Sicily & Malta Self-Launched Discovery

Fly into Catania (CTA) and take the Alibus shuttle into the centre (~£4, 20 min). Check into a hostel or guesthouse near Piazza del Duomo. Spend the afternoon getting your bearings: Piazza del Duomo, the Elephant Fountain, Catania Cathedral, and a wander through La Pescheria fish market (best before 13:00 — get there in the morning if you can). Evening: arancini and pasta alla Norma in a local trattoria off Via Etnea.

🚌Alibus airport shuttle (~£4); everything else on foot

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in central Catania (~£28/night)

• →Piazza del Duomo & Elephant Fountain
• →Catania Cathedral
• →La Pescheria fish market (self-guided)
• →Evening stroll on Via Etnea

Early Interbus or SAIS bus from Catania to Syracuse (~£5, 1h15). Walk to the Archaeological Park of Neapolis for the Greek theatre and Roman amphitheatre (ticket ~£12 on site or via GetYourGuide with an audio guide). Cross to Ortigia for the Piazza Duomo, cathedral and waterfront lanes. Mid-afternoon, take the local AST bus or train to Noto (~£3, 30 min) to walk the baroque Corso Vittorio Emanuele and cathedral steps. Continue by bus to Ragusa (~£4, 1h) and check into a guesthouse in Ragusa Ibla for two nights.

🚌Interbus Catania–Syracuse (~£5); AST bus Syracuse–Noto (~£3); bus Noto–Ragusa (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse in Ragusa Ibla (~£30/night)

• →Archaeological Park of Neapolis, Syracuse
• →Ortigia old town & Piazza Duomo
• →Syracuse Cathedral
• →Noto baroque centre (self-guided walk)

Morning stroll through Ragusa Ibla — the Giardino Ibleo, San Giorgio cathedral and the tumbling baroque alleys. Take the local bus or train to Modica (~£2, 25 min) for the baroque upper town and a chocolate tasting at Antica Dolceria Bonajuto or Sabadì (~£6). Then head to Piazza Armerina via Ragusa/Enna connections (bus ~£6, 2h total) to see the Roman mosaics of Villa Romana del Casale (ticket ~£10). Late afternoon bus to Agrigento (~£6, 1h45) and check in near the Valley of the Temples.

🚌Local bus/train Ragusa–Modica (~£2); buses Modica–Piazza Armerina (~£6); Piazza Armerina–Agrigento (~£6)

🛏Budget B&B near Valley of the Temples (~£32/night)

• →Ragusa Ibla & Giardino Ibleo
• →Modica baroque centre
• →Chocolate tasting in Modica (~£6)
• →Villa Romana del Casale mosaics (~£10)

Get to the Valley of the Temples at opening (bus line 1/2 from town, ~£2; ticket ~£12) and walk the Via Sacra past the Temples of Hera, Concordia and Hercules — allow 2.5 hours. Bus to Marsala (~£8, 2h via Palermo connections), lunch and a cellar tasting at Cantine Florio or a smaller Marsala winery booked direct (~£15). Late afternoon bus to the Stagnone salt flats for the windmills and lagoon views, then continue to Palermo (~£7, 1h45) for three nights in the historic centre.

🚌Local buses Agrigento–Marsala (~£8); Marsala–Stagnone (~£3); Marsala–Palermo bus (~£7)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Palermo's centro storico (~£30/night)

• →Valley of the Temples (~£12)
• →Marsala winery tasting (~£15)
• →Stagnone salt flats / Via del Sale sunset

Take AMAT bus 389 or the local train/bus up to Monreale (~£2) for the golden mosaics of the cathedral and the Arab-Norman cloister (combined ticket ~£8). Return to Palermo and use a day ticket (~£4) to tick off the Palermo Cathedral rooftops (~£8), the Martorana and the Cappella Palatina in the Norman Palace (~£13). Break for a cannolo or sfincione from a local bakery. Evening in the Vucciria or Ballarò street-food scene — cheap and excellent.

🚌AMAT bus/train to Monreale (~£2); Palermo day ticket (~£4)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Palermo centro storico (~£30/night)

• →Monreale Cathedral & Cloister (~£8)
• →Palermo Cathedral rooftops (~£8)
• →Church of the Martorana
• →Cappella Palatina (~£13)
• →Street food in Ballarò/Vucciria

Morning train Palermo–Cefalù (~£5, 45–60 min) — one of Sicily's prettiest rail stretches. See the Norman cathedral (free), the Mandralisca Museum (~£6) and swim off the town beach. Have granita con brioche at a bar on the Corso. Afternoon train Cefalù–Messina–Catania (~£12, 2h30 total) or a direct SAIS bus. Check into a Catania hostel, then spend the evening back at the fish market quarter and Piazza del Duomo.

🚌Train Palermo–Cefalù (~£5); train Cefalù–Catania via Messina (~£12)

🛏Hostel in central Catania (~£26/night)

• →Cefalù Norman Cathedral
• →Mandralisca Museum (~£6)
• →Cefalù beach swim
• →Granita & brioche (~£3)
• →Catania old town evening walk

Book a small-group Etna day tour from Catania on GetYourGuide (~£55–70 including transport to Rifugio Sapienza at 2,000 m and the Crateri Silvestri walk, plus a honey/beekeeping farm stop if you pick that version). Alternatively, take the AST bus to Rifugio Sapienza (~£5 each way) and pay for the cable car/4x4 up to 2,900 m (~£50) — only if the weather is clear. In the afternoon, bus or train from Catania to Taormina (~£4, 45 min), ride the cable car up (~£3), see the Greco-Roman theatre with Naxos Bay views (~£10) and wander the Corso Umberto. Return to Catania for the night.

🚌Organised Etna transfer or AST bus (~£10 return); train/bus Catania–Taormina (~£4); Taormina cable car (~£3)

🛏Hostel in central Catania (~£26/night)

• →Mount Etna & Crateri Silvestri (~£55–70 tour, or ~£55 DIY with cable car)
• →Honey farm tasting
• →Taormina Greco-Roman Theatre (~£10)
• →Riviera dei Ciclopi viewpoint

Take the bus to Catania airport (~£4) and fly to Malta with Ryanair or KM Malta Airlines (~£40–70 if booked ahead; the seasonal Catania–Valletta catamaran is a slower alternative). From Malta International Airport, bus X4 or the taller routes into Valletta take ~30 min for £2.10 single / £5 day ticket, or ~£18 by taxi. Base yourself in Valletta for three nights and spend the afternoon walking the bastions, Upper Barrakka Gardens and Republic Street. Sunset over the Grand Harbour is free.

🚌Catania airport bus (~£4); flight Catania–Malta (~£55); Malta airport bus (~£2)

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Valletta (~£30/night)

• →Upper Barrakka Gardens & Saluting Battery views
• →Valletta bastions and Republic Street walk

Bus to the Three Cities (~£2) — Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua — and walk the waterfront and Gardjola Gardens; a short dgħajsa water taxi across the creek costs about £2. Continue by bus to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk for the Sunday market (or any-day harbour walk) and a seafood lunch. Afternoon bus to Wied iż-Żurrieq (~£2) for the Blue Cave boat trip (~£8, weather permitting). If time allows, bus to Dingli Cliffs for sunset. Optional add-on day: a Comino/Blue Lagoon and Gozo boat tour booked via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£30–40).

🚌Malta day bus ticket (~£5); dgħajsa water taxi (~£2)

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Valletta (~£30/night)

• →Three Cities walk (Vittoriosa, Senglea, Cospicua)
• →Marsaxlokk market & harbour
• →Blue Cave boat trip (~£8)
• →Dingli Cliffs sunset
• →Optional Comino/Blue Lagoon & Gozo boat tour (~£35)

Morning in Valletta: St John's Co-Cathedral with Caravaggio's Beheading of St John the Baptist (~£13), Casa Rocca Piccola (~£10) and the Barrakka Gardens. Skip or pay extra for the Grand Master's Palace state rooms (~£10) depending on your appetite. Afternoon bus to Mdina (~£2, 30 min) — silent city lanes, the belvedere viewpoints over the island, and a pastizzi stop in Rabat. Return to Valletta for a final harbourfront evening.

🚌Malta day bus ticket (~£5)

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Valletta (~£30/night)

• →St John's Co-Cathedral & Caravaggio (~£13)
• →Casa Rocca Piccola (~£10)
• →Barrakka Gardens
• →Mdina old town & belvedere
• →Rabat pastizzi stop (~£2)

Depending on your flight time, take a final walk along the Valletta waterfront or squeeze in the Malta Experience show. Bus to the airport (~£2, 30 min) or arrange a shared transfer (~£10–18). Note: on Sundays and public holidays Sicilian transport thins out, so double-check any shoulder-day connections before you travel.

🚌Malta airport bus (~£2)

🛏—

• →Final Valletta waterfront walk