The Perfect Sicily Holiday with Toddlers.

KirstyDestinations2 Comments

sicily ancient ruin toddler in sling
Sicily is more than just a footnote at the end of Italy’s long leg. Sicily can and should be the perfect holiday destination for families with toddlers. We travelled there with our two lively (and demanding) toddlers and loved it!
 
A mere 3 hours flight from the UK,  Sicily is a fantastic family holiday destination. Beautiful beaches hug the coastline and of course,  Mount Etna looms majestically over the skyline.

Why choose a Sicily holiday with toddlers?

This sunny Mediterranean island has a rich and diverse culture spanning thousands of years as well as picturesque landscapes. As a meeting point of North African, European and Arab cultures,  the food and architecture are a unique and fascinating blend. Unusual flavours mix with the exotic to create dishes and buildings that really captivate your senses.
 
As a family, the kids were 1 and 2 at the time, we spent 10 amazing days on this captivating island with our toddlers. It was one of the best European road trips that we have done as a family.  We hired a car at Catania Airport and drove around mostly the Southern edge of the island as well as through the centre up to Palermo.
 
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What to see and do on holiday in Sicily with a toddler?

There’s so much to see and do in Sicily that unfortunately our 10-day itinerary missed some amazing towns like Taormina and Cefalu. We can’t wait to go back and explore the Northeast areas. It really is a fantastic family travel destination that we’re desperate to get back to.
 
With two toddlers in tow, we aimed for a mix of bustling city life in Catania and Palmero, fun beaches and of course, lots of ancient ruins for Rhino. The huge variety of preserved Ancient Roman AND Ancient Greek ruins dotted around Sicily made fantastic days out for all the family.
 
 
Scroll down to see inspirational photos of our adventures in Sicily with toddlers. 
 
If  a road trip around this stunning Mediterranean island captures your imagination and wanderlust, check out our posts below for more family travel inspiration:
 
 
Keep scrolling down for our super helpful family travel tips for Sicily.
 
ancient ruins in sicily with toddler
family feast in sicily with toddlers and parents toddler birthday in Sicily toddler playing in sicily toddler and mum in sicily at marina sicily toddler walking on beach

Sicily Holiday with Toddlers Travel Tips

Explore Ancient Ruins by turning day outs into adventures. Our toddlers love the Cbeebie show Go-Jetters. We like to pretend that Grandmaster Glitch has knocked the ruins down and we have to find him – this game always gets some belly laughs! As long as you’re careful, clambering over the rocks and climbing is great exercise for little legs and grown-ups get a walk too. For more tips read Ancient Ruins with Toddlers: An Awesome Day Out! Really?

Plan ahead because in Sicily especially in rural areas on Sundays almost everything shut.

We were travelling in October when most of the child-friendly tourist attractions are already closed for the season but we did find the fun Biopark of Sicily near Palermo. There are some awesome dinosaurs (a toddler favourite as always!), lots of animals and a few outdoor play areas. Check the Biopark website as it is only open certain days off-season. 

We highly recommend visiting the fresh food market in Palmero. It may be crowded but the sights, sounds and of course, tastes are a feast for the soul! And it’s a great place to pick up toddler food staples like bananas and grapes! 

We hired a car to explore Sicily with toddlers. It gave us lots of freedom and we were able to discover smaller villages and rural areas. Find out why we love hiring cars now we have toddlers. That said, a good friend of mine travelled around Sicily by public transport with a baby. So if you have the patience, it’s perfectly do-able.

It’s tricky to find accommodation with cots. We stayed in apartments rather than hotels and with a just turned two years old needed a cot still. It took a lot of research to find apartments that supplied cots. It might have been easier just to take our own travel cot!

If a Sicilian offers to cook for you – take the offer! An apartment host arranged for her sister to come and cook a traditional meal for us and it was beyond delicious. There’s a photo in the gallery above. This lovely Sicilian lady spent hours preparing mouth-watering aubergine and pasta dishes in our kitchen all made with fresh, home-grown ingredients. Then when it was time to eat, she packed up, gave us a bottle of good wine and left us to it. It was an absolutely perfect dinner at home – whilst the toddlers happily played!

Not everywhere has highchair so it’s a good idea to take a clip-on or fabric one with you.

WE hope that you found this post about travelling around Sicily with a toddler (or two) useful. If so, why don’t you pin it and pass it on to your friends. Thanks.

 
sicily with kids
sicily toddler-friendly roadtrip
Thanks for reading The Perfect Sicily holiday with Toddlers. Exploring Sicily makes a fantastic self-drive holiday destination for families with young children. Check out our destinations page to see the best of our family road trips in Iceland, Jamaica, Macedonia and Montenegro.

2 Comments on “The Perfect Sicily Holiday with Toddlers.”

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