Three days is not much for an island this size, and the first rule of a short Sicilian trip is not to try to cross it. The distances are long, the roads inland are slow and the sights are rich enough that a single side of the island will fill your time. Choose west or east, pick a base, and accept that you are leaving the other half for next time. Here are two plans that work, and a way to decide between them.
Choosing your side
The west, based in Palermo, is for travellers who love art, architecture and street life: gold mosaics, Norman palaces, markets and a big, lively, slightly chaotic city. The east, based in Catania or Taormina, is for those who want landscape and ancient stone: a volcano, a Greek theatre above the sea, baroque streets and a great food scene. If you are torn, think about your arrival airport, since Palermo and Catania are both well connected and flying into one and out of the other (an open-jaw ticket) saves backtracking.
West, day one: Palermo's old town
Start with a street food walk to find your bearings and get a taste of the city, with its fried chickpea fritters, sandwiches and market stalls. Then head to the Norman Palace and the Palatine Chapel, where the gold mosaics are the highlight of any Sicilian trip. After a break, visit the Cathedral, with its mix of Arab, Norman and Gothic styles and a rooftop walk over the city, and take in the Quattro Canti crossroads. In the evening, walk to the Teatro Massimo and have dinner in the old town.
West, day two: Monreale and the coast
Take a morning bus or taxi to Monreale, where the cathedral is covered in some of the most extensive Byzantine-style mosaics in the world, and the cloister has carved columns, each different. Be there at opening to avoid the crowds. In the afternoon, return to Palermo for a siesta, or continue to the seaside at Mondello, a curving beach in a bay beneath a mountain. If you are curious about the unusual, the Capuchin Catacombs make a short but memorable visit.
West, day three: Cefalù or Segesta
For a coastal day, take the train to Cefalù, a seaside town with a Norman cathedral, a pretty old quarter and a long sandy beach. If you prefer antiquity, rent a car or join an excursion to Segesta, where an unfinished Doric temple stands alone on a hillside, and add the hilltop town of Erice if time allows. Return to Palermo for a final dinner.
East, day one: Catania
Begin at the fish market and the cathedral square, where the elephant fountain sits among black lava stone buildings. Walk up Via Etnea for a view of the volcano, stopping for a granita and brioche, a Sicilian breakfast. Join a food tour in the afternoon or evening to taste arancini and other specialities, and stay in the city for the lively night streets.
East, day two: Mount Etna
Spend the day on the volcano with a guided excursion, which handles the roads and the day's access rules. Expect lunar craters, lava caves and, on many tours, a winery stop on the lower slopes. Dress in layers and bring sturdy shoes. If you have energy left, add the Alcantara Gorges, a cold river through black basalt, on the way back to Taormina or Catania.
East, day three: Taormina and Syracuse
Choose between the two. Taormina is a hill town above the sea, with the ancient theatre looking across to Etna, the Corso for an aperitivo and the beach at Isola Bella a cable car ride below. Syracuse and Ortigia are about an hour south of Catania, with a Greek theatre, the island's baroque lanes, the cathedral built into an ancient temple and good seafood. Taormina is prettier; Syracuse is richer in history.
Practical notes
Book timed entries for the Palatine Chapel and the Greek Theatre in advance, reserve Etna early in your stay so you have a spare day if weather intervenes, and carry some cash for markets. Trains are fine along the coasts but slow elsewhere, so a rental car or a guided day trip makes sense for inland sights. Wear shoes you can walk in, since old towns are cobbled, steep and full of steps. Above all, leave a gap in the afternoon for a long lunch, because eating slowly is part of the Sicilian way.
If you have a car
A rental car changes the plan, but it does not change the advice to stay on one side. In the west it opens up Segesta and Erice, and in the east it makes the Alcantara Gorges and the hill villages above Taormina easy. Park at the edge of old towns and walk in, since traffic restrictions and narrow streets make city driving stressful. If you would rather not drive, small-group excursions are good value and take care of the logistics.
