I don’t like heat, beach vacations and crowds of people, so I prefer to travel in the low season. I didn’t want to be cold and wet in the rain, so I chose Sicily: in December it’s sunny and about +15°C almost all the time. Lots of sights and delicious food.
It took me a week to buy my tickets, book my accommodation and figure out my itinerary. And just half a day to fall in love with this island.
Why go to Sicily
Sunbathing by the sea. Sicily has a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and short mild winters. The temperature in July – August averages +26 °С, in December – February does not fall below +10 °С. The bathing season lasts from May to October.
Admire the art. The historical centers of Sicilian cities are decorated in Baroque style. Antique architecture and frescoes in cathedrals and churches are well preserved.
Good food. Sicilian cuisine differs from the classic Italian cuisine by its great variety. Italian, Arabic, Spanish and French culinary traditions are closely intertwined here, as the island has often changed masters.
Engage in extreme sports. Sicily has an active volcano Etna, which is about 3300 meters high. In winter it becomes a ski resort, and in summer there are organized climbing and just walks on the slopes.
Itinerary
In one week I visited seven of the most popular tourist destinations in Sicily. I lived in two cities: Palermo and Catania. From Palermo I traveled to Agrigento, Cefalù, Erice, and the suburb of Monreale. From Catania I went to Taormina, Syracuse and saw the Etna volcano from afar.
Money
Italy’s currency is the euro. Almost everywhere you can pay by card, but there are exceptions. For example, you can buy a ticket from a city bus driver only with cash. Small guesthouses may not have a terminal. Some bars and restaurants may not accept cards either, it is better to check this at the entrance. Beverage and snack machines are usually cash only. Private cab drivers don’t want to pay taxes, so you can’t pay with cards.
Before the trip I withdrew 400 € in cash. Of this, I spent only 100 € in 8 days and brought the rest home. In cash I paid for a cab from Trapani to Erice and back – 50 €, for a hotel in Catania – 31.5 € and for lunch in a restaurant in Taormina, which unexpectedly did not accept cards – 17 €.
Housing
I spent six nights out of seven in Palermo and one night in Catania. I booked accommodation in Palermo on Booking 4 days before arrival, in Catania – just a couple of hours before check-in.
In Palermo, I rented a single room in a guesthouse. It didn’t have its own bathroom, just a shared one for several rooms. But in the low season this was not a problem: I was the only guest. The room was small – only 12 m², but with all the amenities for an unpretentious traveler: a bed, a closet, a bedside table, a lamp and a TV.
If you will be traveling in low season, please let the hosts know in advance what time you will arrive. There is no 24-hour reception in the guesthouses. That’s why when I made the reservation, I indicated my arrival time and wrote down the hotel phone number so that I could call the owner if necessary.
At check-in, they scanned my passport: by law, hotels are required to officially register each resident.
The room in Catania was a five minute walk from the train station. It was the same price as the one in Palermo, but it had a private bathroom.
Transportation
The cities in Sicily are small – you can walk around their historical centers in an hour. Therefore, the most convenient way to get around in the city is on foot. I used transportation mainly for intercity travel.
Buses. Intercity bus stations are located near the main railway stations of the city. Tickets can be bought at the bus station ticket office for cash or by card. It takes 1.5 hours and 7 € to get from Catania to Syracuse.
You have to buy tickets for city buses from the driver for cash. One trip cost me 1.4 €. It was the only time I needed to ride a city bus and I didn’t have any cash. Luckily, the kind Sicilian driver let me ride for free, but asked me to buy a ticket at the station.
Trains. Traveling by train in Sicily is very convenient. Tickets cost the same as a bus, but there is more comfort.
The stations in Sicily are within walking distance of the city center. If there are several stations in a city, the main one is usually called Centrale. Inside, there is clear navigation and plenty of signage, so I wasn’t afraid of getting lost. You can buy tickets in terminals or at the ticket office. There are no queues at the terminals, they only accept cards and you can choose the English interface. The ticket from Catania to Palermo cost me 13.5 €.
Announcements are made in Italian and English. The scoreboard indicates the nearest trains with destination, departure time and delay. During the week I had only one train late and only by 5 minutes.
You don’t have to go through turnstiles to get on the train: entry is free. But there are controllers on almost every route. The fine for a stowaway is 200 €.
Any ticket must be composted before boarding the train. Composters are located in the station building and on the platforms. You have to shove the ticket deeply into the slot and wait for the device to beep for a while. Then you can take the ticket out and get on the train with a clear conscience.
What to see in Sicily
Palermo. Most of the historic center of Palermo is built in the Baroque style. I was able to see the city in half a day, though I didn’t go into the palaces and churches.
The most beautiful attraction in Palermo is the cathedral. Entrance is free, but it’s not very interesting. But for 5€ you can go up to the roof of the cathedral. I was lucky, the weather was good and I had a wonderful view of the domes and the coast from the roof.
Another curious attraction is the catacombs of the Capuchin monks. For 3€ you can see the decayed and embalmed bodies of Palermo residents in 17th century clothes. I went there just for the sake of a tick, but the pleasure was questionable. It was unpleasant to look at the corpses.
At Palazzo Reale I went into the Palatine Chapel with golden mosaics by Byzantine masters. The ticket cost 10 €. I paid another 2€ extra to visit the garden, but it was small and unsightly.
Monreale is located 20 km from Palermo. It can be reached by city bus from the stop at Palazzo Reale for 1.4 €.
In Montreal, I went to see the cathedral, famous for its 12th century cycle of mosaics on biblical themes. The cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I spent an hour looking at the perfectly preserved mosaics from floor to ceiling of the cathedral. Entrance is free. For 2,5 € you can go up to the roof, but after Palermo the view did not impress me.
Cefalù is a small resort town. It takes 50 minutes to get there from Palermo by train. A round-trip ticket cost 11.2 €.
Cefalù is notable for its cliff, which offers stunning views of the city and the coast. It costs 4 € to climb the cliff on a special path. I bought the ticket in the machine at the entrance. The town itself can be walked around in an hour.
I wanted to go to the main cathedral, but it was closed. Tourist websites say that it is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Sicily because of its mosaics. I had already seen the mosaics in Montreal and Palermo, so I wasn’t too upset.
Syracuse. I went to Syracuse to see the ruins in the ancient Neapolis Park. But it turned out that in winter on Sundays and holidays the park is open only until 13:45. I got there in the afternoon and saw the ruins only through the fence.
But 2 km away from the Antique Park is Ortigia Island, where the historical center of Syracuse is located. There are no paid attractions here – the churches are open to tourists during services. And I walked the streets for several hours, looking at every house.
Etna Volcano. When planning my trip, I wanted to go up the Etna volcano by cable car. But in the end I didn’t have enough time for it.
Etna can be reached in a couple of hours from Catania. A cable car ride costs 30 €. You have to remember that Etna is an active volcano. Then it turned out that it was erupting even during my trip. From the outside it looked like the top of the volcano was just in a gray cloud.
It is also possible to ride around Etna on the old narrow gauge railroad. The train leaves Catania from a separate station 2 km from the central station. Then it takes 3.5 hours through the villages around the volcano to the final station Riposto. From there it takes 15 minutes to reach the resort town of Taormina or return to Catania.
Taormina is a resort town that is also called the Sicilian Riviera. I went there for photos – the historic center of Taormina offers wonderful views of the sea and Etna.
To get to Taormina, you have to go through a whole quest. The thing is that the train station is on a plain, and the town itself is on the cliffs. You either have to walk 2 km up the serpentine, or take a cab for 15 €. I was lucky, I got a free ride from an Italian from the parking lot, from whom I simply asked for directions.
The only paid attraction in the city is the Greek Theater. Tickets cost €10, children under 18 are admitted free of charge. The best views of Etna and the bay are from there. Unfortunately, the theater was restored too clumsily, using ordinary bricks. Because of this, it has lost all its antiquity.
The town itself is very small but cute. I took my time walking around the center in just a couple of hours.
Erice. To get to Erice, I first took a bus from Palermo to Trapani. The round trip ticket cost 14 €. Then I walked to the cable car, which was closed.
Immediately, a consilium of Italians decided that the only way to get to town was to take a cab 25 kilometers down the serpentine. A local private driver charged 50€ round trip with a wait. Expensive, but in the low season there was no other way to get to Erice, so I went.
Erice turned out to be a small town that looked like it had stepped out of the pages of medieval books. Massive towers, narrow stone streets and a stunning view of the coast from about 900 meters above sea level.
Agrigento. It took me 2 hours to get to Agrigento from Palermo. The round trip ticket cost 18 €.
Entrance to the Valley of the Temples cost 10 €. The impressive monuments of ancient architecture contrasted with the backwater town in the background. That must be why they didn’t seem beautiful. This is the one place I wouldn’t have gone. The few ancient structures were not worth the long train ride and another 4 km walk.
Markets and supermarkets
I wanted to go to the Sicilian markets. I hoped to see endless fish stalls, bustling vendors, mountains of fruit and vegetables. But whether because of December or for some other reason, the markets in Palermo were not like that at all.
Tourist websites advertise the Vucciria market in the center of Palermo. It is quite small, and is geared more towards tourists than locals.
Locals buy their groceries at the Ballaro market. It is located next to the Palermo Centrale train station. The market is large and the assortment is Sicilian: fresh and frozen fish, vegetables and fruits, cheeses, sausages and meat, olives, spices.
I was hoping to save money, but the assortment and prices at the market turned out to be almost the same as in the big supermarket Carrefour. For example, a kilogram of tangerines cost about €1, fresh vegetables cost up to €3, Parmesan cost about €10. You should save money in the supermarket, where there are discounts. For example, a kilogram of parmesan in “Carrefour” cost me 7 €, and a kilogram of Barilla linguini cost only 1 €.
Cafes and restaurants
Going to a restaurant in Italy is not considered a big deal. Italians like to organize family dinners, meetings with friends and lunches with colleagues. Stopping at a bar and having an espresso at the bar counter is almost a daily ritual for some.
In Sicily you should not waste your time choosing a restaurant by prices, because they are the same everywhere and do not depend on the interior and location. A dinner consisting of a main course with a side dish, pasta or pizza with a drink will cost 20-25 €, with dessert – 25-30 €. A separate line in the check may include a coparta – service charge. Usually it is 2-3 €.
Menus are often written in Italian and English. Waiters may not speak English, but they will still recommend a local dish and emotionally show you how delicious it is. Before boarding, it is worth checking the possibility of card payment and internet availability – not all restaurants have them.
Every place has amazing Italian food: pasta, pizza, risotto and vegetable salads. From Sicilian cuisine, I tried swordfish, pasta with anchovies, pasta with tuna and sardines, and desserts with ricotta. Local restaurants capitalize on the popularity of seafood and jack up the prices. A regular pizza costs up to 12 € and a seafood pizza 16 €. The same goes for risotto and pasta.
At the local pasticcerias, I picked up cannoli, a traditional Sicilian dessert made of fried dough. A large cannoli costs 4 €, a smaller version of cannolini costs 1.5 €.
I also tried the Sicilian street food arancini – rice balls dipped in breadcrumbs and well-fried with different fillings: cheese, ham, spinach, mushrooms or meat. One ball and a coffee in the center of Palermo cost 4,5 €. This was enough to fill me up for a couple of hours.
People
Sicilians are even more outgoing and friendly than those in mainland Italy. Every Sicilian was willing to help me find a landmark or the right stop. If they didn’t know themselves, they would ask the first person they met or look it up on the internet. Once, two young men even shared their wifi because they didn’t speak English, but they were very eager to help.
Italians are very fond of their language. They believe that it is tourists who should learn Italian, not Italians who should learn English. They were not confused by my “but italiano” and they friendly kept asking me about something in Italian. It was a little annoying at times. English was spoken by the staff in hotels, cafes and places of interest.
The hostess’s mother came to our guest house in Palermo every morning and brought us breakfast rolls. She spoke only Italian, and the Google voice translator helped me a lot.
Shopping and souvenirs
Shopping. Sicily has many pluses, but good shopping is not among them. In Palermo, Taormina and Syracuse you can buy something from famous Italian brands. In mid-December, the Christmas sale has not yet started, so I didn’t see any point in shopping.
The main shopping street of Palermo is Via della Liberta. Here you can find both famous Italian brands: Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and mass-market brands: Zara, Benetton and H&M. In Taormina and Syracuse, stores are scattered around the historic center.
Souvenir shops. Souvenir shops sell the standard set – magnets, mugs and T-shirts. Among the more or less unique things are porcelain wine stoppers with traditional Sicilian motifs.
There is a lot of cheap costume jewelry and jewelry. Sicilians are very fond of bright jewelry.
Souvenir stores with traditional food and drinks are popular, but you should buy food there only for the beautiful packaging. The same things are much cheaper in supermarkets, and there is more choice.
I brought home edible souvenirs: cheese, sausage, pasta, wine, grappa and wine vinegar. I shopped in the center of Palermo near the seafront in a large “Carrefour”.
Results
During my short vacation I went somewhere every day, alternating between natural and architectural sights. Because of this, traveling around Sicily was a busy but not tiring experience.
There are no attractions on the level of Rome’s Vatican, and the streets of Palermo sometimes don’t look like pure Europe at all. But the nature, weather and local people made Sicily a place I’d like to return to. I will consider it for a summer vacation by the sea or a similar city trip in 5 years.
