Sicily in October half term?

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Just at the beginning of looking into this. We have older teens. So a bit of town/beach(not sure on the weather) and activity. I read about a Mount Etna trip that sounded amazing. 4x4 and lava channels.

Any tips/experiences would be welcome.

We based ourselves In Taormina and my dc enjoyed our day trip to Le Gole di Alcantara (a gorge). Sicily Active offers several activities at the gorge including river trekking, body rafting and kayaking.

I think that will be a lovely time to visit! A small cable-car links the lovely town of Taormina with the gorgeous beaches of Mazzaro/Isola Bella below so a stay in either would be perfect for you to get the best of both worlds.

We didn't take the Etna 4x4 & cable-car but we spent a whole day driving through the lava fields, it's like another world up there!

If you're able to, I highly recommend giving a couple of nights to stay on the volcano Stromboli - easily accessible by ferry from Milazzo. We've been twice now, it is absolutely magical!

Thanks! That all sounds great. I will get researching

I'd check it's not shutting down for end of season

@PinkPondQueen hi just revisiting this. I think we’re going to follow your recommendations! Can you possibly give me any more details on how you got to and from Stromboli and where you stayed? Thanks very much!

I am so jealous! Take the fast ferry from the port of Milazzo, it takes around 2 hours as it stops at a few of the other Aeolian Islands before getting to Stromboli which is the last stop. Very comfy ferries with good staff & very cheap too.

https://www.libertylines.it/en/

There is not a great deal of accommodation on Stromboli, hence hotel prices are high. We stayed at this resort the first time amd it was gorgeous with a rooftop terrace with an amazing view of Stromboli but the room was incredibly basic and not worth the momey

http://www.villaggiostromboli.it/

So the second time we opted for a villa with Airbnb, there are quite a few and they are much better value for momey. It was completely mindblowing with views of Stromboli erupting from one end of the terrace & the sea on the other.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/27925003?adults=1&children=0&enable_m3_private_room=true&infants=0&pets=0&check_in=2023-11-11&check_out=2023-11-16&source_impression_id=p3_1692166147_zLPWqT27ilNeamTy&previous_page_section_name=1000&federated_search_id=eaacc751-f255-40d3-b1ce-080f76439765

Finally, do make sure you go on a sunset boat trip to the Sciara del Fuoco for the most amazing viewa of the eruptions - we used Pasqualo both times - make sure you book in advance - and athough he doesn't speak English he communicates perfectly using a translation app - you will have the boat to yourself which is so much better as it is such a special experience!

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g194927-d12501148-Reviews-Pasqualo-Stromboli_Aeolian_Islands_Islands_of_Sicily_Sicily.html

Oh also forgot to say - there is very little to no parking at the port of Milazzo - I assume you will have a hire car? Stromboli is car-free, you get about using golf-cart taxis (great fun!) so you will need to leave your car behind at the port and Mylae parking were amazing. You drop your car off & they take you in a minibus direct to the port 5 mins away.

https://parclick.com/parking-milazzo/mylae

Taormina is amazing but October can be stormy

@PinkPondQueen thank you so much that’s brilliant! How many nights did you stay in Taormina and Stromboli? We’ve only 6 nights as need to get back for my sons birthday. Plan to fly in and out if Catania. Also we’re going in October, do you think that will be ok? Thanks again!

We did Taormina in June and loved it. However we didn't get to Etna as it was so cloudy every day that we wouldn't have been able to see much. It's a gorgeous island and we'll be back x

The first time we went was September and it was too warm so the last time we went was May and it was too cool and a bit drizzly! But I think that's quite unusual. The weather is so strange everywhere at the moment. We will be stopping in Sicily on a cruise in early October this year so I can report back on the weather!

We actually stayed in Castelmola which is the next village up from Taormina - it's much higher so the views of Mount Etna were even better! We stayed here and can highly recommend it - it is also much cheaper than Taormina. There is a bus stop right outside the hotel which takes you down into Taormina in about 10 mins.

https://www.hotelvillasonia.com/

We stayed on Stromboli for 3 nights then in Castelmola for 4 nights. 6 nights is plenty!

I went with my then 15 yo the first week of half term olin oct 19. It was fab, lovely weather, great climb up etna Etc. It was however the last week before many of the hotels shut for the winter, so if you have a 2 week half term as we do, go the first not 2nd week.
it is a fantastic place

Also when on Stromboli apart from the boat trips another must-do is to walk half way up the volcano to the viewpoint at 290 metres - you need to pay for a guide to go any further than that - it is a beautiful & easy walk, we took along my 72 year old father & he manages it no problem as the path switches back & fore so it's very gradual. Then go to the Osservatorio Restaurant on the way back down for great pizza & more great views of the volcano!

We went to Sicily in October half term and it rained almost the entire time, loads of places were shut because it was off-season (we'd turn up to restaurants that Google said was open and they wouldn't be) and there was no one in the restaurants we did eat in - literally had the place to ourselves every night but that was weird. We liked Noto, Taormina and Ortigia but wish we had done our research and not gone there. It ended up being an incredibly expensive holiday for what it was (which was a bit crap) - could have done a 2 week US road trip for the same price!

When is half term? Is it early or late Oct?

I was in Cefalu in late Sept/early Oct last year and the weather was fine - mid-20s or warmer every day. Everything was still open.

It’s a lovely place and a good alternative to Taormina which can get very busy and which I found to be more expensive generally than Cefalu (for eating out etc.)

Thanks everyone. The dates would be 14-20th October.

If you only have six days in total, I wouldn't go to Stromboli. It's amazing to do the hike and just staying on an island that's also an active volcano is very cool, but there is so much to do on Sicily and Etna is right there if you want to go on a hike up a volcano. Fly to Catania, stay somewhere nearby (I personally recommend either Taormina or Syracuse) and then either rent a car or do a few day trips. Sicily is amazing. We were there last Oct half-term (we were there the last week of Oct) and things weren't closed, all the restaurants were open, all the sights. We had beautiful weather, we swam in the sea at Fontane Bianche (it was like a warm bath). It was perfect.

@cheezncrackers i have to disagree. On our first visit we only stayed on Stromboli for 1 night but it was still totally worth the effort to get there. You can't compare Stromboli to Etna, the constant activity makes it virtually guaranteed you'll see an eruption. I suppose it depends on how interested the OP is in volcanoes... For a volcano nut like me it's my most favourite place on the planet! I am glad you had good weather on your trip!

I'm a volcano nut like you @PinkPondQueen, but most people aren't! My poor family get dragged all over the place so I can visit volcanoes and I agree, Stromboli is AMAZING, but unless the OP is nutty like us, Etna would suffice.
Realistically, visiting Stromboli would take at least two days of their trip 🌋

If OP is not already a volcano nut i'm sure they & their teens will be by the end of their Sicily trip, whether they see Stromboli or stick with Etna 😍 in fact with Etna's recent uptick in activity they may be very lucky indeed!

Loving the 🌋 chat! I’m not really a volcano nut. DS is about to start A level geography though so it will be cool for him. I’m just worried that with flight times (arriving late and departing early) a Stromboli trip will add in too much stress and make it more of a mission than a holiday.

It's very unpredictable in October weather wise. We had a week of rain.

You may be being sensible there OP. The two times we went to Stromboli was on the arrival day so by the time we went to bed we had been up for 18 hours as the Catania flights depart from Bristol at 6am. It was quite stressful but worth it for a volcano nut like me 🌋 it's not going anywhere! Maybe save it for another trip, I can guarantee you will love Sicily so much you will want to return anyway ❤️