Things to Do in Sicily: 16 Best Places to Visit

16 Best Places to Visit in Sicily

Sicily rewards travelers who think in regions rather than a random string of stops. Here are the 16 places that structure a real route across the island, grouped roughly from east to west.

1. Taormina and Isola Bella

Perched on a hilltop above the Ionian Sea, Taormina pairs a Greek theatre with sweeping coastal views and a compact old town of boutiques and terraces. Below the cliffs, Isola Bella is a small islet reachable by a narrow sand strip, popular for swimming and snorkeling in clear coves. For estate visits and tastings organized from town, see our taormina wine tours page.

2. Mount Etna and its cable car

Europe’s tallest active volcano dominates the eastern skyline, and a cable car climbs partway up its slopes before hiking trails and 4×4 excursions take you closer to the craters, depending on current activity. Lava fields, black sand and panoramic views over the Ionian coast make the ascent worth the half-day it takes.

3. Catania and its street food

Sicily’s second city sits at Etna’s foot, built partly from its lava stone, with a Baroque center around Piazza del Duomo. Catania’s street food scene runs through its fish market and the arancini, horse-meat sandwiches and granita stalls tucked into the old streets. Estate visits from the city are covered on our catania wine tours page.

4. The Aeolian Islands and Stromboli

Off the northeastern coast, this volcanic archipelago includes Stromboli, whose active crater still glows visibly at night from a boat offshore. Lipari and Vulcano round out a day trip or overnight stay reached by hydrofoil from Milazzo, with black-sand beaches and thermal mud pools.

5. Syracuse and Ortigia

Syracuse blends a modern town with Ortigia, its small island old town packed onto medieval streets, a Baroque cathedral built over a Greek temple, and a lively fish market each morning. The Parco Archeologico della Neapolis holds a Greek theatre and Roman amphitheatre just outside the center. Estate visits nearby are listed on our syracuse wineries page.

6. Noto and the Baroque towns

Noto’s honey-colored center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rebuilt in Sicilian Baroque style after a 1693 earthquake, with a cathedral and palazzi lining a single sweeping main street. Modica, Scicli and other Val di Noto towns share the same architecture across the southeast.

7. Ragusa

Split between the lower medieval quarter of Ragusa Ibla and the upper 18th-century town, Ragusa layers Baroque churches into a hilltop setting with narrow lanes made for slow walking. It anchors the southeast alongside Noto and Modica as part of the Val di Noto UNESCO listing.

8. Valley of the Temples, Agrigento

The Valle dei Templi is one of the best-preserved clusters of ancient Greek temples outside Greece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built during the ancient city of Akragas. The Temple of Concordia stands almost intact among olive and almond groves overlooking the coast. Estate options near the site are on our agrigento wineries page.

9. Palermo’s old town and Teatro Massimo

Sicily’s capital mixes Norman cathedral architecture, Arab-influenced markets and Teatro Massimo, one of Europe’s largest opera houses, inside a dense old town. Ballarò and Vucciria markets double as street food tours in themselves, from panelle to sfincione. Tastings around the city are listed on our wine tasting palermo page.

10. Cefalù

On the north coast, Cefalù pairs a Norman cathedral with a sandy beach right below the old town and a rocky headland called La Rocca behind it. It works well as a day trip from Palermo or a coastal stop en route west.

11. Trapani and the salt flats

Trapani’s old town sits on a narrow spit between two seas, with salt pans and windmills stretching along the coast toward Marsala. It’s the natural base for exploring western Sicily’s wine and salt country. Estate visits are covered on our trapani wineries page.

12. San Vito Lo Capo

This northwestern beach town is known for a wide arc of pale sand and turquoise, calm water, framed by limestone cliffs. It sits at the edge of the Zingaro nature reserve and makes a good coastal base for a day or two.

13. Zingaro nature reserve

Between San Vito Lo Capo and Scopello, Zingaro was Sicily’s first protected nature reserve, with marked coastal trails leading to isolated coves accessible only on foot. It’s a half-day hike-and-swim combination rather than a drive-through stop.

14. Marsala and its wine country

At Sicily’s western tip, Marsala gives its name to the fortified wine produced across the surrounding countryside, alongside dry whites from Grillo and Catarratto. Cellars here often combine a tasting with a walk through the old baglio courtyards. Details on tastings are on our wine tasting marsala page.

15. Villa Romana del Casale

Near Piazza Armerina in central Sicily, this Roman villa holds one of the largest and best-preserved collections of Roman mosaics anywhere, covering floors across dozens of rooms. It’s a detour inland but a genuine archaeological highlight distinct from the coastal sites.

16. Scopello and the Tonnara

A former tuna fishery on the coast near Zingaro, Scopello’s Tonnara sits below dramatic sea stacks in a cove that’s become one of western Sicily’s most photographed spots. It pairs naturally with a Zingaro hike or a San Vito Lo Capo base.

Book Etna or Marsala cellar visits a day ahead in shoulder season — small estates run limited daily slots.