La Sicile in Camping-Car: advice, areas, routes

How to visit Sicily in campervan or furnished van? Discover our guide for a superb trip to the largest Mediterranean island!

Are you planning to make a road trip to visit the Sicily by camping-car or by van? Sleeping at the beaches, unmissable sites, allows to live the freedom of the travelling journey. You don’t need to book a hotel or a campsite every night, and most importantly, you enjoy a night almost at the star. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Located between the Italian region of Calabria and Tunisia, Sicily – 25,708 km2 – is known for its many assets. Notably its beaches, fishing villages, Etna and volcanoes, mountains, culinary, historical and cultural heritage. The island, with its attractions, is a must-see tourist destination in Europe. Despite prejudices, Sicily has many other faces to offer that its reputation as a mafia island regented by Cosa Nostra.

Are you coming to visit Sicily on a motorhome? Follow our guide to prepare your trip and learn all about Sicily: itineraries, driving, traffic rules, times to visit the island!

Ideas of itineraries in Sicily by motorhome

From France, coming to Sicily by motorhome means crossing all the Italian boots and taking a ferry to Villa San Giovanni for the port of Messina. This represents a road trip of 1,350 kilometers (at the beginning close to the Italian border in Menton) just to go to Sicily. For this reason, it is best to rent on site your camper or furnished van.

Then, whether you go to the island for 3, 5, 7 or 15 days or a month, a coherent and reasonable route will be required. The island has an area comparable to that of the former French region of Auvergne or Poitou-Charentes. It is better to confine yourself to a single part of the island for short stays. In August 2018, we chose to visit the Sicily in furnished van. We made the mistake of wanting to ride the island. As a result: to spend too much time on the roads, we missed some must-see sites. The duration of your stay will therefore determine whether you are visiting the east of Sicily, the west, the north coast or the "African Sicily" in the south.

Choose from land in Palermo if you want to visit Sicily in camping-car by Trapani , the Egades Islands, the Madonies Park, Zingaro nature reserve and Marsala. To hike on the slopes of the Etna, see the ruins of Taormine, visit Syracuse and Catania, instead aim the Catania airport. Here are some ideas of possible routes in Sicily:

• The East of Sicily : Catania, Acireale, Etna, Taormine, Isola Bella, Syracuse and the island of Ortigia, Noto, Ragusa, Modica, the nature reserve of Cavagrande (Cava Grande del Cassibile), the nature reserve Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari,
• The west and north of Sicily : the park dei Nebrodi, Capo d’Orlando, Cefalùthe park of the Madonies, Palermo, San Vito lo Capo and the nature reserve of Zingaro, Trapani, the Egades Islands (Levanzo, Marettimo, Favignana), Marsala,
• The South, the "African Sicily" : Sciaccathe ruins of Selinonte, Scala dei Turchi, Vallée des Temples d’Agrigente.

These steps are of course indicative and non-exhaustive. They are logically to modulate according to the period of the year (affluence and heat) and according to the desires.

Driving in Sicily in motorhome: the traffic rules to know

So you want to drive to Sicily? Being driving a vehicle is a real sport! Sicilians love speed, risk, klaxon strokes and ride "open tomb". Here, one would believe that the road code exists only in the books. Priority? She comes back to the one who dares to take her. There’s no need to stop at the stop or the red light: if there’s no car, we’re horny and we’re passing! Sicily driving is sporty and confusing, especially on the first day. Redouble caution therefore, when you go to visit Sicily on a camper. Far from wanting to scare you, the accident rate is not higher in Italy than in France. The conduct seems chaotic, of course, but motorists are paradoxically as attentive.

In principle, to visit Sicily by camping-car or by fitted van, you must have some equipment and documents :

• The driver's license,
• Civil Liability Insurance,
• The registration certificate,
• A reflective vest,
• A signage triangle,
• A first aid kit,

The driving, as in France, is done on the right track, with the overtakings on the left track. In practice, Sicilians double when possible, even by the right. The passing beams shall be lit on the highways and separate roadways. And normally, klaxon is forbidden in agglomeration (but it is a generality in practice). Driving in Sicily sometimes passes through roads on the hillside, by the water, in the middle of the mountain, in the middle of a simply sublime setting. But roads are not always in good condition. The chicken nests are legion and roads can be concave or convexes, bumped or recently remade.

Watch out for the ZTL. zona traffico limitato in the city centre: these are restrictions materialized by a red circle on a white background. These panels must not be crossed between 8am and 8pm because a camera scans the registration plate. In exchange for the photo, a cumulative fine of € 100 per pass...

Speed limits and alcohol levels

• In agglomeration: 50 km/h,
• Out of town: 90 km/h,
• Separate roadways: 110 km/h,
• Highways: 130 km/h.

The maximum legal alcohol level is similar to that prevailing in France: 0.5 g/l.

On the other hand, we quickly get accustomed to driving Sicilian: it’s just a blow to take!

Inside : train station with scams for car rental. We are not advised to go through local agencies, because the scams are recurring (we made the costs, with the company Sicily By Car). A surcharge may be claimed on the day the keys are withdrawn, i.e. related to the payment of additional insurance on the bank card. Why? The renters pretext that it is because the customer holds a debit card, not credit. A rather light argument, a fraudulent limit, but that surprises many tourists!

Motorcycles in Sicily: what price for your camper category?

There are highways toll in Sicily with two pay highways. All other fast tracks on the island are free. Unlike France, the Italian motorways are indicated on green panels. In Sicily, the highways are the A19, which connects Messina to Palermo and the A18, which connects Messina to Catania and Rosolini (in the south of Syracuse).

How much does it cost to visit Sicily by camping-car taking the highways?

Coming to the Sicily by camping-car, you will be subject to Class 2 rate and the rate will therefore be a little higher than for cars. In all cases, the principle is the same as in France: a ticket is withdrawn at the entrance and the payment is made at the exit terminal according to the mileage travelled. Both pay highways are managed by ANAS and CAS.

Campsites in Sicily : where to park ?

Here's an info that will make you feel better: we were surprised how easy it is to park all over Sicily. There are large free parking lots near the beaches, even in the towns. As a result, it is easy to avoid some people who have the right to privatize free parking... In Sicily, there are many free parking lots that are actually paid. For often, there is a guard at the entrance proposing to indicate to the drivers where to park in exchange for 1 or 2 €.

The wild camping is, in theory forbidden in Italy. But if no signage indicates any prohibition or tariff, it is that you can park there. There are numerous service areas for motorhomes in Sicily. If you want to try the experience of sleeping in nature, take a look at the Park4night mobile app. It is a tool for sharing spots where to park between travellers, which refers both to campsites and service areas, as well as free parking or places in the middle of nature. What to sleep in peace, safe from the police rounds!

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

Would you like to go to the discovery of Sicily with your Camping-Car or van for example? It is now easy to rent a motorhome in the Hexagon. How? Using interrelationship platforms between tenants and particular camper owners as Yescapa For example.

How does it work?

• At first, you have to choose the motorhome in your city (For example Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Paris, Montpellier or Marseille).
• Be careful choose unlimited mileage, to check the number of beds available and if travel abroad is possible.
• Do your work online rental request and share your travel information (dates, rental options, mileage, etc.) to the owner.
• If your request is accepted and after payment, you will have access to the owner's contact information to organize a First meeting.
• Day J, present your driver's license and pour bail.
• One. status of premises is executed and a lease is signed between the two parties. When you return, after shaking the Sicilian roads, sign the state of the return places and the tower is played!

How and where to rent a motorhome in Sicily?

If you go to Sicily by plane, know that it is possible to rent your camper on site. However, it is advisable to go through online platforms and book your camper before even leaving. This will allow you to have the vehicle you want to visit Sicily in fitted van or van.

On this type of site, the rental is very simple. Enter your travel dates as well as the city where you want to rent your camper. Search among those offered by number of seats, price and vehicle type. Then make a request and pay online if accepted. You'll receive a confirmation email, and that's it! All you have to do is go get it and visit the Italian lakes in a fitted van or camper!

How to get to Sicily on a motorhome?

Unlike Sardinia, Sicily is quite far from France, since the island is located south of the Italian boot. As a result, there is only one direct journey between Toulon and Trapani, managed by Corsica Ferries. The latter carries out the liaison twice a week, usually on Monday and Wednesday. The rate for two adults and a motorhome, with the possibility of camping on board and thus avoiding the booking of a cabin, is a little less 400€ round trip .

For others and those who have time, Sicily can be reached by the road through the wonderful Italian landscapes. However, be aware that, in addition to the accumulated length and fatigue, the cost is higher, even from Nice, close to the Italian border.

Various camping areas are scattered near the main axes. However, some roads can be as wonderful as difficult, especially on the Naples and Amalfi side. If you really want to cross Italy, we advise you to go or return by ferry.

It is finally possible to take the ferry from Italy. Travellers then have the embarrassment of choosing between the ports (Naples, Civitavecchia, Savonne, Genoa...), the companies and the rates. On the other hand, on the budget side, it will be more expensive than since Toulon because the campsite on board is not included.

What is the best time to travel by motorhome in Sicily?

When can we visit Sicily in motorhome? Well, all year to be true. With its Mediterranean climate, Sicily enjoys mild and humid winters and hot and dry summers. Attention, heat can be suffocating between July and August: mercury can exceed 45°C during the particles.

But the island is marked by an important relief. So we find a wide variety of climates. In winter, frosts are frequent at altitudes while it can make 15°C on the coast. The heat is accentuated in the summer by the syrocco, a south-east wind that covers Sicily from Africa.

We're giving an advantage spring and early autumn : tourism is weaker, and temperatures are very mild. The best months to visit Sicily in motorhome are April, May, June, September and October. In July and August, the island is overcrowded and sometimes suffocating. Despite mass tourism, Sicilians themselves can even be unpleasant and prices can increase. Summer is therefore not the best time to visit Sicily on a camping-car or van.