Sicily is one of my favourite places in Italy to visit. It has an amazing range of sights, from volcanoes to temples to beautiful towns and beaches. Here’s the ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car.
Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you. All links are only to products I would personally recommend.
How long do I need in Sicily?
Sicily is a surprisingly large island, and I think you could easily fill several weeks here. You could spend longer if you were planning to spend some days just relaxing on the beaches and swimming in the sea. But if you don’t have time to spend several weeks in Sicily, then one week is enough to get a good flavour of the main sights. Here’s your ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car.
Where should I stay in Sicily?
With a week in Sicily, I’d recommend choosing two locations as a base for your time. If you try to change your accommodation more, you can end up feeling like you’re spending your week just travelling between locations and not seeing anything. Two bases for accommodation will give you a chance to try two areas, and plenty of time for day trips as well.
I chose Catania and Oritigia as my two bases for my week in Sicily. So my ultimate guide to ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car will cover these locations. You can check out some great hotels in both these locations on booking.com (affiliate). Or check out my guide to the best hotels in Sicily here.
Keep reading to find out all the top things to do in these two places.
What is the best time of year to visit Sicily?
I visited Sicily in early/mid October and I thought that was a perfect time to visit. The summer, especially July and August, can get super hot. Its often very uncomfortable to try to do any sightseeing in that heat. So I’d recommend waiting until October. The weather is more pleasant, and while there may be some rain, you should still get some clear sunny days. When I visited in early/mid October, it averaged around 25 degrees each day, and even though there were some heavy showers, there was plenty of sun as well. I thought it was a great time of year to visit.
Can I really visit the top sights in a week in Sicily without a car?
Yes, you can! My ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car will show you exactly how you can explore some of the best sights in the country without the hassle of hiring your own car.
Driving in South Italy, and Sicily in particular, can be very challenging. The roads are busy and chaotic. The ‘rules’ of the road here are more like suggestions, that people feel free to completely ignore. Expect a lot of overtaking and beeping of horns, all in narrow cobbled streets with pedestrians, motorbikes and parked cars all in the mix.
I was incredibly glad I didn’t try to hire a car here! Instead, I relied on public transport and a couple of small group day tours to get to see the best places. You can check out some of the day tours on Get your Guide (affiliate) and day tours on Viator (affiliate), but below I’ll show you which of the tours are the best.
Keep reading for a detailed itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car.
Day one
At the beginning of my trip to Sicily, I stayed in the city of Catania and used this as a base to do day trips around the area.
Mount Etna
On day one of my ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car, explore the spectacular scenery of Sicily’s famous volcano, Mount Etna. History of Etna etc
I booked onto a small group tour for my trip to Etna, and was very pleased I did. There is a public bus, but it only goes once a day and has a reputation for being very crowded. So I was very glad I chose the small group tour.
Check out the small group tour to Mount Etna on Get your Guide here (affiliate), or a similar tour on Viator here (affiliate).
The tour started with a drive up to Etna from Catania. The scenery was lovely, with great views up towards Etna from the road.
As we climbed higher, the scenery got more dramatic as trees stopped growing and the lava took over.
Etna Cable Car and crater
After about an hour of driving from central Catania, we reached the base of the cable car. This point is at 2000 metres. At this point, we left the tour bus and went in the cable car up the mountain. The views just got better and better.
The cable car costs 68 euros each, and most tours don’t include the cost of the ticket in the tour, so you need to pay extra for this.
At the top of the cable car, at 2500 metres, we transferred into a 28 seater jeep. We then climbed the dusty roads to 2750 metres. This is as high as you can go on the volcano. We got out and walked around, while the guide told us information about the landscape and past volcanic eruptions.
After another short jeep journey, we reached the point where we could walk around one of the Craters on the volcano. It was just amazing.
I loved the red soil, turned red from the iron oxide. And there were areas where you could see steam and hot gasses coming out from the rocks, and it was hot to touch.
On the way down, the clouds started to roll in, which gave more atmospheric photos as we went back down the cable car and back down the road to Catania.
A lot of Etna tours are half day excursions, so you’ll be back in Catania early afternoon. You can then do a bit of sightseeing in Catania. Remember to check out the Etna tours here (affiliate) or Etna tours here (affiliate) to book your trip.
Catania
The Duomo is a great place to start, with an impressive baroque facade and large piazza. There’s an elephant statue here too, and also a fountain.
The umbrella streets were one of my favourite parts of Catania. They were so colourful, especially on a sunny afternoon. This area around the fish market was full of cafes and bars and restaurants and full of life. It was a great atmosphere.
The Castello Ursino is another must visit destination in Catania. It dates back to the 13th century. You can pay the 10 euros to go inside and see the artefacts in the museum and get closer to the historic castle walls. It’s not a huge place, so 40 minutes is probably enough time, but it’s still worth visiting.
Bt this point, it’s time to try some of the amazing local Italian food for dinner. Pizza in Catania is great. The Romana pizza is full of flavour with cheese and anchovies. Or the Forna pizza is a twist on the classic Sicilian penne alla forna pasta dish, with aubergine and riccota. Both pizzas were amazing! A great end to a busy and fun-filled first day.
Day two: Agrigento, Turkish Steps and Villa Romana del Casale
On day two of the ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car, it’s time to explore a bit more of Sicily. From your base in Catania, there are several day tours you can choose from to take you to Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples.
It’s not really possible to visit Agrigento in a day by public transport. It would just take too long to get there, leaving you very little time to look around before you have to try to get back. A small group day tour is perfect for Agrigento. It allows you to visit in a day, and you also have time to visit some other attractions such as the Turkish Steps and Roman Villa.
Check out the tour I did to Agrigento here (affiliate), or a similar tour to Agrigento here (affiliate).
On my tour, we started with the drive from Catania to Agrigento. It took a couple of hours, but the scenery from the road was amazing.
Valley of the Temples, Agrigento
At the Valley of the Temples, we had two hours to explore the ancient site on our own. I enjoyed having this free time to explore at my own pace and take in the area. There were so many amazing views and amazingly preserved temples.
The temples date back to the Greeks, and the Temple of Concordia is one of the most famous sights in Sicily.
After spending two hours exploring the ancient site, we then got back in the minibus and drove the short distance to the coast.
Turkish Steps and lunch
Here, we could get out for ten minutes to get an amazing view of the Turkish Steps. This rock formation is really impressive, with the white steps that cascade down into the sea.
The views along the rest of the coastline were beautiful as well.
After this, we stopped in the small coastal town for lunch. This was included in the tour. I was really impressed with the quality of the food. Highlights for me were the anchovy and olive focaccia and pistachio cannoli.
Villa Romana del Casale
Back on the minibus, we drove for another hour to Villa Romana del Casale.
This Roman Villa has some amazingly preserved mosaics. It was clearly owned by a rich person back in Roman times, as the whole place was huge and impressive. I loved seeing all the intricate details on the mosaics.
One of the most famous mosaics was the ‘bikini girls’. Apparently this was the first time girls had been captured in art in bikinis! It’s actually a scene of them playing sport, but it was good to see.
I also really liked seeing the mosaics of animals and hunting scenes.
We spent just over an hour at the villa, which was a good amount of time. Then it was time to head back to Catania. If you’d like to do a tour like this or similar, check out the tour to Agrigento here (affiliate), or the tour here (affiliate).
We got back to Catania fairly late, around 7.30pm. But luckily Italians enjoy late dinners, so there was still plenty of time to enjoy dinner and a walk around when we got back.
I had one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever tasted! We went to a restaurant in Catania and I had the pasta dish Penne alla Norma. Its pasta in a tomato sauce with aubergine and ricotta cheese. It sounds so simple, but the flavours were just amazing. A perfect end to another great day in Sicily.
Keep reading on the next page for day 3 of the ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car!
Would like to know where you landed? Any suggestions for B& B – or small hostel/hotels?
I flew into Catania. It worked well to stay in Catania for a few days – it’s a great base for doing day trips around the region. There are lots of accommodation choices in Catania, I’d recommend staying in the centre near the market and cathedral. And my second base was Syracuse, staying on the small island of Ortigia. It was easy to get from Syracuse/Ortigia back to Catania for the flight home. Hope that helps, and hope you have an amazing trip!