Self-Launched Sicily: Palermo to Catania in 5 Days
5 days · Sicily
Click Tours charges £920
No-markup version: ~£378 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of Click Tours' 5-day Palermo-to-Catania city break, rebuilt for independent travellers. You'll hit the same highlights — Monreale's Arab-Norman mosaics, Palermo's markets and Baroque squares, Cefalù's Norman cathedral, Catania's lava-stone centro, granita and brioche, the fish market, Mount Etna's Silvestri craters, and Taormina's Greek theatre — but using public buses and trains, hostel or budget-guesthouse beds, and self-bookable tours instead of a 50-person motorcoach with set lunches. Prices are rough backpacker/budget-mid estimates in GBP; Sicily in shoulder season is notably cheaper than summer.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Palermo & settle into the old town
Palermo
Land at Palermo Falcone-Borsellino airport and take the Prestia e Comandè bus (€6.60, ~50 min) or the Trinacria Express train (€6.60) to the city centre. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in the Kalsa or Vucciria area, then spend the late afternoon on foot: wander Quattro Canti, the Fontana Pretoria (the 'Square of Shame'), and the outside of Teatro Massimo. Grab a cheap dinner of sfincione (Sicilian focaccia) and pane e panelle from a street stall in the evening — Palermo's street food is dinner-worthy and rarely over €8. Optional: pre-book a Palermo street-food walking tour on GetYourGuide (~£30) if you'd rather have a local explain the chaos on night one.
🚌Prestia e Comandè airport bus or Trinacria Express train, ~£6-7
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in the historic centre (~£25-30/night)
- →Airport bus/train to city centre
- →Self-walk: Quattro Canti, Fontana Pretoria, Teatro Massimo exterior
- →Street-food dinner in Vucciria or Ballarò
Monreale mosaics & Palermo's Arab-Norman churches
Palermo / Monreale
Get up early and take AMAT city bus 389 from Palermo's Piazza Indipendenza up to Monreale (~€1.40, 25 min). Monreale Cathedral's gold mosaics are the showstopper the coach tour is built around — entry is free (small fee for the cloister, ~€6). Back in Palermo, buy the combined 'Appartamento Reale' ticket (~€19) covering the Cappella Palatina in the Palazzo dei Normanni and the Martorana (Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio) church near Piazza Bellini. Add Palermo Cathedral (free entry, ~€3 for the roof) and the cloister. Lunch at a cheap trattoria near Ballarò market rather than the tour's set restaurant — try arancine and a plate of pasta for around €10-12. Evening: free stroll along the waterfront or a €5 spritz in Piazza Magione.
🚌AMAT city bus 389 to Monreale, ~£1.20 each way
🛏Same hostel/guesthouse, Palermo (~£25-30)
- →Bus 389 to Monreale
- →Monreale Cathedral & cloister
- →Cappella Palatina (Palazzo dei Normanni)
- →Martorana church
- →Palermo Cathedral & rooftop
- →Ballarò market lunch
Cefalù en route to Catania
Cefalù / Catania
Check out and head to Palermo Centrale for the regional train to Cefalù (~€5.80, about 45-60 min) — the same stop the tour makes, but on Trenitalia instead of a coach. Cefalù's Norman Cathedral is free to enter (€6 for the cloister); then climb La Rocca (€6) for views or just swim at the town beach for free. Optional: Mandralisca Museum (~€6) if you like antiquities. Continue from Cefalù to Catania by train — change at Messina or Palermo, roughly 3.5-4.5 hours and €20-28 depending on connection. Arrive in Catania in the evening, check into a hostel or budget guesthouse near Piazza Duomo, and do the required Catania ritual: granita di mandorla with a brioche at a historic bar (Prettu or Spinella, ~€3).
🚌Trenitalia Palermo–Cefalù ~£5; Cefalù–Catania ~£18-24
🛏Hostel/budget guesthouse near Piazza Duomo, Catania (~£25-30)
- →Trenitalia Palermo–Cefalù
- →Cefalù Norman Cathedral
- →Optional La Rocca climb or beach swim
- →Optional Mandralisca Museum
- →Train Cefalù–Catania
- →Granita & brioche in Catania
Catania Baroque walk, Mount Etna & Taormina
Catania / Mount Etna / Taormina
Start with the fish market (Pescheria) at 7-8am while it's in full swing — free and the best thing in Catania. Do a self-guided loop of Piazza Duomo, the Liotru lava elephant, University Square, Via dei Crociferi and the outside of San Benedetto monastery. For Etna, the cheapest independent route is the Ferrovia Circumetnea train or AST bus toward Rifugio Sapienza (~€6-8), or — much easier and about £35-45 — pre-book a half-day Etna tour on GetYourGuide/Klook from Catania that includes Rifugio Sapienza and the free Crateri Silvestri walk (the cable car + 4x4 to the summit is an optional extra ~€65, skip it if budget matters). If you self-drive or bus up, stop at a roadside honey/apicoltura stand for a tasting. Late afternoon, take the Circumetnea train or bus on to Taormina (~€5-6) for the Greek Theatre (€10) and a wander through the medieval lanes; the Interbus back to Catania runs until around 8pm (~€5). Big day — pack snacks.
🚌AST bus / Circumetnea train to Etna ~£7; Interbus Taormina–Catania ~£5
🛏Same hostel/guesthouse, Catania (~£25-30)
- →Catania fish market (Pescheria)
- →Self-guided Baroque Catania walk
- →Mount Etna & Crateri Silvestri (half-day tour or public transport)
- →Honey tasting at an Etna roadside stand
- →Taormina Greek Theatre & old town
- →Bus/train back to Catania
Catania farewell & departure
Catania
Last morning: a slow espresso and cannolo, a final wander through Piazza Duomo, and maybe a walk along Via Etnea or a dip at the rocky beach in Ognina if you have time. Alibus shuttle runs from Catania centre to Fontanarossa airport every 20-25 minutes for €4 (about 25 min); the metro also links the airport. If your flight is late, you can leave bags at the hostel for a few euros. If you're continuing on, trains south to Syracuse (~€8, 1 hour) make an easy extension.
🚌Alibus airport shuttle, ~£3.50
🛏—
- →Final Catania centro wander
- →Alibus to Catania airport
- →Optional Syracuse extension
Self-launched vs. Click Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Click Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£378 | £920 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £542 per person (59%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Click Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£378
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Sicily: Palermo to Catania in 5 Days cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £378 per person for 5 days in Sicily. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Click Tours?+
Yes — Click Tours charges around £920 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £378 — a saving of roughly £542 (59%) per person.
How long is the Sicily trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through Sicily.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, city-breaks, foodie trip through Sicily, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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