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Sicily

The Mediterranean's largest island — smouldering Mount Etna, Greek temples, baroque towns and Italy's most soulful food.

  • Island
  • April – June, September – October
▸ Discover

About Sicily

Sicily is a civilisation compressed — Greek temples in better condition than anything in Greece, Norman-Arab-Byzantine cathedral mosaics that glow like heaven, Baroque hill towns rebuilt after a 1693 earthquake and one of Europe's most active volcanoes on the doorstep. Palermo's chaotic street-food markets, the tuna-and-capers cuisine of the western coast and Taormina's clifftop Greek theatre overlooking Etna complete the picture.

Highlights

  • Valley of the Temples, Agrigento (UNESCO)
  • Mount Etna volcano hike or cable car
  • Palermo street food — arancini, panelle, sfincione
  • Baroque Noto and Ragusa Ibla
  • Taormina Greek theatre and Etna views
  • Cefalù cathedral Norman mosaics and beach

Sicily in photos

Sicily — photo 1
Photo: radkuch.13 · BY 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 2
Photo: radkuch.13 · BY 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 3
Photo: Nicola since 1972 · BY 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 4
Photo: archer10 (Dennis) · BY-SA 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 5
Photo: gnuckx · CC0 1.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 6
Photo: archer10 (Dennis) · BY-SA 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 7
Photo: Daveness_98 · BY 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 8
Photo: Libertinus · BY-SA 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 9
Photo: 16:9clue · BY 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 10
Photo: archer10 (Dennis) · BY-SA 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 11
Photo: radkuch.13 · BY 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 12
Photo: Chiara Marra · BY 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 13
Photo: Chiara Marra · BY 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 14
Photo: tango- · CC0 1.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 15
Photo: gnuckx · CC0 1.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 16
Photo: gnuckx · CC0 1.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 17
Photo: gnuckx · CC0 1.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 18
Photo: archer10 (Dennis) · BY-SA 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 19
Photo: archer10 (Dennis) · BY-SA 2.0 · Openverse
Sicily — photo 20
Photo: subarcticmike · BY 2.0 · Openverse
▸ Where you'll stay

Where you'll stay in Sicily

Live map of hotels and villas around Sicily — powered by Stay22. Pan, zoom and compare live prices to pick your base.

Stay

Hotels & rentals around Sicily

Pan, zoom and compare live prices — every stay in one map.

▸ What you'll do
What's on

While you're there

02
SEP
Venice Film Festival 2026
Via Pietro Buratti 5, 30126 Venezia Venice, Italy · cultural
Build a trip around it →
30
JAN
Venice Carnival 2027
Piazza San Marco 40, 30124 Venezia Venice, Italy · festival
Build a trip around it →
▸ Best beaches
By the sea

Best beaches in Sicily

The 7 shores actually worth the trip on Sicily — ranked, with the vibe of each and where to stay nearby. Tap a card to fly the map to it.

  • San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily Long sandy © Ensahequ (CC BY-SA 4.0)

    San Vito Lo Capo

    Three kilometres of powder-white sand curl beneath Monte Monaco, shallow warm water safe for wading kids.

    Best for families and sunbathing

    Stays near this beach →
  • Scala dei Turchi, Sicily Dramatic © Carnby (CC BY 3.0)

    Scala dei Turchi

    Blinding white marl steps stack into stair-like terraces above the sea, now ticketed to curb erosion damage.

    Best for photos and drama

    Stays near this beach →
  • Cala Rossa, Sicily Swimming © Davide Mauro (CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Cala Rossa

    A flooded tuff quarry where you dive off flat limestone ledges into unreal turquoise water.

    Best for swimming and snorkelling

    Stays near this beach →
  • Isola Bella, Sicily Snorkelling © Solomonn Levi (CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Isola Bella

    A pebble cove flanking a tiny WWF islet, its clear rocky shallows the best snorkelling near Taormina.

    Best for snorkelling day trips

    Stays near this beach →
  • Mondello, Sicily Family © Dedda71 (CC BY 3.0)

    Mondello

    Palermo's crescent town beach, soft sand and shallow calm water backed by belle-epoque bathing cabins.

    Best for families with kids

    Stays near this beach →
  • Calamosche, Sicily Secluded © Enzo Rippa (CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Calamosche

    A wild 200-metre cove in Vendicari reserve reached only on foot, no bars, no loungers, just clear calm sea.

    Best for escaping the crowds

    Stays near this beach →
  • Cefalù, Sicily Sunset © Einaz80 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Cefalù

    Golden sand curves right beneath the medieval old town, its pastel houses glowing over the water at sunset.

    Best for sunset strolls

    Stays near this beach →
Explore

Explore the area

Sicily · Around the island · 1 island · 7 beaches

© OpenFreeMap · OSM · terrain Mapterhorn
Do

Local attractions & tours

Skip-the-line tickets and small-group tours in Sicily — compare across our partners.

We're still curating hand-picked tickets and tours for Sicily. In the meantime, the map above and the nearby cities are a great place to start.

▸ When you'll go

When to visit Sicily

April – June, September – October

▸ Ready to book your trip?
Book

Ready to book your trip?

Flights, airport transfers and car hire — search and compare without leaving the page.

▸ Trip extras
Book

More trip extras

Parking, holiday extras, and more — coming soon.

Coming soon

We're lining up parking, holiday extras and activities you'll be able to add to any trip from here.