Exploring Sicily by bike

Not at all - you don't have to cycle all over the island, but base yourself in Bagheria or Santa Flavia.

The individual districts of these two towns represent almost every facet of Sicily. The only thing missing is a small volcano.

So here is Sicily - All in one Place and all locally organised and self-organised activities are perfectly accessible by bike.

So it fits perfectly that the local company Sicula Bike rents out bicycles to guests of selected holiday lettings.

Bagheria and Santa Flavia are destinations between the mountains and the sea. It is precisely this mix that makes this area so interesting, variable and enjoyable.

For normal cyclists, however, this sounds like a "sporting challenge". But it is not! The powerful motor and mountain bike gears of the bikes we recommend make sure of that. Additionally, these bikes do not have a crossbar. So you don't even have to be particularly sporty to get on and you can wear skirts without any problems.

But if you want to let off steam on your bike, you are welcome to do so. The manufacturer expressly allows the use of unpaved paths. The nearby Pizzo Cane is perfect for mountain bike enthusiasts. However, we accept no responsibility for bruises, sore muscles and dirty clothes 😉.

Important note: So you don't have to be "sporty" - but you don't have to be "unsporty" either. If you haven't cycled for months or even years, it's better not to do so on your holidays in Sicily. You must have the confidence to "coast along" in the everyday Sicilian traffic.

Breathtaking mountains and turquoise sea, colourful fishing villages and vibrant cities - Bagheria and Santa Flavia offer all of this in the immediate vicinity. The best way to reach most of the sights from your holiday flat is by bike.

But where are these places, what is the best way to get to them and where should you leave your bike?

Our cycling maps on Google Maps provide the answers to all these questions:

Right at the top. Almost the entire coast of northern Sicily lies at your feet on Pizzo Cane. And this wonderful silence. Only the wind and a few birds of prey make themselves heard.

And all this just a few kilometres away from the lively Sicilian towns along the coast.

On foot, however, these few kilometres would be quite strenuous, as they also include 700 metres in altitude.

Getting there is no problem for experienced cyclists with the e-bike we recommend.

An excursion to Pizzo Cane is just one of many activities by bike. Here you will find further examples of...

...organised activities:

• Boat tours start in the harbour of Porticello. You can easily get there by bike from any of the holiday lettings.
• Learn stand up paddling - As parking spaces are scarce here, bicycles are particularly recommended.
• Sicilian cooking - The home restaurants are located in Bagheria. With a bike you can easily navigate through narrow streets.

...self-organised activities:

• Sant'Elia - The village beach and the bay are somewhat hidden and the few car parks are now subject to a charge. Another point for the bike.
• Villa Palagonia - Goethe visited this ‘weird castle’ in his day by horse-drawn carriage. It's much easier to do this by bike these days.
• Palermo - Simply cycle to the Bagheria railway station, lock your bike and hop onto Trenitalia which will then take you to the centre of Italy's most exciting city in just 15 minutes.

What fascinates us most about the colourful fishing villages and picturesque old towns of Sicily? Exactly - beautiful alleyways instead of wide streets. So there can't be any cycle paths here either. Even countryside highways in Sicily are too narrow for footpaths or cycle paths.

So everything moves together on Sicily's roads. Large and small cars, rattling Vespas and humming motorcycles, groups of racing bikes, joggers and pedestrians - and as you can see in the photo above, even mobile greengrocers. Normal bicycles, on the other hand, are rarely seen here. They are almost an attraction and are viewed with cautious curiosity.

Therefore it's no wonder that Sicilian traffic appears chaotic at first glance. But there is actually one central rule: pragmatism instead of dogmatism. You get used to it very quickly.

Nevertheless, we recommend the use of helmets and high-visibility vests. Even in summer, good helmets are less of a nuisance than you might think. On the contrary - they protect your head from the sun. The bike rental service Sicula Bike provides helmets in various sizes and high-visibility vests.

And then there are the holes in the asphalt. Only one thing can help here - robust bikes. The bike rental service Sicula Bike therefore exclusively offers high-quality e-bikes "Made in Sicily". They are a "quirky" mixture of mountain bike and city bike for women. The manufacturer allows jumps of up to 60 cm with them. No hole in the road is that deep, even in Sicily.

Please find further details of the rental bike in our operating instructions.

As already mentioned, everything moves together on Sicily's roads. Even boats "float" in traffic. The photo above from Porticello is the proof.

And who is liable if the rope slips out of the young man's hand leaving the boat without guidance? The young man would answer this question with a shrug. The boat is certainly not insured.

The rental bike of Sicula Bike, however, is: A liability insurance covers damage unintentionally caused to third parties through the use of the bike.

In Italy, however, it is NOT possible to insure under reasonable conditions:

• the theft of bicycles and
• damage caused by the customer to the rented bicycle or to himself.

For this reason, the deposit for a rental bike is high. It is blocked on the customer's credit card shortly before the hire. Please note the following:

• The name on the credit card must match that of the customer.
• The amount available on the credit card should be increased before the holiday if necessary.