Self-Launched Solo-ish Sicily: Catania to Palermo

Land at Catania-Fontanarossa (CTA) and get into town cheaply: the Alibus shuttle runs to Catania Centrale station and the centre every 20–25 minutes for around €4 (buy on board or via app), or a taxi is €20–25 if you're arriving late or with heavy bags. Check into a hostel or guesthouse near Piazza del Duomo or Via Etnea. In the late afternoon, wander the fish market area around Piazza Piscaria (La Pescheria) while it's still lively, then join a small-group hands-on Sicilian cooking class — pasta alla Norma, arancini and caponata — booked ahead via GetYourGuide or a local cooking school (roughly £45–55 including dinner and wine). Alternatively, assemble your own dinner from street stalls: arancino (£2–3), cartocciata, and a cannolo (£2).

🚌Alibus airport shuttle ~£3.50 (or taxi ~£20 shared), then walking

🛏Hostel or family-run guesthouse in central Catania (£25–32/night)

• →Alibus transfer from Catania airport to centre
• →Evening wander of La Pescheria fish market area
• →Hands-on Sicilian cooking class with dinner (~£50)

Do your own orientation loop on foot: Piazza del Duomo with the black-lava elephant fountain, the baroque Cattedrale di Sant'Agata, Teatro Massimo Bellini, the Roman theatre (€6), and the monastic complex of San Nicolò l'Arena (€8). Join a small-group Catania street food and market walking tour (book via GetYourGuide or Airbnb Experiences, ~£35–45) which doubles as your market visit — you'll try horse-meat arancini, seltz al limone and local cheeses. In the afternoon, look up a Migrantour-style community walk run by local social enterprises if dates align (roughly €15–20 direct), or simply explore the steep lanes of the Civita district. End the day the Sicilian way with an aperitivo (spritz + snacks, £6–8) in Piazza Teatro Massimo.

🚌Walking; occasional city bus/metro ticket ~£1

🛏Hostel or family-run guesthouse in central Catania (£25–32/night)

• →Self-guided baroque Catania walk
• →Catania street food and market tour (~£40)
• →Optional community/migrant-led city walk (~£15)
• →Aperitivo in the centre (~£7)

Take an organised small-group Etna day trip booked direct with a local operator or via GetYourGuide (£50–70) — this replaces the private vehicle and covers Rifugio Sapienza, a guided walk around the Crateri Silvestri (free to walk, formed in 1892) and the cable car/4x4 option up to 2,900m if you want it (extra ~€65). Bring a windproof layer; it's 10–15°C colder up top. Independent alternative: AST bus from Catania to Rifugio Sapienza (~£4 each way, seasonal and infrequent) then walk the crater loop yourself. In the afternoon the trip continues to Taormina, where the Greek Theatre (Teatro Antico) costs €10–12 to enter and gives you Etna and the coastline in one frame. Loop up to Castelmola for the village walk and a granita, then return to Catania by train (Taormina-Giardini to Catania, €4.50, ~50 min).

🚌Shared small-group minibus for Etna (~included in tour cost); train Taormina–Catania €4.50 (~£4)

🛏Hostel or family-run guesthouse in central Catania (£25–32/night)

• →Guided Etna and Crateri Silvestri walk (small-group day tour ~£60)
• →Teatro Antico di Taormina entry (~£9)
• →Castelmola village walk and granita (~£4)

Check out and take an early regional train from Catania to Syracuse (€7.20, ~1h10). Spend the morning on foot on Ortigia island: the Duomo built into a Greek temple, the Fountain of Arethusa, and the daily market on Via De Benedictis for picnic supplies. If you want the full archaeology hit, the Neapolis park with its Greek theatre (€17) is 20 minutes' walk away. In the afternoon, cover the long hop west: train Syracuse to Agrigento via Modica or via Catania takes 4–5h with changes (€15–18), or take a Flixbus/SAISbus connection for around £12–15. Arrive in Agrigento late afternoon, walk Via Atenea and the old town at dusk, and eat at a trattoria near Piazza Pirandello (pasta with pistachio and sardines, £10–12).

🚌Train Catania–Syracuse €7.20 (~£6); train or bus Syracuse–Agrigento ~£14

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Agrigento old town (£25–30/night)

• →Ortigia self-guided walk and market visit
• →Optional Neapolis archaeological park (~£15)
• →Evening stroll of Via Atenea, Agrigento

Free day, exactly as the tour intends. Get to the Valley of the Temples early on local bus 1/2/3 from Piazzale Rosselli (€1.20, ~15 min) or a 30-minute walk; entry is €10 (€15 with the archaeological museum) and the Temple of Concordia at sunrise light is the highlight — allow 2.5–3 hours. Then take bus 2 to San Leone beach and, if you have energy, walk towards the white cliff of Scala dei Turchi (free to view; the cliff itself is no longer climbable, and access paths change — check locally). Alternatively stay in town and visit the Diocesan Museum. Evening back in the old town with a cheap pizza and a glass of local Grillo (£12–15).

🚌Local buses ~£2 total; walking

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Agrigento old town (£25–30/night)

• →Valley of the Temples entry (~£9)
• →Optional archaeological museum (+£4)
• →San Leone beach and Scala dei Turchi viewpoint
• →Local bus day pass

Take the regional train from Agrigento Centrale to Palermo Centrale — the direct service runs a few times a day (€12.60, ~2h10); otherwise change at Roccapalumba-Alia or take a SAIS Trasporti bus (€13, ~2h30). Check into a hostel in the Kalsa or Vucciria area, then do your own orientation loop: Teatro Massimo, Quattro Canti, the Cattedrale, and the Norman Palace gardens. Late afternoon, walk the Ballarò or Vucciria market lanes as they set up for the evening, and grab a sfincione (£2.50) and panelle sandwich (£2). Finish with free time in Piazza San Domenico.

🚌Regional train Agrigento–Palermo €12.60 (~£11)

🛏Hostel in central Palermo (£28–33/night)

• →Self-guided Palermo orientation walk
• →Ballarò and Vucciria market wander
• →Street food tasting (~£7)

Your day, your rules. Option A: a small-group Palermo street food tour booked via GetYourGuide or a local outfit (£45–60, roughly mirrors the operator's optional food tour but half the price) taking in Vucciria, the Capo market, and a stop for pane con la milza and cannoli. Option B: bus to Monreale for the golden mosaics of the cathedral (free) and the cloister (€12). Option C: bus 806 from Piazza Politeama to Mondello beach (£1.40, 20 min) for a swim and a seaside lunch. Then tick off the Capuchin Catacombs (£3) or the Palazzo dei Normanni and Cappella Palatina (€19 combined — book a timed slot in high season). Regroup for an optional final dinner with any travel mates from your hostel; a good trattoria near the port runs £18–22.

🚌City buses ~£3 total (Mondello bus, or Monreale bus)

🛏Hostel in central Palermo (£28–33/night)

• →Palermo street food small-group tour (~£50) or Monreale mosaics trip
• →Optional Cappella Palatina / Palazzo dei Normanni (~£16)
• →Optional Capuchin Catacombs (~£3)
• →Optional final group dinner (~£20)

Depart at your leisure. If you're flying out of Palermo Falcone-Borsellino (PMO), the Prestia e Comandè bus runs from Palermo Centrale to the airport every 30 minutes for €6.60 (~50 min) — buy on board or via app. If you're heading to Naples or Rome instead, there are overnight ferries from Palermo port (Tirrenia/GNV, from ~£35 as a foot passenger) plus direct trains with a change at Messina. Leave with a camera full of Etna and a stomach full of cannoli.

🚌Prestia e Comandè airport bus €6.60 (~£6)

🛏None — departure day

• →Airport transfer