Self-Launched Journey of Charming Sicily — 10 Days

Fly into Palermo Falcone-Borsellino (PMO) and take the Prestia & Comandè bus to the city centre (about £5.50, 50 minutes) or the Trinacria Express train to Palermo Centrale (£5). Base yourself in the Kalsa or Vucciria quarters, where hostels and small B&Bs run £22–30 for a dorm or £40–55 for a private double. Spend the late afternoon wandering Quattro Canti, the Fontana Pretoria and the Ballarò street market, then eat your first pane e panelle or sfincione for under £6. Pick up a 3-day Palermo city transport ticket only if you plan to use buses heavily — the historic centre is very walkable.

🚌Prestia & Comandè airport bus ~£5.50 or Trinacria Express train ~£5

🛏Hostel or B&B in Kalsa / Vucciria (dorm £22–30, private double £40–55)

• →Self-guided walk: Quattro Canti, Fontana Pretoria
• →Ballarò or Vucciria street market
• →Evening stroll along Via Maqueda

This mirrors the tour's big Palermo day but without the group lunch. Take AMAT bus 389 or the AST bus from Palermo to Monreale (about £1.50–2.50 each way, 30–40 minutes) and pay the €12 combined ticket for Monreale Cathedral and the cloister — the gold mosaics are the single best sight in Sicily. Book a small-group Monreale + Palermo half-day with a local guide via GetYourGuide (£35–45) if you want the commentary the coach tour provides. Back in Palermo, see the Cappella Palatina and Martorana Church (€19 combined Arab-Norman ticket), then walk past Teatro Massimo. Lunch on a slice of sfincione and a granita in the Kalsa (£6–8).

🚌Local bus Palermo–Monreale ~£1.50–2.50 each way

🛏Hostel or B&B in Kalsa / Vucciria (dorm £22–30, private double £40–55)

• →Monreale Cathedral & cloister (€12)
• →Cappella Palatina & Martorana combined ticket (~£16)
• →Teatro Massimo exterior & Kalsa district walk
• →Optional GetYourGuide Monreale/Palermo half-day ~£40

Take the early regional train from Palermo to Cefalù (about 45–60 minutes, £5). Wander the medieval lanes, see the Norman Cathedral's golden Christ Pantocrator (free), and swim at the town beach if the weather plays along. If you want the Mandralisca Museum, tickets are about £6 on the door. Have granita con brioche at a historic bar in the centre (£3) — the exact treat the tour includes. Then take the regional train Cefalù → Messina → Catania (roughly 3 hours total, £12–15) and check into a guesthouse near Piazza Duomo. Evening walk: Catania Duomo, the Liotru elephant statue, University Square and Via dei Crociferi.

🚌Regional trains Palermo–Cefalù ~£5 and Cefalù–Catania ~£12–15

🛏Guesthouse or hostel near Catania Duomo (dorm £20–28, private double £38–52)

• →Cefalù Norman Cathedral
• →Cefalù old town & beach
• →Granita & brioche tasting
• →Self-guided Catania baroque walk

Start early at Catania's Pescheria fish market (free, best before 9am) for a cheap arancino breakfast. Book an Etna day tour that includes the Taormina stop via GetYourGuide or Klook (£50–70, includes transport to Rifugio Sapienza at 2,000m and Crateri Silvestri). Independent option: AST bus Catania–Rifugio Sapienza (£6–8 return) plus the Etna cable car and 4x4 up to 2,900m (€65 — check conditions, it closes in bad weather or snow). In Taormina, the Greek Theatre is €10 (occasionally €15 with exhibitions); the rest of the medieval streets, Corso Umberto and the Belvedere viewpoint are free. If your tour drops you in Taormina, return to Catania by the Interbus/Etna Trasporti service (£4.50). Buy local honey and Etna DOC wine from roadside sellers for a fraction of tour-shop prices.

🚌Etna/Taormina day tour transport included, or AST bus ~£6–8 return + Interbus Taormina–Catania ~£4.50

🛏Guesthouse or hostel near Catania Duomo (dorm £20–28, private double £38–52)

• →Catania Pescheria fish market
• →Etna Rifugio Sapienza & Crateri Silvestri
• →Optional cable car + 4x4 to 2,900m (€65)
• →Taormina Greek Theatre (€10)
• →Honey and wine tasting at Etna producers

The coach tour leaves this day largely free, so use it well. Do a self-guided baroque loop past the Cathedral, the Roman theatre (€6, via the Museo Palazzo Liberto) and the Benedictine monastery, or take the Circumetnea narrow-gauge railway loop around Etna's slopes (£8, 3 hours). Cheap and excellent lunch at a scippi or arancini shop (£5). Optional afternoon: local bus to Aci Trezza and the Riviera dei Ciclopi sea stacks (£2 each way) for a swim and a granita. Laundry, supermarket supplies and repacking day — a good moment to book tomorrow's Syracuse tickets (Interbus/Etna Trasporti, £5).

🚌Local buses ~£2 per trip; optional Circumetnea railway ~£8

🛏Guesthouse or hostel near Catania Duomo (dorm £20–28, private double £38–52)

• →Catania Roman theatre & Benedictine monastery
• →Optional Circumetnea railway loop
• →Aci Trezza Riviera dei Ciclopi sea stacks

Take the early Interbus or Etna Trasporti bus from Catania to Syracuse (about 1hr15, £5). Go straight to the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis (€17, includes the Greek Theatre, Roman amphitheatre and the Ear of Dionysius; buy online to skip the queue). Cross to Ortigia for the Cathedral (free or small donation), Arethusa's Fountain and the Piazza Duomo waterfront. Grab lunch at Caseificio Borderi at the market — a legendary sandwich for £5–7. In the afternoon, train or bus to Noto (20 minutes, £2.50) for Via Nicolaci and Palazzo Nicolaci, then continue by train Noto → Ragusa Ibla (£4.50, change at Modica) to sleep in the old town. Light dinner of scacce and local wine, £12.

🚌Bus Catania–Syracuse ~£5; train/bus Syracuse–Noto ~£2.50; train Noto–Ragusa ~£4.50

🛏Guesthouse or B&B in Ragusa Ibla (dorm £22–30, private double £40–55)

• →Parco Archeologico della Neapolis (€17)
• →Ortigia & Syracuse Cathedral
• →Arethusa's Fountain
• →Noto Via Nicolaci & Palazzo Nicolaci
• →Caseificio Borderi sandwich lunch

Morning in Ragusa Ibla: the Duomo di San Giorgio, the winding stairways of Santa Maria delle Scale and the Giardino Ibleo — all free, just steep. Train or bus to Modica (15 minutes, £2) for the Baroque lower town and a tasting at Sabadì or Antica Dolceria Bonajuto (£5–10 for a flight of chocolates; the tour's Sabadì stop is bookable directly or just walk in). Afternoon: bus Modica → Gela / Piazza Armerina or take a pre-booked small-group Villa Romana transfer (£25–35) — the on-site mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale are €12 and unmissable. Overnight in Piazza Armerina or push on to Agrigento by bus/train (£9–12).

🚌Train/bus Ragusa–Modica–Piazza Armerina £10–12, or small-group transfer ~£30

🛏B&B in Piazza Armerina (£28–38) or Agrigento (dorm £22–30, double £40–55)

• →Ragusa Ibla Duomo di San Giorgio & Giardino Ibleo
• →Sabadì / Bonajuto chocolate tasting
• →Villa Romana del Casale mosaics (€12)

Be at the Valley of the Temples for opening (€13, buy online; 2–3 hours for the Temple of Concordia, Hera and Heracles). Then head west to Marsala by train via Castelvetrano or the direct bus (£7–9, 1hr45). Book a cellar visit and tasting at Cantine Florio directly (£20–30 including the Donna Franca and Duca Enrico rooms) and take a light lunch with a glass of Grillo at a local cantina (£15). Late afternoon, catch the bus or train along the Stagnone Salt Road to see the windmills and salt pans at golden hour (Stop & Go bus or the Trapani salt-flat shuttle, £2–4), then continue to Palermo by train (£10, 2hrs) — or overnight in Trapani (£30) and shift the schedule by a day.

🚌Bus/train Agrigento–Marsala ~£8; Marsala–Palermo train ~£10

🛏Hostel or B&B in Palermo (dorm £22–30, private double £40–55)

• →Valley of the Temples (€13)
• →Cantine Florio cellar tour & tasting (~£25)
• →Stagnone Salt Road & windmills
• →Light lunch with local wine

From Palermo take the train or bus to Trapani (£9, 2hrs), then the cable car up to Erice (£8 return) — a walled medieval town at 750m with the Venere Castle (€5), the Cathedral and views to the Egadi islands. Order a genovesi al pistacchio at Maria Grammatico's pasticceria (£3). Come down and take the local bus to Segesta (from Trapani or Alcamo, £2–3) for the Doric temple and the hilltop theatre, €12 combined. Alternatively, a GetYourGuide Erice and Segesta day trip from Palermo (£45–60) covers this in one go if you're short on time. Return to Palermo by evening bus/train (£9) for a final dinner of pasta con le sarde (£14).

🚌Train/bus Palermo–Trapani ~£9; Erice cable car ~£8 return; local bus to Segesta ~£3; return ~£9

🛏Hostel or B&B in Palermo (dorm £22–30, private double £40–55)

• →Erice cable car and medieval town
• →Venere Castle (€5)
• →Maria Grammatico pasticceria
• →Segesta Doric temple & theatre (€12)

Breakfast at a bar with a cappuccino and cornetto (£3), then one last walk through the Capo market for fruit, olives and pistachio paste to take home. If your flight is late, add a Cappella Palatina revisit or the Palazzo dei Normanni (€19) — or simply sit in the Giardino Garibaldi. The Prestia & Comandè bus to the airport runs regularly from Via Balsamo (£5.50, 50 minutes); allow 2.5 hours before your flight. If you need a late checkout, most Palermo hostels will hold bags free or charge £3–5.

🚌Airport bus ~£5.50 or Trinacria Express train ~£5

🛏None (departure day)

• →Capo market
• →Optional Palazzo dei Normanni (€19)
• →Giardino Garibaldi