The ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car

Day 3: Taormina

On day 3 of the ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car, head to Taormina for a day trip. It’s a beautiful small town in the coast, to the north of Catania. And it has some amazing views, especially from the amphitheatre there. 

Bus or train to Taormina?

There are frequent buses from Catania to Taormina. This means it’s easy to do as a day trip by yourself, and you don’t need to book a guided day tour. But tours are available if you’d prefer – check out tours to Taormina here (affiliate) or here (affiliate).

The buses leave every half an hour from Catania in the morning. It’s best to get there well head of the time bus you want to get, especially if you’re visiting in the peak tourist season. I visited in mid October and it was still very busy. I arrived about 10.10am but the 10.30am bus was already full, so we booked onto the 11am bus. Make sure you buy your tickets in advance and get on the timed bus that your ticket says. 

The journey takes about 1 hour 15 minutes and is a pleasant ride. The bus goes along the motorway so it isn’t too windy and feels quick and efficient. The bus drops you off near the town centre. 

You can also get the train from Taormina to Catania, but the train station in Taormina is at the bottom of the cliff, so you’ll then need a bus to take you up to the town. I found the bus to be quick and easy as it drops you in the town. 

Taormina – Teatro Greco

Taormina is a really pretty place. I’d recommend first heading to the Teatro Greco. This is the most famous sight in Taormina. It costs 10 euros entrance, and you’re rewarded with some fantastic views. 

I just loved the views over the amphitheatre towards the sea and Mt Etna. 

The theatre is impressive as well, and I loved walking around and thinking about what it would have been like to live here all those years ago. 

Lunch and Taormina town

After enjoying the views, head back down and into the town for lunch. There are many places to choose from for lunch, but I’d recommend walking slightly further away from the main street. The main street restaurants are very expensive and touristy, with not the best food. A quieter side street is much more likely to have better food.

I had some amazing bruschetta in Taormina. There were many flavours to try. My favourite was the pistachio pesto. But the aubergine was also good, and also the olives and anchovies. The flavours were just amazing. 

In the afternoon, wander around the streets of Taormina. The streets are so pretty. 

There are also churches you can see and go inside as well. The Cathedral of Taormina, or duomo, had a lovely interior as well as exterior. 

There are also stunning views out to sea from many places in Taormina. 

It really is a beautiful place to visit. I was sad to get the bus back to Catania that evening! 

Evening in Catania

We were back in Catania in the evening, ready to do a little more sightseeing on the way to dinner. The Duomo in Catania is open until 7pm most days, so I enjoyed looking inside there. And the Piazza del Duomo and elephant statue looked just as lovely as ever.

And the umbrella streets looked great at night as well. 

For dinner, I’d recommend another restaurant in Catania. You can get some amazing pasta dishes for under 10 euros. I had one with fried zucchini/courgette, ricotta cheese and olive oil. It was just amazing, especially with a glass of Sicilian red wine. A lovely ending to another lovely day. 

Day 4: Catania to Ortigia

On day 4 of the ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car, it’s time to head to your second base of the trip. Ortigia is a really beautiful small town, south of Catania, and is a perfect place to stay for the rest of your week in Sicily. 

Bus from Catania to Syracuse

Buses leave from Catania to Siracusa/Syracuse fairly regularly throughout the day, about every hour. And the bus journey takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. It’s a comfortable bus, more like a coach, and doesn’t have any stops so feels efficient.

Syracuse is the main town, and Ortigia is the small pretty island the is connected to the mainland by bridges. Even though the bus gets into Syracuse, I’d definitely recommend staying in Ortigia. It’s smaller and prettier, and right on the sea.

Ortigia

I often try not to do too much on travel days when I’ve got my suitcase with me. So I’d recommend taking the afternoon to just walk around Ortigia slowly and enjoy the pretty streets.

The views across the water from the coast are also beautiful. 

After you’ve checked in to your hotel, head out for an evening walk. Ortigia is a beautiful place to watch the sunset. In October, the sun was setting about 6.30pm.

After watching the sunset, I headed into a nearby bar for an aperitif. I loved this part of Italian culture, to just sit with a drink and a few snacks before dinner.

There are plenty of great restaurants in Ortigia for dinner. I had swordfish, a Sicilian classic, with olives and capers. It was amazing. The fresh seafood here is definitely worth trying.

Ortigia feels really safe even late into the evening, so you can go for a relaxing after dinner walk before heading back. 

Day 5: Syracuse Archaeological Park and Noto

On your fifth day in Sicily, I’d recommend exploring some of the area around Syracuse, before taking a half-day trip to the pretty town of Noto.

Syracuse Archaeological Park

I’m the morning, you can visit the Syracuse archaeological Park. It costs 10 euros to go in. Check out the latest prices and opening times here.

The archaeological Park is fascinating, with ancient ruins dating back thousands of years. But be aware that there aren’t many signposts in the park to read. It’s best to have a map and/or guidebook with you so you can read about the ancient sites here, otherwise you’ll miss out on a lot of information. 

My favourite part of the archaeological zone was the Greek theatre. It was huge, and just as impressive as the Greek theatre in Taormina. 

The quarry and caves were also interesting. And the slaughter table was fascinating too.

I really enjoyed visiting here. There wasn’t any shade, so I was glad I visited in the morning before it got too hot. There’s also an archaeological museum here too, where you can see some of the old Greek and Roman artefacts that they found here. 

There’s a cafe in the archaeological zone, but I’d recommend walking a few minutes outside of the tourist-y area to find a cafe back on the main street. Cafes were only a 5-10 minute walk away and did amazing paninis, with the Sicilian pistachio pesto which I loved. And also granita – a refreshing icy drink, flavoured with things such as almond or lime.

Noto

I then got the train to Noto for the afternoon. I got the 13.30 train and it only took about half an hour. The train station in Syracuse is near the archaeological zone, so it makes sense to do both things on the same day. The train station in Noto is about a 10-15 minute walk to the main streets and Duomo. 

Unfortunately, I visited Noto during a torrential thunderstorm. The rain was insanely heavy, with really loud thunder and flashes of lightning. It meant that I did spend some of my visit sheltering in nearby buildings! But the town of Noto was still really pretty despite the weather. 

The duomo was my favourite sight, including going inside the impressive cathedral. 

And I also enjoyed just walking around the streets, enjoying the baroque architecture. 

Back in Ortigia for the evening, luckily the weather cleared enough to be able to enjoy an apperetif while watching the sun setting into the clouds. 

For dinner in Ortigia, I decided to have a change from pasta and have pizza instead. I just love Italian pizza! Another great ending to another great day. 

Keep reading for the final day of my ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car.

Day 6: Ortigia

Day 6 of my ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car is the final day in Sicily. I decided to have a quieter, more relaxing day to look around Ortigia and enjoy the atmosphere. 

The streets are all so cute and lovely. I enjoyed just wandering the streets and getting lost, never knowing what I’d find around the next corner.

The sea is never far away in Oritiga, and it’s lovely to walk along the coastline. 

The castle at the southern tip of Ortigia is a nice place to walk to, to see the views and learn about the history.

There’s also a few historic sights in Oritiga, such as the Tempio de Apollo and Plaza Archimedes.

The market in Ortigia is also worth visiting. There are stalls selling fresh fish and seafood, as well as fruit, vegetables, nuts, jars of pesto, clothes, and loads of other stuff. It’s a great place to walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. 

The Duomo in Ortigia is really impressive, dating back to the 7th century. You can go inside the Duomo as well. The Piazza Duomo is huge as well, and a lovely place to sit for a while. 

You can also swim in sea off Ortigia. The beach isn’t huge or particularly pretty, but it’s still a nice place to enjoy a dip in the fresh sea, especially on a hot day.

And of course, no evening in Ortigia is complete without watching the beautiful sunset and the way it lights up the clouds in different colours. And also sipping a glass of wine as the sun sets.

For dinner on my final night, I had amazing fresh pasta with swordfish and cherry tomatoes. 

Then after dinner, there was just time for one final walk along the seafront before heading back, ready to get the flight home the next day.

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed my week in Sicily. The food was amazing, and the culture of sitting for a drink as the sun sets before going for dinner was lovely. I also loved the variety of sights, from the Etna volcanic landscape, to ancient temples in Agrigento, pretty streets in Taormina and Noto, and relaxing by the sea in Oritiga. Remember to check out the great day tours on Sicily to make the most of your trip on Get Your Guide (affiliate) and Viator (affiliate).

Sicily really does have something for everyone and I’d definitely recommend spending 6 full days here to get a taste of the island. I’m already planning a return trip to explore more of the beautiful island of Sicily. 

Hope you enjoyed the ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car! Make sure you check out my other posts about travel in Italy, including the best hotels and places to stay in Sicily, and trips to the Cinque Terre and Portofino. Or you can spend a week in and around Naples, check out the Roman ruins in Pompeii and Herculaneum, and spend a day on the Amalfi Coast. If you’d like to explore another beautiful Mediterranean island without a car, check out my guide to Malta without a car.