{"id":14661,"date":"2023-04-19T16:15:45","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T20:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wandernotizen.com\/?p=14661"},"modified":"2025-01-06T11:06:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T10:06:49","slug":"sizilien-mit-kindern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wandernotizen.com\/en\/sizilien-mit-kindern\/","title":{"rendered":"Sicily with Kids \u2013 5 Days Full of Magical Moments"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wonderful short trip to the neighboring country: Sicily with children means pure adventure combined with culinary Italy. However, we also enjoy the latter here in Malta. The spaghetti are the same, just without a volcano, and in Italy, you drive on the wrong side again. Uh oh! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read about the exciting things we experienced and how educational our trip was for the children in my travel report about Sicily. At the end, I even have a little bonus section about a place we didn't actually visit this time. \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Anreise Malta – Catania<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We're flying with Ryanair again after years. For less than a movie ticket, Ryanair is taking us from Luqa in Malta to Catania in Sicily. However, our movie is slightly delayed. We therefore got to spend a full three hours in the VIP lounge at the airport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That's great, because I always look forward to delays. Since our flight was scheduled to depart at 10 PM, our kids usually fall asleep relatively quickly, leaving us time to wind down the day with a glass of Prosecco and wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our flight to Catania departs punctually at 2:15 AM. We're technically departing four hours late for our 45-minute flight. Of course, our car rental place is already closed at this hour, so we won't get our car until tomorrow. Perfect, because we found a wonderful 5-star hotel for the first night, which we booked around 3:30 in the morning. \ud83d\ude00 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A perfect start to our Sicily with kids trip. We can sleep in and it looks like we've found a nice and quiet hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 1: Catania<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"sizilien
Catania – Piazza del Duomo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For brunch, there's Prosecco again and a truly lavish, top-notch breakfast. Did I already mention that I love delays? \ud83d\ude43<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterwards, we take an Uber to the car rental. Since we are a day late, the agency waives the insurance for us. It's now covered for any damage. My question, whether it would be sufficient to return only a few individual parts of the car, was answered with a loud \"YES\" and laughter. In fact, that would have been completely sufficient. Spoiler: We still returned the car undamaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catania is a wonderful city on the east coast of Sicily. I probably don't need to mention that everything there is old. Almost as old as in Gozo<\/strong><\/a>. Catania wurde im 8. Jahrhundert vor Christus gegr\u00fcndet, auf Gozo gibt es einen Tempel aus dem Jahre 3600 – 3200 vor Christus. Catania 0 : Gozo 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We're puttering into the city. Here in Sicily, everyone drives on the wrong side. After over three years, it feels very wrong, at least. But at least everyone here drives like they do in Malta. That makes driving easy peasy. We're visiting Piazza del Duomo, basically the cathedral square and the center of Catania. There are delicious restaurants here and, of course, some sights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daher schnappen wir uns auf der Via Etna einen feinen zMittag und fahren danach weiter Richtung Norden. In Aci Sant’Antonio haben wir ein sch\u00f6nes Apartment gemietet, mit Blick auf den Etna. Der Grund, weshalb wir eigentlich hier sind. Noch wissen die Kids nicht, dass wir auf einen Vulkan klettern werden. Das hat sich unsere \u00c4lteste so sehr gew\u00fcnscht.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We make sure that there is always something to learn and discover on the go. Children learn extremely quickly and a lot during travels because they do it with fun. A bit different than in school, which simply hasn't changed in the last 40 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 2: Etna and Quite a Bit of Winter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the morning, the weather looks tip-top, at least in the valley. We're heading to the Cable car<\/a><\/strong>, where we want to get at least the first section up and running. After about 45 minutes, we reach the valley station. 45 minutes, mind you, without a 4-hour delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything up here is extremely touristy, just as you'd expect for such an attraction. Fittingly, we join the line of two people and wait for our tickets. The gondola ride costs 130 EUR for the four of us. That's pretty much exactly one-tenth of what a Sicilian household has available per month. Ouch! If you want to go a bit higher, you pay 178 EUR. We would have liked to do that, but the second section was closed that day due to the weather. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Halfway up, we'll tell our kids that we're currently on Europe's highest active volcano. Since they'd never seen a volcano before, they didn't realize it themselves, of course. From then on, the whole thing was a super exciting adventure for all of us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best realization of the day was that a volcano is bitterly cold. Until then, the girls thought a volcano had to be extremely hot. We were all surprised that it was -1 degree up there. If you live in Malta, by the way, you don't have clothes for these temperatures. Therefore, we were all freezing quite a bit. Nevertheless, we walked around in the black lava sand outside for some time and were amazed at how beautiful the landscape is here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the way, most people stayed inside where it was warm, so we were almost alone out here. That was great, and we could enjoy the time and have a snowball fight with the kids. Who would have thought. In Southern Italy in April. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the afternoon, we'll also make a detour to Etnapolis. What sounds like an action and amusement park is actually the largest shopping mall in Sicily. We love shopping, and it's always a popular activity for the kids too. Therefore, this shopping mall should also be on your to-do list for your trip to Sicily with children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tag 3: Our Anniversary in Syracuse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Syrakus – Sizilien mit Kindern<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There's always something to celebrate, so we drove to the Sicily Outlet Village early in the morning. We had a delicious Italian breakfast with exceptionally good coffee. We hadn't had such good coffee in a long time. Unfortunately, there's no coffee culture in Malta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, the lady will stock up on fancy dresses here. For one thing, we're in Italy, which is known for its fashion and trends. For another, we're at one of the largest outlets in Italy. Before she set off, however, I reminded her again, just to be safe, that we're traveling with only carry-on luggage this time. \ud83d\ude01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Am Nachmittag sind wir dann weiter nach Siracusa, einem der pittoreskesten Orte in Sizilien. Syrakus, wie es im Deutschen heisst, ist eine historische Stadt an der Ostk\u00fcste. Sie war eine der wichtigsten griechischen St\u00e4dte, da die Griechen urspr\u00fcnglich Sizilien bev\u00f6lkert haben. Genau genommen war Sizilien ein Teil des „Magna Graecia“, was mich gerade zu sehr an meinen Lateinunterricht erinnert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bevor wir ins Stadtzentrum fahren, das auf einer kleinen Insel liegt, besuchen wir den Parco Archeologico Della……also den Arch\u00e4ologischen Park quasi. Hier findest du viele Ruinen sowie ein griechisches Theater und sogar ein r\u00f6misches Amphitheater. Ein Besuch hier lohnt sich auf jeden Fall. Wir hatten viel Spass und neben dem Etna war es eines der Highlights bei unserer Reise nach Sizilien mit Kindern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterwards, we drove to the old town. It's located on the island of Ortigia, which is connected to the mainland by a narrow bridge. It's funny that the larger island is then basically the mainland. We're strolling through the beautiful narrow streets here. We're enjoying this because no cars are allowed here, so the kids can run around as they please. This, in turn, means that we're walking through the city in slow motion, so to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only when everyone is hungry does it go quickly, and we find a nice restaurant right by the Fountain of Diana. The food in Italy is simply great. So we feast our way through the menu and then end the day at the best gelateria in Italy. The ice cream there was truly excellent. Good job!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 4: Taormina<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"taormina
Aussicht von Taormina – Sizilien mit Familie<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wow, what a great city. It's not our first time in Sicily, but it's our first time in Taormina. We actually started a little outside, down at the beach. By the way, it looks just like you'd imagine an Italian beach to look. With loungers, umbrellas, and like a can of sardines. But there are no tourists there anyway. We eat a delicious pizza right on the beach and watch the kids build sandcastles. That's how it should be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anschliessend fahren wir \u00fcber eine Serpentinenstrasse hoch nach Taormina. Wenn du in Sizilien mit Kindern bist, ist das auf jeden Fall ein Must Do! Auch hier gibt es enge Gassen und wundersch\u00f6ne Gesch\u00e4fte. Auch einige Spielwarengesch\u00e4fte sind darunter. Aber da wir ja wie gesagt nur mit Handgep\u00e4ck reisen…wir sollten das \u00f6fter tun \ud83d\ude09 So einfach war es noch nie, die Kids aus einem Spielwarenladen rauszubekommen. Sie wissen allerdings eh, dass wenn sie etwas kaufen, sie etwas anderes dalassen m\u00fcssen, wenn wir am reisen sind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the main square, we have a breathtaking view of the valley and the sea. The panoramic view is excellent up here. However, numerous tourists are already bustling about the square. Therefore, we leisurely walk back and look for the next gelateria. Italian ice cream is simply indescribably good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tag 5: Catania Shopping Mall and Departure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our short trip is over and we're packing our only carry-on suitcase that we have with us this time. The kids are still playing with the neighbor's kids in the morning, and then we're heading back to Catania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We'll make another stop at Porte di Catania, another large shopping mall. Here the kids can let off some steam and I'll get some work done before heading to the airport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flightradar zeigt uns, dass unser Flug p\u00fcnktlich geht, also machen wir uns auf zum Flughafen. Beim Car Rental geben wir erstmal unseren Mietwaren ab. Es gibt nat\u00fcrlich wie erwartet keine Kontrolle, nichts. Ich gebe den Schl\u00fcssel ab und alles was sie sagen ist „Ciao!“ Tiptop, das ist Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus Day: Palermo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"palermo
Excursion to Sicily with family to Palermo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Precisely because my blog post is about Sicily with children, I'd like to mention our trip to Palermo. This was 10 years ago, but it was one of the many unforgettable trips we took. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were in Sicily in October 2013 and drove to Palermo on a beautiful autumn day. In my opinion, the city is also ideal for exploring Sicily with children. We took a horse-drawn carriage tour back then, which far outshines all the hop-on-hop-off bus tours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The surroundings of Palermo are also beautiful. The nature of Sicily invites hiking, walking, and exploring, at least from October to April. We visited great places on the way to Palermo, with super views and a great environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A highlight of our trip back then was an Italian wedding we were invited to. I've never eaten so much at once, but the atmosphere at a castle in Catania was uniquely beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion Sicily with Children<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sicily with family means an adventure vacation, as already mentioned. There are so many great places in Sicily that are exciting for the kids. First and foremost, of course, is Etna. But the many Greek structures are also an ideal playground for kids, with lots to learn. Of course, Sicily also offers the finest beach vacation if the temperatures cooperate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italians are also very child-friendly and accommodating. This makes the stay in Sicily really pleasant. If you have any questions or need tips, feel free to ask in the comments below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I wish you a lot of fun looking at the pictures. By the way, at the end of the gallery you will find the pictures from our trip in 2013. These are simply appended to the gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impressions of Sicily with family<\/h2>\n\n\n