza Pretoria and the Ballarò street market, then eat cheap arancine and sfincione for dinner. Pick up a Sicilia Card or just buy individual tickets — most sights in Palermo are £3-8 each. Evening: aperitivo on the terrace by the Teatro Massimo.

🚌Airport bus or Trinacria Express train to Palermo Centrale (~£5-6). All old-town sightseeing on foot.

🛏Kalsa/Vucciria hostel (dorm £18-25; private twin in a budget guesthouse £35-50)

• →Self-guided walk of Quattro Canti, Piazza Pretoria and Fontana Pretoria
• →Ballarò or Vucciria street market browse
• →Teatro Massimo exterior and nearby aperitivo

Start with a self-guided visit to Palermo Cathedral (roof terrace ~£8) and the Norman Palace with the Cappella Palatina (~£16 timed entry — book the Royal Palace website a day ahead). Mid-morning, take AMAT bus 389 or the free-ish shuttle to Monreale (or a taxi for ~£3.50 each way); the cathedral and its golden Byzantine mosaics are free to enter and extraordinary — you can pay a small supplement for the cloister. Afternoon: Cappuccini Catacombs (~£8) or the Ballarò food walk with a local host booked via GetYourGuide (~£35-45) if you want the stories behind the street food. Back to Palermo for dinner in the Kalsa.

🚌AMAT city bus to Monreale & back (~£4 total); everything else on foot.

🛏Kalsa/Vucciria hostel (dorm £18-25; private twin in a budget guesthouse £35-50)

• →Palermo Cathedral and rooftop visit
• →Norman Palace / Cappella Palatina
• →Monreale Cathedral mosaics
• →Optional GetYourGuide street-food tour of Ballarò (~£40)

Take an early SAIS or Cuffaro bus from Palermo to Castelbuono (~£5, 1h30) — a tiny Madonie hill town with a medieval castle and the now-famous Fiasconaro panettone bakery. Continue by local bus to Cefalù (~£4) for the Normanno cathedral, a swim at the sandy beach and, if you have legs for it, the short climb up La Rocca (~£4). Late afternoon catch the train or SAIS bus down the coast to Milazzo (~£8-10, 2h), the jumping-off point for the Aeolians. Dinner in Milazzo port district.

🚌SAIS/Cuffaro bus Palermo–Castelbuono (~£5); local bus Castelbuono–Cefalù (~£4); train Cefalù–Milazzo (~£8-10, 2h).

🛏Milazzo guesthouse near the hydrofoil port (£30-42 private double; dorms rare, ~£20 if you find one)

• →Castelbuono castle and old town
• →Fiasconaro bakery stop
• →Cefalù cathedral and beach
• →Optional La Rocca climb
• →Milazzo port evening stroll

Buy a Liberty Lines hydrofoil hop ticket at the port first thing (Milazzo–Vulcano–Lipari–Milazzo ~£28-35, check current timetables — sailings thin out in shoulder season). On Vulcano, walk to the black-sand mud baths and hot springs (entry ~£3-5) or hike the crater rim for free (allow 90 mins up and down). Sail the short hop to Lipari for lunch and a wander through the historic centre and the castle grounds (~£6 museum entry). Late afternoon hydrofoil back to Milazzo, then a train or Sais bus down to Taormina (~£6-8, 1h30). Evening arrival in Taormina is atmospheric — check in and grab dinner on Via Pirandello.

🚌Liberty Lines hydrofoil hop ticket (~£30); Milazzo–Taormina train or bus (~£7).

🛏Taormina budget guesthouse up the hill or in nearby Letojanni/Giardini Naxos (£35-55 double; Letojanni is cheaper)

• →Vulcano mud baths and hot springs
• →Optional Vulcano crater hike
• →Lipari old town and castle walk
• →Evening arrival in Taormina

Morning in Taormina's historic quarter: Corso Umberto, Piazza IX Aprile and the Greek-Roman Theatre (Teatro Antico, ~£12 — get there early for the Etna views before the coach crowds arrive). Early afternoon is for the beach: take the Mazzarò cable car down (~£3 each way) or the bus from Porta Messina. You can also book a half-day Etna excursion from Taormina via GetYourGuide (~£50-65) if you'd rather swap beach for volcano. Sunset back up in Taormina, then a slow dinner.

🚌Mazzarò cable car (~£6 return) or local bus; Taormina old town on foot.

🛏Taormina budget guesthouse up the hill or in nearby Letojanni/Giardini Naxos (£35-55 double; Letojanni is cheaper)

• →Teatro Antico di Taormina
• →Corso Umberto and Piazza IX Aprile
• →Mazzarò/Isola Bella beach
• →Optional half-day Etna excursion via GetYourGuide (~£55)

An early train from Taormina-Giardini to Catania (~£4, 45 mins), then a self-guided walk through Piazza del Duomo, the fish market (La Pescheria, best 8-10am) and Via Crociferi. Continue by train to Syracuse (~£6, 1h) and take a local bus or a 20-min walk onto Ortigia island: cathedral, Piazza Duomo, the Fonte Aretusa and, if time allows, the Neapolis archaeology park (~£14 with the Roman amphitheatre). To reach Agrigento you'll need an afternoon train via Catania (~£15-18, 3-4h) — aim to leave Syracuse by 4pm. Check into Agrigento's guesthouses near Via Atenea for dinner.

🚌Regional trains Taormina–Catania (~£4), Catania–Syracuse (~£6), Syracuse–Agrigento via Catania (~£15-18).

🛏Agrigento B&B near the old town (£30-45 double)

• →Catania Duomo and La Pescheria fish market
• →Ortigia island self-walk
• →Optional Neapolis archaeological park, Syracuse
• →Agrigento old-town evening

Go early to the Valley of the Temples (temple complex entry ~£14) — the Temple of Concordia at first light with almost nobody around beats any coach stop. Then take a train or bus up the west coast to Marsala (~£10-12, 2h30) for the salt pans and a wine cellar visit (~£15-25 tasting). Continue by local bus up to Erice (~£3-4 via Trapani) for the medieval hilltop lanes and the Venus castle — check the last bus back, they're not frequent. Evening bus or train to Palermo (~£10-12, 2h). Last night in the Kalsa.

🚌Local trains/buses Agrigento–Marsala (~£11), Marsala–Trapani–Erice bus (~£5), Erice/Trapani–Palermo bus or train (~£11).

🛏Kalsa/Vucciria hostel (dorm £18-25; private twin in a budget guesthouse £35-50)

• →Valley of the Temples at opening time
• →Marsala salt pans and optional winery tasting
• →Erice hilltop old town and Venus castle

A slow last morning: the Capo or Vucciria market for breakfast, the Palazzo Abatellis or the regional archaeological museum if you have a few hours before your flight, and a final granita. Bus or train back to Falcone-Borsellino airport (about £5-6) for departure. If your flight is late, Mondello beach is 30 mins away by bus 806 for a last swim.

🚌City bus to Mondello (~£1.40) or Prestia e Comandè airport bus / Trinacria Express train to the airport (~£5-6).

🛏—

• →Capo or Vucciria market breakfast
• →Palazzo Abatellis or archaeology museum
• →Optional Mondello beach