For many travelers one of the key objective of summer holidays is finding the perfect beach experience. This is why today I would like to provide you with the top 5 beaches in Sicily as travel ideas for this summer. Say that you have planned your summer holidays in Sicily this year (if not check it out now!).
Then the burning question you might be asking yourself is: which side of Sicily has the best beaches? Let’s start with the basics by simply visualizing Sicily in two halves. The West Coast and the East Coast. Yes, like the United States. Intuitive, isn’t it? So then the questions would be: which coast is better in Sicily? Or which side of Sicily is better? Frankly that is harder to answer… I come from the East Coast and the crystal-clear waters of the West Coast make me crave for summer in my night dreams. However, the East coast offers an incredible variety and I am sure that you will find your ideal beach there too.
This is why in my top 5 beaches in Sicily list below I tried to come up with a balanced selection between beaches in the West and in the East, each at a reasonable distance from the two Sicily main airports. Catania on the East Coast and Palermo on the West Coast. Hence, no need to ask yourself which part of Sicily is the nicest? This article will clarify what are the things to do in Sicily when it comes to a beach holiday.
The ranking
- San Vito Lo Capo – West Coast
- Calamosche beach – East Coast
- Isola Bella Taormina – East Coast
- Cefalù – West Coast
- Capo Peloro – East Coast
#5 Capo Peloro
[Video] One of my favorite beaches in the East Coast is the Capo Peloro beach. It is not among the most photographed beaches on Instagram and, although it is not popular with tourists, Sicilians love it! Part of a small nature reserve, this is a long beach made of white and grey little stones and very strong currents at sea. The water is clear for the first five meters and then suddenly it becomes dark blue due to the very deep waters of the Strait of Messina. This beach is located at the North tip of Sicily, offering a beautiful view over mainland Italy just three km off on the other side. If you happen to discover Capo Peloro/Punta Faro, make also sure you don’t miss the culinary highlight of this area.
The mussels soup of Ganzirri. Just behind the beach, you will find two lakes where mussels are grown and plenty of little restaurants can be found on the lakes shores. We are not talking about fancy restaurants, but rather local and unsophisticated ones. Sometimes the menu only has one item. Mussels!
#4 Cefalù
[Video] This is a lovely village along the North-West coast of Sicily. There you will discover a town beach that is among the most popular beaches of Instagram and I bet you might have already seen some pictures of this beach. The beauty of it is that it is literally part of the town historical center. The sea is just a couple of meters away from the old medieval houses, and from some of them you could literally have a private staircase directly on to the beach. It is also one the best beaches in Sicily for families given that you can take advantage of the services of the town of Cefalù. Additionally, its golden sand makes it comfortable and a playful place for your kids.
#3 Isola Bella Taormina
[Video] The name says it all. In English Isola Bella means “Beautiful Island”, so I could stop here. Just 150 meters down the hilly resort town of Taormina (there is a cable car or a beautiful staircase with view that you can use to get down, one of the things to do in Taormina which I like the most), the beach at Isola Bella will enchant your eyes. What is special about Taormina? If you always had this idea in mind of the typical Italy Dolce Vita landscape, Taormina is the proof that it does exist and it is not a cinema invention.
The beach stretches within a natural gulf, and an island appears next to the beach (you can literally walk to the island with seawater reaching pretty much your knee). The island shape, rocks and vegetation make it special and I would invite you to get inspired by watching this drone video of the Taormina beach. The Taormina hotels choice is also quite wide, and some of those are directly at the Isola Bella beach.
#2 Calamosche
[Video] As one of the several beaches of the Vendicari Nature Reserve, this sandy, crystal-clear water beach is a must if you happen to be in South-East Sicily. Consider that it might get a bit sporty to get there, especially in the summer as you would need to walk within the Nature Reserve for ca. 20 minutes from the parking lot. Once there though, just disconnect from the contemporary world, you’ll like it. If you are more than the average sporty person, then discover the entire Nature Reserve trails to see and hear the many wild bird species in there. Bear in mind that within the Nature Reserve there is no place where you can buy food or drinks, so bring something with you and a sun umbrella for the time you’re planning to stay there.
#1 San Vito lo Capo
[Video] Tina Turner would have said: “You are simply the best”. I would like to think of that famous song when suggesting the best beach in Sicily to you. The village of San Vito lo Capo will give you the impression of being in a Tunisian seaside village. Its light is somehow special; the nature around the village has something unique as well, which cannot be found on the European soil except for here. In the area there are also several hiking options such as the round trail of Monte Cofano, and many others. San Vito lo Capo is by far the #1 of the top 5 beaches in Sicily.
To recap
I am not a big fan of rankings. True, they help a lot like in this article. However, the risk is not to be exhaustive and to miss many more beautiful beaches in Sicily. This is why I could mention a few more such as: San Lorenzo beach, Isola delle Correnti, Minareto beach, Sampieri, Santa Maria del Focallo and its sand dunes, Mondello beach in Palermo, Scala dei Turchi etc. What should you not miss in Sicily? For sure the beach experience, regardless of which beach you choose in the end. However if you want to discover your secret beach, you might want to use the interactive Sicily beaches map that we include in our Sicily travel guide pdf. Or just contact Time for Sicily for a tailor-made travel plan when one of our consultants will be happy to advice on all the best beaches of Sicily.
Our Ebook Travel Guides
At Time for Sicily we have shaped an eBook Travel Guide Sicily that is concise, interactive, media-enriched to help you plan your holiday in Sicily as well as guide you on site with actionable travel itineraries and direct integration of tested third-party providers links (including a selection of hotels and restaurants!). There you can choose among all the Sicily travel ideas that match your preferences and desires, including this selection of the top 5 beaches in Sicily.
Do you find this content interesting? If so, visit our Sicily travel blog for more and share our travel ideas with your friends. We would like to see you spending your summer holidays in Sicily 2022. After all, it’s always Time for Sicily!
