Cycling in Sicily: A Complete Guide

Sicily is scruffier and less polished than some of the other cycling destinations in Italy, but it's full of warmth, charm and character.

Part of that is the people. Sicilian roadies are famously good company. You’ll get waves, shouts of encouragement halfway up climbs and the odd offer of a wheel to sit on, whether you need it or not.

Then there’s the sheer range of it. Over 1,000km of coastline. Etna sulking away in the east at more than 3,300m. The forested Madonie and Nebrodi ranges along the north. And an interior of olive groves, citrus orchards and vineyards that most visitors never clap eyes on, because they’re all down at the beach.

Road, gravel, touring, mountain biking, Sicily has it all. You can build a week around tarmac and hill climbs or spend it on white gravel farm tracks with nobody around for miles.

The only real downside is that the quality of the roads can be a bit hit or miss. Some stretches are smooth. Others are full of lumps and bumps, that will have you holding the drops so tight that your forearms will start to cramp.

But don't let that put you off. If you plan the route right, you can have a pothole free ride around some of the best views in the Med.

Sicily has a Mediterranean climate, which means the riding season here runs far longer than the UK. Here’s when the best time to ride is:

Spring (April–June): Mild temperatures, settled weather, quiet roads and everything is still green before the summer bakes it. The spring months are the perfect time to cycle if you're looking for long days in the saddle and lush green scenery.

Summer (July–August): Ride early. It gets seriously hot at low altitude and by mid-morning you’ll be cooked. The upside? Climbing Etna actually gets you above the worst of the heat, and a granita afterwards stops being a treat and becomes a legitimate recovery strategy.

Autumn (September–October): The sea is still warm from the summer, the light is lovely and the roads have emptied out again. If you're not cycling in spring, then autumn is next best time of the year to go.

We’ve pulled together a mix that covers the whole island and the whole spectrum. Bucket-list climbs, gentle seaside spins, a multi-day adventure, and a few routes our bike team have mapped out from our own front door in Sciacca.

Mount Etna: Nicolosi to Rifugio Sapienza

Start: Nicolosi  |  Finish: Rifugio Sapienza  |  Distance: 17–18.7km  |  Ascent: 1,000m+  |  Difficulty: Hard

This is the one people fly in for. The classic south-side ascent runs from Nicolosi up to Rifugio Sapienza at around 1,910m, averaging about 6.3% with a steepest pitch nudging 10.6%. On paper, manageable. In reality, the road surface, the wind through the last 10km and the heat coming off the tarmac all make it harder than the numbers suggest.

What makes it a strange but brilliant ride, is watching the world change as you climb. Vineyards and orchards low down. Pine and chestnut forest through the middle. Then the trees give out and you’re on black sand, riding past a landscape that looks more like the moon than Italy.

The Giro d’Italia keeps coming back here and this side has hosted stage finishes, so if you're feeling particular confident you can go segment chasing on Strava and see how you stack up versus pro riders.

Check out the route on Komoot

Dolmen di Sciacca

Start / Finish: Torre del Barone  |  Distance: 25km  |  Ascent: 600m  |  Bike: Mountain bike  |  Difficulty: Intermediate

One from our team, it starts at Neilson x Mangia’s Torre del Barone Resort and is a shortish, punchy, little thigh burner that heads inland from Torre del Barone.  

The challenge here is climbing fitness rather than technical skill. There are no gnarly descents to worry about, just a handful of punchy sections averaging over 8% that will have you reaching for the shifters, hoping for some extra gears.  

The route opens with a gentle drop, which is a nice warm-up before the first climb of the day at around 2.5km with a sharp kick up to 130m. After that, the middle section settles into rolling hills, short climbs and descents, giving your legs a little bit of respite. Then between 12km and 17km comes the big one, with ramps as steep as 20% that will leave your legs screaming at you long after you’ve summited it.

The terrain on the route is classic inland Sicilian backcountry with farm tracks, white gravel and dirt roads, rural lanes threading through olive groves, vineyards, wheat fields and scrub. From the high ground around the 17km mark you get the payoff, with the views of the Mediterranean and the coastline around Sciacca.

The route also takes in the Dolmen di Sciacca itself, a prehistoric megalithic tomb at Contrada San Giorgio a few kilometres inland from the town

Check out the route on Strava.

Fancy a cycling holiday without all the faff of bike boxes and renting? Check out our MTB and road cycling holidays page for everything you need to know before you clip in.

The Cyclops Coast: Aci Castello and Aci Trezza loop

Start / Finish: Catania  |  Distance: 22km  |  Ascent: ~150m  |   Difficulty: Easy

An easier, gentler route, The Cyclops Coast is a flat, coastal ride to do when your legs feel completely cooked and you’re looking for an easier day.

It’s about 22km with only 150m of climbing, comfortably done in a couple of hours. Most of it is paved, including a dedicated bike path along Catania’s lungomare, and it starts right in the city so there’s no faff getting to the start line.

The scenery is what sets this route apart. There’s the Norman castle at Aci Castello, perched on black basalt lava rock, and just up the coast the Faraglioni dei Ciclopi - jagged sea stacks that legend says are the boulders the Cyclops hurled at Odysseus as he made his escape.  

It’s a great route for all levels, and a natural e-bike route if you’re riding as a mixed-ability group.

Check out the route on Komoot.

The Madonie Mountains: Cefalù to Castelbuono

Start / Finish: Cefalù  |  Distance: 51km  |  Difficulty: Difficult

This is the perfect route for riders who want a proper day in the hills without having the slog of cycling up Mt Etna.

It’s a 51km climbing-led loop that starts in the seaside town of Cefalù, heads up into the Madonie Regional Natural Park taking in forest-covered mountains, serpentine roads and hilltop villages that look like they’ve been there forever. And the best part is that the roads are quiet. So, it feels like it’s just you, the tarmac and the whirr of your freehub as you take in views of medieval castles and mountainsides.

Cefalù is a lovely spot to finish in too. Greek heritage, a Norman cathedral, and a beach waiting for you at the end of it all. Swim, eat, sleep well. Ready to go again.

Check out the route on Komoot.

Mini Monte

Start / Finish: Torre del Barone  |  Distance: 17.9km  |  High point: 377m  |  Avg gradient: ~4%  |  Difficulty: Easy–moderate

Another of ours, and the perfect leg-loosener for a week of cycling. Mini Monte is a short, punchy 17.9km road loop from Neilson X Mangia Torre del Barone that climbs steadily up Monte San Calogero (the mountain looming over Sciacca) before dropping you back down to the coast.

The profile is steady rather than steep with 8.3km of climbing at around 4% until you reach the 16th century Sanctuary of San Calogero with views of the turquoise blue sea beneath you. After the climb, it’s fast, sweeping descents before you hit a little kicker at the end, as a little wake up call for your legs.

One thing to know, is it’s a south-facing, mostly exposed climb, so ride it early morning or late afternoon in the summer and take more water than you think you need. And don’t forget to reapply your sunscreen liberally.

Check out the route on Strava.

Fancy riding it yourself? Take a look at Neilson x Mangia’s Torre del Barone Resort.

The Magna Via Francigena: Palermo to Agrigento

Start: Palermo  |  Finish: Agrigento  |  Distance: ~186km  |  Stages: ~5  |  Bike: Gravel or touring

One for those who like their rides long, slow and scenic. The Magna Via Francigena is a historic pilgrim route running roughly 186km coast to coast, Palermo to Agrigento, and it splits neatly into about five stages. This is gravel or touring bike territory. Definitely not a road bike job.

The opening stage climbs out of Palermo past the mosaics at Monreale, which are worth the stop on their own, then heads inland towards Corleone through big, empty countryside. This is Sicily well away from the coast and the crowds, where it’s you, the open road and not much else.

The payoff at the end of this epic journey is Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples, one of the great Greek archaeological sites. Rolling into that after five days in the saddle is a proper awe-inspiring moment.

Mixed surfaces and remote stretches mean this route needs planning. Sort your accommodation and your water in advance rather than winging it. This isn’t a day ride you slot into a holiday. It’s the trip you build the whole holiday around.

Check out the route on visit Sicily.

Sea-to-Vines: the Sciacca coastal loop

Start / Finish: Torre del Barone  |  Distance: 44km  |  Difficulty: Intermediates  

Our bike team call this one “As flat as it gets”, which tells you most of what you need to know about it.

It’s a 44km loop in two clear halves. The out leg runs flat and fast west along the coast, hugging the sea for the first 8–9km towards the San Marco and Carboj river area. Then it swings inland and climbs gently north into the hills before descending back home.

It carries a red grade, but it earns that through distance rather than steepness. There’s no mountain here. Just a long, sustained rise inland and 44km in the legs by the time you’re done. Almost all of it is quiet coastal tarmac and rural lanes, and the corridor overlaps the Menfi–Sciacca greenway, a paved former railway line running through vineyards, olive groves and wheat fields.

You start and finish in Sciacca, a working fishing port with a Baroque old town, thermal spa, famous ceramics and Sicily’s oldest Carnevale. On the way out you roll past the town’s beaches. San Marco and Sovareto are the pick of them, and both are very good for a post-ride dip.

Check out the route on Strava.

The Salt Road: Trapani to Marsala

Start: Trapani  |  Finish: Marsala  |  Terrain: Flat  |  Difficulty: Easy — all levels

We’ve saved one of the easiest and prettiest rides until last.

The salt road runs along the west coast between Trapani and Marsala and is flat. Like pancake flat, with quiet roads, suitable for absolutely everyone.

You ride past working salt pans and old windmills, alongside the Stagnone lagoon nature reserve, with the island of Mothia - an ancient Phoenician site - sitting just offshore. Go in soft morning light or late afternoon, when the pans turn into mirrors and the whole thing goes pink and silver. It’s like you’re cycling through some technicolour dreamscape rather than a road in Sicily.

You finish in Marsala, with a vineyard nearby, the perfect pairing for this (or any) cycle route.  

Check out the route at Visit Sicily.

A few things worth knowing before you go.

• Bring your bike or hire one? Both work. Bike hire is easy to find in the cycling hubs like Catania and around Etna. Bringing your own means familiar gearing for the climbs, which counts for a lot when you’re halfway up a volcano.  
• Sort your gearing. For Etna and the Madonie, climbing gears are the difference between suffering and savouring. A compact chainset with a 30 or 32 sprocket on the back will make everything more enjoyable.
• Watch the traffic. The east coast around Catania gets hectic. Favour the designated bike paths and the quieter inland and coastal back roads over the main arteries.
• Stay sharp on the descents. Road surfaces vary and some of the fast ones, Etna especially, hide potholes.
• Hydrate hard. Carry more than you think you need in summer. Village fountains are handy top-ups but don’t rely on them.
• Pack sensibly. Sun protection, a light layer for fast descents off the high ground, and a saddlebag with room for an arancini or two.

If you’d rather skip the bike boxes, the hire shops and the route planning, then check out Neilson x Mangia’s Torre del Barone Resort on Sicily’s southwest coast.

Cycling is included in your holiday here. Bikes, helmets, the lot. The fleet runs Trek Domane AL4 road bikes, Trek Pro-Caliber 6 mountain bikes and Powerfly e-bikes, so if you’ve turned up with a partner who rides at a different pace, nobody has to sit it out.

You also don’t have to choose between road and mountain biking. Fancy tarmac on Monday and gravel on Wednesday? Do both. Our bike team runs guided rides through the week across a range of levels, so you can turn up, and ride without ever looking at a map.

And if you’d rather explore under your own steam, the routes are all on Strava, including the three above that start from the resort.

So, is Sicily good for cycling? Yes. With a capital Y.

Name another island where you can tick off a volcano climb, a flat salt-pan spin and a coast-to-coast pilgrim route? The riding here covers everything from confident-beginner loops to full sufferfests, the roads away from the coast are quiet, and the season runs far longer than back home and you get the added bonus of granitas and arancini at the end of a ride.

Ready to go? Explore our activity holidays in Sicily or browse all our road cycling and mountain biking holidays.  

Looking for more cycling content? Check out our mountain biking guide to Sicily, cycling guide to Mauritius, cycling guide for Greece and our best mountain biking trails in Rhodes.