Palermo to Taormina Road Trip (4 Days)
A 4-day drive across Sicily from Palermo to Taormina — day-by-day route, where to stop, real costs and the essentials on Etna, ZTL zones and tolls.
Rough estimate — fuel + nights at typical rates. Get an exact figure in the calculator.
Palermo to Taormina packs the best of Sicily into a short drive: a Norman cathedral by the sea, Europe’s most active volcano and a Greek theatre with Etna as its backdrop. In roughly 270 km you swap chaotic city streets for lava fields and terraced coastline. You drive on the right in Italy.
Day 1 — Palermo to Cefalù (70 km)
Pick up the car on the edge of Palermo — city-centre traffic and parking are genuinely chaotic, so avoid the historic core with a vehicle. Head east on the A19 Palermo–Catania autostrada, which is toll-free. Stop in Cefalù to see the twin-towered Norman cathedral and swim off the long town beach. Sleep in Cefalù.
Day 2 — Cefalù to the Etna foothills (140 km)
Continue on the A19 toward Catania, then climb into the Etna villages such as Nicolosi or Zafferana Etnea. Mount Etna is the highlight — book a tour ahead, as they sell out: choose a 4x4 excursion or take the Etna cable car (Funivia dell’Etna) from Rifugio Sapienza, then a guide to reach the summit craters. Sturdy shoes and a warm layer are essential even in summer. Overnight near the mountain.
Day 3 — Catania and on to Taormina (60 km)
Drop into Catania for its baroque centre, fish market and Piazza del Duomo — but note the centre has a ZTL restricted zone, so park outside and walk in. From Catania you can take the A18 Messina–Catania autostrada, which is tolled (keep coins or a card ready), reaching Taormina in under an hour. Base yourself in or below Taormina.
Day 4 — Taormina and Isola Bella
Taormina’s centre is also a ZTL — park in the Lumbi or Porta Catania garages, or leave the car by the sea and ride the Taormina cable car up. Walk to the Greek Theatre for the classic view over the bay and Etna, then take the cable car down to the pebble cove and islet of Isola Bella. Drop the car back afterwards.
Costs
Use the cost calculator to price fuel and nights for your exact dates. As a rough guide: expect roughly €60–120/night for accommodation, guided Etna tours booked in advance, A18 tolls, fuel for ~270 km, and paid parking garages in Taormina and Catania. Booking the car and the Etna tour early saves the most.
This trip is also in the free Roadcut trip planner: change the number of days and where you sleep each night, pick your vehicle to see the fuel cost, check the weather on the road, and open each day in Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze.
Where to stay on this route
Night by night, in the towns this itinerary sleeps in.
- Night 1Hotels in Cefalù →
- Night 2Hotels in Nicolosi →Hotels in Zafferana Etnea →
- Night 3Hotels in Taormina →
The search opens with sample dates a month from today — change them to yours on Booking. Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The route on video
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⚡ By electric car on this route
44 charging stations within 1.5 km of the road.
For most of them OpenStreetMap does not record the power, so we cannot say where the fast chargers are — check your charging app before you set off.
According to OpenStreetMap and operators’ websites. Fast = a DC plug or 50 kW and more; not every station has its power filled in, so there may be more. See them on the planner map → · EV charging →
🚦 Know before you go
Tolls · Good to know
Tolls. No vignette; the A19 Palermo–Catania is toll-free, and only the short A18 stretch toward Taormina charges a toll — approx. €1.80 Catania Nord to Taormina, €1.50 to Giardini Naxos on the tariff in force since 1 January 2026 — paid by ticket-and-barrier with cash/card or Telepass.
Good to know. Taormina's historic centre is a pedestrian ZTL, so park in the Lumbi or Porta Catania garages and walk or take the shuttle/cable car up.
Estimate your exact costs in the cost calculator. Prices are approximate — check official sites before you travel. Some links are affiliate links.
Plan this trip
Where to sleep
Hotels & B&Bs →Holiday homes & apartments →Campsites (bookable) →Campervan & overnight spots →Tours & tickets
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