Sicily in 5 days

The natural extension of a short Palermo trip

Five days adds real breathing room to Sicily in 3 days — the same Palermo and Cefalù foundation, plus two more days on the west coast at Erice and Trapani, all still within about an hour and a half of each other. This is deliberately not a west-to-east loop; if you want the full west-coast region in more depth without Palermo, Western Sicily in 5 days covers similar towns at a slower pace.

What this trip still sacrifices: Agrigento’s temples, the whole southeast Baroque region, Etna and Taormina. Five days is enough to add real depth to a Palermo base, not enough to also cross the island east. Resist the urge to bolt on a rushed Agrigento day trip at the end — the drive alone is two hours each way, and it would cost you either Erice or Trapani to make room for it.

Best for	First-time visitors ready to add real depth beyond a Palermo-only trip
Getting around	Rental car recommended for Erice and Trapani; Palermo and Cefalù also work by bus/train
Total budget guide	Around 600-850 € per person for five days, excluding flights
Car needed	Recommended, not strictly essential for the Palermo/Cefalù half

Day 1 — Palermo’s old town

Morning: Start at the Cappella Palatina — go at opening, since the palace also houses Sicily’s regional parliament and closes sections on sitting days. Book a timed-entry tour of the Cappella Palatina and Palazzo dei Normanni.

Afternoon: Walk to Quattro Canti, the Baroque crossroads anchoring the old town’s four historic quarters, then Ballarò market for street food — panelle, arancine, sfincione, all cheaper and better than a sit-down tourist restaurant nearby. Palermo’s old town isn’t uniformly polished; expect restored facades next to buildings still scarred from decades of neglect, laundry strung between them — a working city first, a tourist destination second.

Evening: Settle in for an early night before tomorrow’s day trip. If you have any energy left, Capo market a few streets over runs later into the evening than Ballarò and is noticeably less crowded.

Day 2 — Monreale and Cefalù

Morning: Bus or drive up to Monreale, about 20-25 minutes, for the cathedral’s floor-to-ceiling mosaics and the 216-column cloister. Combine Monreale’s cathedral and Mondello beach on a single guided day.

Afternoon: Drive to Cefalù, about an hour from Palermo. The beach sits directly against the medieval old town, an easy pairing of swimming and sightseeing most of Sicily’s coast doesn’t offer without a separate drive.

Evening: Book a sunset catamaran cruise in Cefalù, or climb La Rocca, the headland above town, for the same view on foot.

Day 3 — Palermo to Trapani

Morning: Drive from Cefalù (or back through Palermo) to Trapani, about an hour and a half to two hours depending on your starting point. Walk the old town’s Baroque churches along Via Garibaldi and the fish market near the port. Watch for Trapani’s ZTL around the historic core.

Afternoon: Join a guided walking tour of Trapani with a cannolo tasting stop. Try couscous alla trapanese, a genuine local dish with Tunisian roots, for dinner rather than waiting for a more touristed spot to serve a lesser version.

Evening: Settle into Trapani for two nights — it’s the natural base for Erice tomorrow.

Day 4 — Erice

Morning: Take the cable car (about 10 minutes) or drive up the switchback road (20-30 minutes) to Erice, a medieval hilltop town at about 750m — on the right morning, a genuine sea of clouds sits below while Erice itself stays in clear sun.

Afternoon: Erice is compact enough for half a day — the Norman castle, the narrow stone streets, and a serious pasticceria tradition rooted in the town’s former convent kitchens. Book an evening Erice tour with a pastry tasting.

Evening: Drive back down to Trapani for a final dinner, or stay up in Erice if your accommodation is there — the town empties out considerably once day-trippers leave, and an evening walk through it feels genuinely different from the midday crowds.

Day 5 — Slow morning, and departure

Morning: A final relaxed morning in Trapani or Erice, depending on where you overnighted, before heading to Trapani-Birgi or Palermo airport for departure — Trapani’s own airport (a handful of budget routes) sits about 15 minutes from town and saves a long drive back if your flight allows it.

Where to stay for this pace

Two nights in Palermo’s old town, then two in Trapani, keeps this trip to just two accommodation changes across five days. Trapani is the better base of the two west-coast towns — it puts Erice’s cable car within 15 minutes and Marsala’s wine cellars within reach as a further half-day add-on, if you’d rather trade one Erice evening for a taste of that instead.

Practical notes

If flying out of Trapani-Birgi rather than back through Palermo, confirm your route in advance — it saves a return drive but limits you to the handful of budget carriers that actually serve it. Our how many days do you need in Sicily guide is worth reading if you’re deciding between this itinerary and a longer one before booking flights.