Magical Sicily & Malta — Self-Launched, 11 Days

Fly into Catania–Fontanarossa (CTA). Take the Alibus shuttle (€4, ~£3.50, 25 min) or AMT city bus into the centre rather than a private transfer. Check into a hostel or guesthouse near Piazza del Duomo — Ostello delle Cartiere or a B&B in the old town run about £22–30/night. Spend the afternoon wandering the UNESCO Baroque core: Piazza del Duomo with the Liotru elephant fountain, Catania Cathedral, then Via dei Crociferi and Piazza Università. Around 5pm head to La Pescheria fish market (best in the early morning, but still lively at dusk) and grab street food — arancini and a cartoccio of fried seafood ~£5. If you want the seaside feel of Acitrezza, the 534 bus runs there in ~40 min for a sunset swim and dinner by the Faraglioni rocks.

🚌Alibus airport shuttle €4 (~£3.50); local buses AMT/534 £1–2 per ride

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Catania old town (~£22–30/night)

• →Catania Cathedral & Piazza del Duomo
• →Via dei Crociferi & University Square
• →La Pescheria fish market
• →Optional: sunset at Acitrezza Faraglioni

Take an early Interbus or SAIS bus from Catania to Syracuse (~2 hrs, €7–9 / £6–8). Book a timed ticket to the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis online (€17 / £15) — the Greek Theatre, Roman amphitheatre, Latomie and the Ear of Dionysius are all in one site; arrive early to beat the coach groups. Walk 20 min into Ortigia for the cathedral (built into an ancient Doric temple), Piazza Duomo and a swim off the Ortigia rocks. A GetYourGuide small-group Syracuse + Ortigia walking tour runs ~£25–35 if you want the commentary. Mid-afternoon take the local AST bus (~40 min, €2.50) to Noto: the Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata façade and Corso Vittorio Emanuele are free to see by day — its Baroque architecture is best in evening light. Overnight in Noto or Ragusa (Airbnb-style rooms £25–35).

🚌Catania–Syracuse bus €7–9 (~£8); AST bus Syracuse–Noto €2.50 (~£2)

🛏Guesthouse/B&B in Noto or Ragusa (~£25–35/night)

• →Parco Archeologico della Neapolis incl. Greek Theatre & Ear of Dionysius
• →Ortigia historic district & cathedral
• →Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, Noto
• →Self-guided Baroque walking route

Morning in Ragusa Ibla — cross the Santa Maria delle Scale steps between the old and new towns and loop the Ibla lanes free of charge. Take the short train or bus to Modica (~20–30 min, €2–3). Climb to the Duomo di San Giorgio and stop for a chocolate tasting at Antica Dolceria Bonajuto or Sabadì (tastings ~€5–10) — Modica chocolate is cold-worked and gritty in the best way. Then take a bus toward Piazza Armerina (Modica/Pozzallo – Piazza Armerina, ~2 hrs, €7–9) and visit the UNESCO Villa Romana del Casale mosaics (entry €12 / £11, last entry mid-afternoon). Night in Piazza Armerina or push on to Agrigento by bus (~1 hr 15, €5).

🚌Regional trains/buses €2–9 (£2–8) each leg

🛏B&B in Piazza Armerina or Agrigento (~£25–35/night)

• →Ragusa Ibla viewpoint walk
• →Modica Duomo di San Giorgio & chocolate tasting
• →Villa Romana del Casale (UNESCO mosaics)

Buy a Valley of the Temples ticket online (€15 / £13) and get there at opening (8:30) for cooler air and empty paths — the Temple of Concordia is the best-preserved Doric temple outside Greece. Take a bus to Marsala (~2 hrs, €8–10). Book a wine tasting and light lunch at Cantine Florio direct (~€25–35 / £22–30) or find a small Marsala cantina tasting for €15–20; you'll pass the Saline di Trapani salt flats en route (visible from the coastal road, or stop for photos at the Mothia salt pans). Continue by train/bus to Palermo (~2–2.5 hrs, €9–12) and check into a hostel or B&B near Vucciria or Kalsa (£25–35).

🚌Buses/train Agrigento–Marsala–Palermo €9–12 (~£10)

🛏Hostel/B&B in Palermo Kalsa or Vucciria (~£25–35/night)

• →Valley of the Temples (Temple of Concordia & Hera)
• →Salt Road / salt pans near Trapani
• →Florio Cellars wine tasting & light lunch
• →Palermo evening stroll

Take AMAT bus 389 or the AST bus from Palermo to Monreale (~40 min, €1.40–2.50) for the Norman Cathedral's gold mosaics (free entry, small paid areas) and the Arab-Norman cloister. Back in Palermo, follow the free Arab-Norman Unesco route: Cappella Palatina (€15–19 combined ticket), Martorana Church (€2), Palermo Cathedral (roof access €10), then a walk past Teatro Massimo and the Pretoria Square fountain. Skip-the-line guided Palermo street-food tours on GetYourGuide cost ~£30–40 and are a great solo option — otherwise eat your way through Mercato di Ballarò for £6–8. Evening: aperitivo in Piazza San Domenico.

🚌City buses €1.40 per ride; Monreale bus ~£2

🛏Hostel/B&B in Palermo (~£25–35/night)

• →Monreale Cathedral & cloisters
• →Palermo Cathedral, Martorana Church, Cappella Palatina
• →Teatro Massimo & Pretoria Square
• →Optional: GetYourGuide street food tour (~£35)

Morning train from Palermo to Cefalù (~45–60 min, €5–6). The Norman Cathedral (free) and the medieval lanes are the highlight; climb La Rocca for the view (€6) and swim off the town beach. Optional: Museo Mandralisca (€6). Take the train back east to Catania (~2.5–3 hrs, €13–15 with the regional service — Intercity faster but pricier). Catch Catania at golden hour and treat yourself to the classic granita con brioche at a historic bar (~£3) — Prestipino or Spinella. Stay in Catania again (£22–30).

🚌Regional trains Palermo–Cefalù–Catania €6–15 (~£15 total)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Catania (~£22–30/night)

• →Cefalù Norman Cathedral & old town
• →La Rocca hike (optional)
• →Granita & brioche tasting
• →Catania evening piazza wandering

Book a GetYourGuide/Klook small-group Etna day tour from Catania (~£55–75) — it includes transport up to Rifugio Sapienza (1,900 m), a guided walk around the Crateri Silvestri, and often a honey/beekeeper tasting on the slopes. Alternatively take the AST bus to Rifugio Sapienza (~£5) and buy the cable car + 4x4 + guide combo on arrival (€65 / £56). Bring a windproof layer — it's 15 °C colder up top. In the afternoon head to Taormina by bus or train (~£5); the Greek Theatre ticket is €10 and the views to the coast are the reason everyone comes. Wander Corso Umberto for coral jewellery and ceramics, then take the cable car down to Mazzarò beach for a swim (~£3.50). Sleep in Taormina/Giardini Naxos or return to Catania (£20–35).

🚌Etna tour transport included or AST bus ~£5; Catania–Taormina bus/train ~£5; cable car £3.50

🛏Guesthouse in Taormina/Giardini Naxos or Catania (~£20–35/night)

• →Rifugio Sapienza & Crateri Silvestri walk
• →Honey tasting on Etna slopes
• →Taormina Greek Theatre
• →Taormina Corso Umberto & Mazzarò beach

Morning free in Catania (or an early swim at the Lidi). There's no direct Catania–Malta catamaran on this route; the reliable budget option is a short flight (Ryanair Vueling Catania–Malta from ~£20–45 one-way, 45 min) — book well ahead, and check hand-luggage-only fares. (A slower option is bus to Pozzallo + Virtu Ferries catamaran to Valletta, ~1 hr 45 crossing, €35–60.) Land and take the Tallinja bus or Malta Express to your hostel in Valletta or Sliema (£20–30/night). In the afternoon do the Three Cities: bus to Vittoriosa (Birgu) for the waterfront and the Inquisitor's Palace, then Marsaxlokk for the luzzu fishing boats. If time allows, the Blue Grotto boat trip (€10) runs until late afternoon. Sunset at Dingli Cliffs is free and spectacular.

🚌Catania–Malta budget flight ~£20–45; Malta Tallinja buses €2.50 day ticket (~£2)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Valletta/Sliema (~£20–30/night)

• →Vittoriosa (Birgu) waterfront
• →Marsaxlokk fishing village
• →Blue Grotto boat trip (optional)
• →Dingli Cliffs sunset

Do the tour's optional boat day independently for less. Take the bus to Cirkewwa (northern tip of Malta, ~1 hr, £2) and the free Gozo Channel car-ferry to Mġarr (Gozo), then a local boat or the seasonal Comino ferry (€5–10 return) for the Blue Lagoon — go early (before 10am) as it fills with tour boats; rent a sunbed or just swim from the rocks. Back on Gozo, take buses 301/311 to Ta' Pinu basilica, the Dwejra inland sea and Victoria's Citadel (all free). Alternative: ferries and boat shuttles from Bugibba/Sliema offer Comino + Gozo combo cruises for €25–40 (~£22–35) if you'd rather have one easy booking. Return to Malta in the evening; eat a pastizzi or two for £2.

🚌Gozo ferry free for foot passengers; Comino boat €5–10; buses £2

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Valletta or Sliema (~£20–30/night)

• →Blue Lagoon swim, Comino
• →Ta' Pinu Basilica
• →Dwejra inland sea
• →Victoria Citadel, Gozo

Book a Valletta small-group walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£20–30, 2.5 hrs) — cheaper and more social than the private driver-guide on the original tour. Cover St John's Co-Cathedral (€15, Caravaggio's Beheading of St John is inside), Casa Rocca Piccola (€14), the Barraca Gardens and the Grand Master's Palace (€12 exteriors/state room). In the afternoon take bus 51/52/53 to Mdina (€2, ~30 min) for the 'Silent City': the St Paul's Cathedral (€5), the bastion walk, and a quiet evening inside the walls once the day-trippers leave. Stay the night in Mdina or Rabat to be there at sunrise (£25–35), or return to Valletta.

🚌Buses €2 day ticket (~£2); short walks within both cities

🛏Guesthouse in Mdina/Rabat or Valletta (~£25–35/night)

• →St John's Co-Cathedral & Caravaggio
• →Casa Rocca Piccola
• →Barraca Gardens & Grand Master's Palace
• →Mdina Silent City & St Paul's Cathedral

Get up early for the Mdina bastions at sunrise — it costs nothing and beats any guided tour. Coffee and a pastizz for breakfast (£3), then bus to Malta International Airport (€2, ~30 min) for your flight home. If your flight is later, add a swim at Golden Bay or a last wander through Rabat's catacombs (free/donation).

🚌Bus to Luqa airport €2 (~£2)

🛏Departure day

• →Mdina sunrise walk
• →Rabat catacombs (optional)