How to Find Safe Havens for Sicily Bike Travel

Sicily, the enchanting island in the heart of the Mediterranean, beckons cyclists with its diverse landscapes and rich history. Unfortunately, despite the idyllic landscapes, Sicily is also known for its rather wild and chaotic drivers, which dissuades many from Sicily bike travel. While many who do bike choose to head out on the busy roads, we opted for a different approach this past trip to avoid the chaos.

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On our most recent trip to Sicily, we spent a few weeks doing a mix of hike and bike travel, while also exploring cultural treasures. For our Sicily bike travel, we decided to seek out safe havens for enjoyable bike rides. Our criteria included rides on roads with few cars, rides on dedicated bike paths, and easy-moderate mountain bike rides. We rented bikes locally at each spot, and engaged in tours for the mountain bike rides. We wanted to be able to enjoy the stunning scenery while ensuring a relaxed, safe, and enjoyable biking experience. Spots we’ll highlight in this post include:

• Palermo to Mondello
• Favignana Island
• Selinunte and Agrigento
• Mt. Etna
• Syracuse (Siracusa)

1. Palermo to Mondello

As many do, we started our Sicily bike travel itinerary in Palermo. We chose to stay in Mondello Beach to be close to a swim event I was doing. The bike route from Palermo to Mondello is a fantastic choice to explore the area. We would recommend a tour here to make the most of your bike day in the city, and to ensure you stay off of the chaotic roads. This tour offers a great experience, extending from the parks under Monte Pellegrino to Mondello Beach and back.

If you decide to rent bikes rather than taking a tour, we recommend reserving through BikesBooking.

Monte Pellegrino side trip

For a side trip, you can choose to bike up Monte Pellegrino or park your bikes and do this as a hike, which we did. Park your bikes at the Scala Vecchia, which is on a roundabout on Via Pietro Bonanno. The hike takes about 1.5 hours, and is a steady climb up a granite path. Be prepared for the lack of shade and bring plenty of water. If you do this hike or bike during the summer, definitely start early before the heat of the day.

When you reach the Santuario di Santa Rosalia, take the time to go in for a visit to this beautiful sanctuary built into the rock face of the cliff. There are shops and cafe’s here as well. Though they are quite touristy, they were convenient for a coffee, extra water, and a snack. If you prefer to do this hike with a tour, we would recommend this one.

2. Favignana Island

Escape to Favignana Island, located just off the coast of Sicily, for an almost car-free cycling adventure. This is a must add to your Sicily bike travel itinerary, and our favorite ride of the trip. The island is known for its stunning beaches and crystal-clear waters, and it’s a haven for cyclists. It has 10,000+ cyclists per year, so truly a cycling paradise. With minimal motorized traffic and well-defined cycling paths, Favignana provides a safe and tranquil environment for biking, allowing you to enjoy the natural beauty of the island without distractions.

How to Get to Favignana Island?

The easiest way to get to Favignana is to take a ferry from Trapani. We visited in early October, and we were surprised to find that some of the ferry times were sold out the day before. It is easy to reserve these on the Direct Ferries site here. There are also plenty of options for private or custom tours if you prefer to have greater flexibility. You can book these through Viator below.

Where to rent bikes

When you arrive in Favignana, you will have plenty of bike rental options. There is really no need to reserve regular adult bikes. Scooters and e-bikes on the other hand should be reserved in advance, especially during high season. Daily bike rentals range from about 4-8 Euros/day, with e-bikes slightly higher. Most people will not need an e-bike on Favignana. It is quite flat with just a few slight rolling hills. The only real incline is the road that goes part-way up to Santa Caterina castle, which you could also opt to walk.

Favignana Bike Itinerary

The perimeter of the island is just 33 km (20 miles), so you can easily explore this in a day if you’d like. We ended up missing one portion of the West coast, as we got caught up exploring other areas. Don’t forget to leave yourself some time to walk around Favignana town for a bit, either before or after your biking. Pick a handful of places you’d like to see, but leave time for stumbling on other places to stop and explore along the way.

Beaches, Grottos, Caves

Most of the day can be devoted to biking to and exploring the many beaches, grottos, and caves on Favignana. Some of our favorites include:

• Spiaggia di Lido Burrone: a great beach on the far side of the island, also a great lunch stop
• Spiaggia di Marasolo: one of the top beach options in Favignana (note there is not much sand here, so you sit on the rocks, but the view is spectacular)
• Grotta Perciata: a beautiful grotto area on the far side of the island
• Spiaggia di Cala Graziosa: a beautiful beach area closer to town
• Labirinto di Cave: a labyrinth accessible from the sea

Santa Caterina Castle

It is definitely worth making the climb up to Santa Caterina castle for the views alone. We took a few wrong turns trying to find the access road, but nothing the maps on our phones couldn’t fix. Park your bikes (and lock them) when you reach the end of the paved road. It is quite a steep 30-45 minute walk from the end of the road (further if you start from the base). There are spectacular views the whole way up and nice spots to stop and sit if you need a break, though with almost no shade.

The castle itself is a bit of a disappointment as it is in disrepair. Some work is being done to restore parts, but you’ll find trash, broken beds and furniture inside. The view from the castle certainly does not disappoint. Bring a picnic lunch or a snack, sit outside, and enjoy the 360 degree views from the top.

Favignana Town

After exploring the castle, head back into town and visit the Florio Tuna Factory Museum. This is dedicated to the tuna industry, which has had an enormous impact on the local economy. If you haven’t already explored town, this would be a great time to do so. For a meal, a few great choices are Er paninaro or, for a more casual option, CalaCala Sicilian Poke. You have plenty of other food options to choose from in town.

3. Selinunte and Agrigento

Selinunte Archaeological Park

The Selinunte Archaeological Park, on Sicily’s southwestern coast, provides a safe haven for history-loving cyclists. The park offers designated bike paths that wind through ancient Greek ruins, providing a unique and secure cycling experience. The paths are well-maintained and closed to motorized traffic, allowing you to explore the area’s history without any safety concerns. Though this was originally on our itinerary, we did not have a chance to bike in Selinunte on this trip. We would be remiss not to include this great spot to explore by bike though, and will be visiting next time we’re in town.

Valley of the Temples Agrigento

Agrigento Valley of Temples is most typically explored on foot. The archaeological park is phenomenal, and quite spread out, making it ideal for exploring by bike or even scooter. We did find multi-day bike tours that explore this area, but were unable to arrange for a one day bike rental or tour to access the park. EasyWay tours offers scooter tours inside the park. Though this doesn’t quite qualify as biking, we found this a fun way to explore the area.

4. Mt. Etna

Sicily’s iconic Mount Etna, one of Europe’s most active volcanoes, is a playground for adventurous cyclists and a must-do for any Sicily bike travel holiday. The combination of challenging ascents and breathtaking views makes it a must-visit destination for bikers. Ascending the volcano’s slopes, you’ll pass through lush forests and ancient lava fields, eventually reaching a lunar-like landscape at higher altitudes. To get to the highest crater on Etna, you do need to have a guide. Even if you choose not to go to the top, a tour is highly recommended.

E-bike or muscle bike?

One choice to be made is whether to rent an e-bike or standard mountain bike for your ride or tour. We chose mountain bikes (called muscle bikes by our tour operator). In hindsight, e-bikes would have been better. Why? Our tour group turned out to be 2 people on e-bikes (our leader + one other) and 2 of us (on muscle bikes). Though they insisted they didn’t mind waiting, we always felt the need to try to keep up.

By the time we reached the summit, we had gained 1,885 ft/575 meters of elevation, not the 300 ft/91 meters or so we had read about in the tour overview. The terrain is also quite rocky and sandy, with the exception of the forest paths. I tried one of the e-bikes for a bit and it definitely smooths out the ride.

Would we do it again?

Would we do this again? Yes, in a heartbeat. Would we get e-bikes if we did this again (especially if everyone else on the ride was using an e-bike), yes, absolutely! This was a tough ride overall and I was exhausted at the end. It was absolutely worth the effort though.

We had a great guide, who shared a lot about Etna and the various lava flows. We had a chance to explore caves as well as one of the refuges on the mountain. The views from almost every part of the ride were spectacular. The tour started and stopped at a great refuge, where you could get coffee before and lunch after the ride. We recommend booking your tour through Viator (see options with the banner below)–there are a variety of trip options, catering to the speed and style of your group.

5. Syracuse (Siracusa)

Syracuse (or locally Siracusa), with its rich history and charming old town, offers cyclists a safe and captivating urban experience. The city has dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly areas, ensuring that you can explore its historic sites, including the ancient Greek theater and Ortigia Island, without worrying about traffic hazards. It’s a great place to rent a bike and enjoy a leisurely ride. We drove down from Taormina and easily found street parking in Syracuse, just down the street from the bike rental store.

There are a number of different bike rental options in town. We recommend reserving via BikeBooking to ensure availability of the type of bikes you’d like.

Don’t forget to stop and enjoy a Granita and Brioche before heading out on your ride.

Pista Ciclabile Siracusa

Once outfitted with bikes, head out on the Pista Ciclabile Siracusa. It is about 2 km (1.2 miles) from the bike shop to the trail. We managed to take a wrong turn once on the way to the bike path, but easily found our way to the entrance. Had we not taken a wrong turn, we would have been biking on bike lanes pretty much the whole way.

The cycle path is built on the old Targia railway, and runs about 7 km (4.3 miles) from end to end (14 km or 8.6 miles roundtrip). While it’s short, it is scenic and has some great stopping points for a swim or picnic. We definitely recommend adding this to your Sicily bike travel itinerary.

The path starts at the African war memorial, where you head out on the crushed gravel trail. Though we were on mountain bikes, it could be done on most any kind of bike. The gravel alternates with some short paved stretches. There are many spots to stop and walk down to the sea. Our favorite stop was at the ruins at the Tonnara di Santa Panagia.

We ran into a couple taking this tour, who had a great experience with their guide.

Ortigia

After your return trip, continue on your bikes past Syracuse and on to the island of Ortigia. It is easy to do a loop around the perimeter of Ortigia Island. We suggest to park your bike and explore the island on foot, as there are many narrow and windy side streets. When you are ready for lunch, try out Bistro 18. We stumbled on this place during our wanderings. The Mediterranean food was excellent and the owners were super friendly and welcoming. We weren’t the only guests commenting that this was the best meal we had in Sicily.

The top five things we would recommend not to miss in Ortigia are:

• Duomo di Siracusa
• Aretusa source
• Temple of Athena
• Church of St. Lucia at Badia
• Maniace Castle

For a more detailed 1-day itinerary, read our post on One Day in Syracuse.

This said, Ortigia is quite compact. It is easy to explore most of the historic sites and markets in an afternoon.

Other Sicily biking options

This is just a snapshot into a few of the many notable Sicily bike travel areas. To rent a bike or take a tour elsewhere on the island, check the options here on GetYourGuide and Viator. One area in particular that we wanted to bike was the Alcantara River Gorge. We’ll be sure to tackle this one as well as Selinunte on our next visit.

Sicily, with its diverse landscapes and rich history, offers cyclists a range of safe and enjoyable biking experiences. These top 5 safest places to bike in Sicily provide an opportunity to explore the island’s beauty without compromising your safety. Whether you prefer coastal routes, historical sites, or tranquil island escapes, Sicily has something to offer every cyclist looking for a secure and memorable adventure. So, gear up, stay safe, and enjoy the breathtaking scenery that Sicily has in store for you for your next Sicily bike travel adventures.

If you are planning a trip to Sicily, you may like our other Sicily guides:

• How to Plan your Week in Western Sicily Away from the Crowds
• How to Plan a Perfect Eastern Sicily Travel Itinerary
• Renting a Car in Sicily: Things to Know Before You Go
• One Day in Syracuse, Sicily
• Favignana Day Trip: Exploring the Butterfly Island
• Egadi Islands, Italy: Discovering Paradise in Levanzo
• Day Trip Mt. Etna: An Adventure Like No Other