How to Tour Sicily
Sicily is an island off the coast of southern Italy that is one of Europe's most historical regions. It was once ruled by the Asians, Africans and Europeans before the Italians finally settled in Sicily. Sicily is famous for its art, archaeology, cuisine, history and awesome scenery. The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Swabians, Angevins and Aragonese all contributed to a cosmopolitan island nation with an eclectic history. There is much to see in Sicily, including the Greek Temples, Roman amphitheatres, Norman Arab castles and Aragonese churches. First you should decide how you are going to travel in Sicily to see all the wondrous sites, then you should pick three main areas to tour.
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Instructions
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Tour Sicily by train for an economical way of traveling. Sicily has direct train connections to the major cities on the Italian mainland, with one or two trains running the long-distance routes every day. Book a window seat or upgrade to first class to get the best of the scenic journey. Public transport within Sicily may have a bad rap, but the main railway lines are efficient.
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Tour Sicily by bus if you are looking for an economical and scenic way of traveling. The are numerous bus companies that run urban and rural bus services on the island. The buses can as fast, convenient and frequent as trains. Two of the main companies that operates long-distance services between towns are Interbus and A.S.T (Azienda Siciliana Trasporti). Tickets for town bus routes are usually bought in advance, at bars or newsstands near the bus stops.
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Drive in Sicily if you are planning on staying more than a week. A car will enable you to see many of the smaller or more remote sights.
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Start your tour in Palermo. Palermo is a seaside city and is a good city to start with since it is where most people land from their flights or boats.
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Hire a driver or find a tour company to tour Palermo. While in medieval Palermo, visit the Norman abbey of Monreale that overlooks Palermo and is famous for its Byzantine mosaics and Norman-Arab cloister. In the same area, you can see some of the city's Norman-Arab sights such as the Palatine Chapel, cathedral and Martorana Church.
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Set out for the close-by medieval hilltop town of Erice that was ruled by Phoenicians and Elymians. Have a quiet lunch at an olive farm and Marsala tasting after your morning tour. Return to Palermo for one more night of city life.
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Head south to Agrigento's timeless Greek temples. The architecture in the ruins are spectacular and perfect for pictures.
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Take a bus or hire a driver to take you to Mount Etna, Sicily's highest mountain and Europe's largest active volcano. Surrounding the volcano, there are numerous wineries to go wine tasting through.
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Tips & Warnings
Make all transportation arrangements in advance for your trip to Sicily. Many travel agents will have preferred methods of getting around.
Driving in Palermo can be dangerous even for experienced drivers. Take warning and take public transportation if possible.
