The 17 Best Outdoor Activities To Do In Sicily

Plenty of Mediterranean islands do fly-and-flop holidays well, but few do activity holidays. Sicily does both.  Here’s why it’s good for an activity holiday:

• The variety: a 3,300m active volcano, two proper mountain ranges, 1,500km of coast and a scattering of offshore islands. All on the same island.
• A long season: the sea stays swimmable from May into October, and spring and autumn are when the hiking and cycling are at their best.
• It's set up for it: dive centres, canyoning outfits, climbing schools, jeep operators and bike hire are easy to find, and most run beginner sessions.
• It works for mixed groups: nearly everything on this list has a gentle and a hard version. Cable cars, lifts, boat trips and e-bikes cover a lot of ground when not everyone wants to suffer in the midday heat. And if you’re travelling with someone who isn’t that interested in outdoor activities, then there’s plenty of culture, beaches and food for them to enjoy. 

Let’s start with "Mamma Etna". That big mass of magma that created most of eastern Sicily and blesses you with the occasional eruption. It's not just an active volcano though. It's also somewhere that has some of the best hikes and sights on the island. Here's a few to check out:

1. Hike to Etna’s summit craters

It’s not every day that you get to hike through lava fields, and steaming rocks. But spend a day hiking Mt Etna and that’s what you'll get to explore.

If you want to summit the mountain the usual route is to take the cable car up from Rifugio, followed by a guided walk to the top where you can smell the sulphur and steam on your skin as you walk around it.  

Anywhere above 2,750 m, you need to be with an authorised guide. If you don’t fancy forking out for one, you can stick to the lower slopes, where there are gentler walks looping through lava fields and craters.

2. Duck into a lava cave

Etna is riddled with lava tubes that have been carved by... well, lava. And a few of them are open to visitors to explore.

Most Etna day tours include a visit to the caves. They'll take you into the dark, cold and eerily silent tubes, leaving just you, your thoughts, your head torch and the tour guide to carve a path through the dark.

3. Watch Stromboli erupt after dark

Stromboli, out in the Aeolian Islands, has been erupting continuously for thousands of years. It’s like a Mediterranean light show, but instead of cheap fireworks and cocktails, it’s spitting lava and rocks.

The best way to see it is from the water. Boats leave in the late afternoon and sit off Sciara del Fuoco, as the sun starts to set.  

Access to the upper slopes on foot is restricted and changes based on the volcanic activity, so check what's currently allowed before you plan a summit hike.

It's a long day from mainland Sicily. But worth every minute of it.

Sicily has more coastline than any other part of Italy outside of Sardinia. And the water is crystal-clear, warm and teasing, inviting you to get out on it. Here are some the best things to do on the water in Sicily.

4. Snorkel the reef off the south-west coast

With 1,500 km of coast in Sicily, there’s no shortage of snorkelling spots. Our favourite place to snorkel is around the south-west. It doesn’t get the attention of Taormina and Syracuse but has a lovely big reef sitting just off the beach Sciaccamare for you to explore.

Snorkelling is one of the inclusive activities at our Neilson X Mangia’s Torre del Barone Resort, so masks and fins are ready and waiting for you down by the beach. Go out mid-morning, once the sun is high enough to light the bottom properly.

If you're touring the island, looking for the best snorkelling spots in Sicily,  the Plemmirio reserve south of Syracuse and Capo Gallo on Palermo's doorstep are the two big-name snorkelling spots. Both are worth a morning visit.

5. Sea kayak the coast around Sciacca

Plenty of Sicily's best bits of coastline have no road to them, which is where a kayak comes in handy. Push off from the beach at Sciaccamare and you can follow the shore in either direction, past low cliffs, rocky points and small coves the coastal roads never get near.

Further round the island, the water at Scopello, San Vito Lo Capo and the Plemmirio peninsula is all sea caves and arches, with guided trips leaving from the nearby towns.

If you’re looking for kayaking that’s included with over 25 other activities, then check out our kayaking holidays where it’s included in the price at all our resorts, including Neilson x Mangia’s Torre del Barone resort.

6. Paddleboard first thing

Sicilian mornings were made for paddleboarding. The sea is at its flattest before the day heats up and the wind gets going, and there's something about a Med before breakfast that even the grumpiest of “grumpy grumpersons” will admit is alright.

You’ve got two options for finding somewhere to paddleboard. You can go to almost any beach resort where you’ll find a place to hire them from. Or you can go to our beach club Neilson x Mangia’s Torre del Barone Resort in Sciacca where they are lined up on the waterfront and included in the price.  

7. Try an e-foil

Paddleboarding is all well and good, but it’s not going to get your heart pumping and make you feel like you’re gliding on water.  

But e-foiling will.

An e-foil is a board with an electric motor and a hydrofoil wing underneath. Get it up to a decent speed and the whole board lifts clear of the water, so you're flying above the surface with no noise or wake behind you. It looks harder than it is, with most people up and running on it within a couple of hours.

E-foiling is included at our Sicily Beach Club.

8. Learn to kitesurf on the Stagnone lagoon

The Stagnone, between Marsala and Trapani, is one of the best places in Europe to learn to kitesurf. It's a shallow lagoon, waist-deep for hundreds of metres, with steady winds most afternoons from spring through to autumn.

With the water being waist deep, it’s the perfect place to learn. Wipe out and you can stand up, compose yourself and get ready to go again. No flapping about in the water. More time on the water, learning.

Schools line the shore, there are windsurf boards for hire too, and the salt pans and windmills in the background make it an idyllic location to learn.

Fancy going kitesurfing? Check out our Kitesurfing holidays page.

With so much coastline to explore, you can be forgiven for never venturing inland. But you’re missing out on some of the best hiking and biking on the island. We’ve listed some of our favourite trails below.

9. Hike the Zingaro coastal path

Sicily's first nature reserve is also one of its best hikes.  Protected since 1981 after locals blocked a coastal road, it’s home to 7kms of trails between Scopello and San Vito Lo Capo with not a single car in sight.  

The main coastal path is the most popular and takes about two hours each way. There’s also plenty of little beaches to stop off at, if you want to take a dip.

10. Swim in the rock pools at Cavagrande del Cassibile

Imagine a massive, dramatic rip right through the Sicilian countryside, and at the bottom, there's this hidden, tropical-looking paradise.

That’s the rock pools at Cavagrande del Cassibile.

It’s a canyon that has been formed over thousands of years by the Cassibile river carving through the limestone to create terraced little pools at the bottom.  

It’s the ultimate wild swimming spot. You can spend the whole day jumping into deep pools, sunbathing on giant flat rocks, and exploring old caves carved into the cliff faces. It feels totally wild, untouched, and completely different from the beach scene in Sicily.

11. Walk the Valley of the Temples early

Yeah, it’s a museum, but there’s no roof so we’re counting it as an outdoor activity. The Valley of the Temples at Agrigento is the best-preserved set of ancient Greek temples anywhere outside Greece.  

Sitting on top of a rocky ridge, overlooking the mediterranean, it's over 1,300 hectares of history waiting to be explored. Go at opening time or a couple of hours before the closing if you want to avoid the crowds and not have to scramble around looking for some shade. Some evenings the site opens late with the temples lit up and is worth checking out if only to get a few pics for the gram.

12. Ride the quiet roads of the south-west

Sicily's south-west corner is proper cycling country. There are rolling country lanes that snake their way through vineyards and olive groves, as well as long coastal stretches with a gentle cooling breeze.

Spring and autumn are the best time to go cycling in Sicily. Temperatures are in the 20s, wildflowers are covering the island and you don't need to steer clear of the midday Sun. Sciacca makes a good base, with plenty of cafes to enjoy a post ride coffee.

Road bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes are all included at Neilson x Mangia's Torre del Barone Resort, which saves the effort of mucking about with a bike box or renting.

13. Mountain bike the hills behind Sciacca

Gravel roads, a 388 meter limestone hill and nature reserve – you can't ask for much more when it comes to mountain biking.

Within a few kilometres of the coast from Sicacca, you're onto farm tracks and gravel roads running between olive groves and vineyards. About 7kms into the ride and you have the playground that is Monte Kronio (also known as Mount San Calogero) a 388 metre limestone hill that has sweeping views of the Med and rolling dusty tracks to explore.

Mountain bikes included at our Beach Clubs, with guided rides out from the resort, which saves navigating farm tracks that don't always show up on a map.

If cycling and hiking aren't your scene then there's plenty of other ways to enjoy the outdoors. Here's a few of our favourites:

14. Play tennis, padel and pickleball with a sea view

The low glow of the evening Sicilian sun. You in your whites. The thwack of a forehand winner followed by a post-match Aperol.  Racket sports in the evening after the midday heat has subsided is an underrated way to spend an hour or two.

Neilson x Mangia's Torre del Barone Resort is the first Neilson hotel to offer Pickleball, Padel and Tennis on site. If you haven't played padel, then you might be the only person in the UK who hasn't yet, then start there. The walls keep the ball in play, the rallies last longer, and a complete beginner can have a decent game inside twenty minutes, which is not something you can say about tennis.

Pickleball is similar. With the learning curve not as steep. But if you're a purist, and fancy yourself as the next Sinner, then there's the option of group tennis coaching sessions or social tennis.  

15. SUP Yoga in the Sicilian sun

Not everything outdoors has to hurt. Sicily as the sun rises, you on the water, finding your balance — that's about as good as yoga gets. No one's counting reps, no one's watching the clock. Just a board, a flat sea and an hour that belongs entirely to you. Fall in and the water's warm enough that you won't mind.

Experience SUP Yoga at Neilson x Mangia's Torre del Barone Resort.

16. Climb at San Vito Lo Capo

San Vito Lo Capo has quietly become one of Europe's best shoulder-season climbing spots. Hundreds of bolted routes on limestone within a short drive of the town, across every grade, plus multi-pitch on Monte Monaco for anyone who wants some height under them.

The season runs roughly October to May, when it's cool enough to be climbing for long hours. Guides and climbing schools in town run taster sessions, so beginners are well looked after.

17. Let the kids loose in a treetop adventure park

There's a good scattering of adventure parks across the island, and they're the perfect option for families with little kids.  Parco Avventura Etna at Monti Rossi, near Nicolosi, runs several courses graded by height and difficulty, so a six-year-old and a fifteen-year-old can both be busy at the same time. While you, the parent, can put your feet up for a few hours.

Parco Avventura Madonie inland from Cefalù adds archery, orienteering and mountain biking. Parcallario in the south-east has a 350m zip line across a lake, which will either be the highlight of the entire holiday or the thing nobody mentions again. 

Best months for the active stuff: It depends on what your focus is. If it's watersports then June, July, August and September are the best months. If you're looking to do some hiking or spend time on the bike, then May, September or October are the best times to go.

Sicily is bigger than it looks: the south-west coast to Etna is a 3–4 hour drive each way, and Palermo to Syracuse isn’t much quicker. Pick a corner of the island and build your itinerary around that, rather than losing days on the road.

Book guides for the volcanoes: Etna above 2,750m needs an authorised guide, and access on Stromboli shifts with volcanic activity. Both are worth sorting before you fly rather than on the day.

Pack for volcanic gravel and cold water: walking shoes with proper grip, water shoes for the gorges and pebble coves, high-factor sun cream, and a warm layer for altitude. The temperature difference between the coast and 2,900m catches people out constantly.

You’ll want a hire car: trains and buses are fine between the big cities and no use at all for reserves, trailheads and beaches. So if you're looking to get out and about, you'll need a car.

Seventeen activities, and we haven't touched the Nebrodi, the rest of the Aeolians, or the hundred unnamed coves along the north coast. Sicily is full of outdoor activities.

And if you’d rather have the kit, the coaching and the bikes already sorted before you land, that’s the idea behind our Beach Club on the south-west coast near Sciacca: paddleboards, kayaks, catamarans, sea scooters, e-foils, road and mountain bikes, and instructors on hand for all of it.  

Looking for more content on Sicily? Check out our posts on Cycling in Sicily, Mountain Biking in Sicily, the best things to do in Sicily for families and the best must try dishes in Sicily.