Spring (April, May and early June) is the best time to go to Sicily for cycling or coastal hiking, when wildflowers are in bloom, and there’s plenty of tasty local produce to munch. June is also great for scuba diving.
Sicily hops with exuberant and colourful religious festivals throughout Easter, but do book ahead, since accommodation gets snapped up early.
The Infiorata Flower Festival takes place in Noto in May, celebrating the beauty of spring time. A few days before the beginning of the festival, artists arrive in town to decorate the streets and stairways with flowers and petals which are laid out like a patchwork carpet. Enjoy parades, live music, exhibitions and food stalls.
From mid June to September, Taormina’s famous Greek theatre hosts various events, concerts to opera and ballet, in one of the most are most beautiful and scenic settings in the world.
July and August are peak season in Sicily. Prices take a hike but you won’t want to – it’s too hot for an active break, although walking in the mountains is pleasant now. Come to catch one of the many festivals held around the island now, but expect particularly busy roads and beaches around the public holiday of Ferragosto (15 August).
September and October are good times to visit Sicily, when the weather and sea are still warm but many of the tourists have left. Cooler temperatures than in high summer make this a great time for walking and cycling. September is also good for diving.
Cous Cous Fest takes place in San Vito Lo Capo in September, celebrating one of west coast Sicily’s most famous foods. During this week long festival, Italian and international chefs gather to participate in couscous cook-offs, plus cooking workshops, seminars, music and talk shows.
November and December are quiet, and islands and coastal resorts pretty much shut down. You can still explore Sicily’s ancient sites, although many close early, and you will enjoy lower prices and fewer crowds everywhere.
Christmas bustles briefly in Sicily, with shops, sites and museums opening for longer.
Temperatures really drop in January and February, sometimes going below zero inland and dipping lower in the mountains, and hotels and restaurants in resort towns remain shut. Torrential downpours are a feature of the Sicilian winter, too, with most rain falling November to January.
By late March, temperatures are beginning to hit the high teens, and the sun’s out for around six hours a day, but come at the start of the month and it’s still on the fresh side.
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