A Sicilian honeymoon week

Fewer stops, more time in each one

This itinerary deliberately covers less geographic ground than most week-long Sicily plans, staying entirely on the east and southeast coasts and giving each stop two or three unhurried nights rather than one. The pace is built around evenings — sunset views, slow dinners, a private driver rather than a rental car for the longer legs — since a honeymoon week rewards lingering more than checking off sights. If you’d rather cover more of the island at a similarly comfortable standard, Sicily in style: 7 luxury days adds Palermo and Cefalù to a broader loop.

Best for	Couples, slower-paced luxury trips, honeymoons and anniversaries
Getting around	A private driver for the two longer legs is a genuine luxury option worth the cost; self-drive works too
Total budget guide	Around 3,000-4,500 € per couple for a week, accommodation and private tours included, excluding flights
Car needed	Optional — a private driver removes the need entirely

Days 1-3 — Taormina

Day 1: Settle into a boutique hotel inside or near Taormina’s old town — several converted historic properties along Corso Umberto and its side streets offer sea or Etna views without the town’s busier midday foot traffic reaching your terrace. Spend the first evening simply walking Corso Umberto and finding a quiet dinner spot away from the main square’s tourist-menu restaurants.

Day 2: The ancient Greco-Roman theatre in the morning, before the day’s heat and crowds build, then a slow afternoon at Isola Bella. Take a guided Taormina and Isola Bella tour with a swim stop. Time your evening for sunset from one of the town’s clifftop terraces — the view down over Isola Bella and the coast is the single most photographed honeymoon moment on this whole itinerary, for good reason.

Day 3: An Etna day, structured around romance rather than adventure. Book a chauffeur-driven visit to an Etna winery with a sea view — a private driver handles the mountain roads while you focus on the tasting and the view, a genuinely different pace from a self-drive day-trip crowd. Note that the actual summit craters remain access-restricted regardless of budget; above roughly 2,900m a licensed guide is mandatory and conditions depend on current volcanic activity, so this day is built around the wine and the views rather than a promised summit visit.

Days 4-5 — Syracuse and Ortigia

Day 4 morning: Transfer to Syracuse, about an hour and 15 minutes from Taormina — worth arranging a private transfer for this leg specifically, since arriving relaxed rather than having driven yourself matters more on a honeymoon than most other trips.

Day 4 afternoon and evening: Settle into a boutique hotel inside a converted palazzo in Ortigia, the small island old town connected to mainland Syracuse by two short bridges. An evening walk to Piazza Duomo — built directly onto the columns of an ancient Greek temple to Athena — as the light softens is one of the quieter, more atmospheric moments this itinerary offers, with far fewer day-trippers once the tour buses have left for the evening.

Day 5: Book a guided tour of Ortigia and the Neapolis archaeological park in the morning, then an unhurried afternoon exploring Ortigia’s quieter streets — the Fountain of Arethusa and the old Jewish quarter around Via della Giudecca both reward slow walking rather than a checklist pace.

Days 6-7 — Noto and Ragusa Ibla

Day 6 morning: Drive or transfer to Noto, about 40 minutes from Syracuse, for the Val di Noto’s Baroque showpiece — the Corso’s honey-gold facades are worth seeing at both midday and in the late-afternoon light, so consider a slower pace here rather than rushing through in an hour.

Day 6 afternoon: Continue to Ragusa Ibla, about an hour further, for its staircase streets and the Duomo di San Giorgio. Book a combined Noto, Modica and Ragusa Ibla tour if you’d rather have both towns guided in one relaxed day than self-navigate. Settle into a boutique hotel in Ragusa Ibla itself for the final night — the town empties out considerably once day-trippers leave, and an evening walk through it feels genuinely private.

Day 7: A slow final morning in Ragusa Ibla before departing — Comiso airport sits closer to this corner of Sicily than Catania, worth checking if your flights allow it, otherwise budget around an hour and a half back to Catania.

Practical notes

If your trip falls in June through September, check Taormina’s summer festival calendar before booking — open-air concerts and film screenings at the ancient theatre can make for a memorable, easily bookable evening if the dates align, or a frustrating sold-out disappointment if you assume you can buy tickets last-minute.