Cycling in Sicily
The hilly and mountainous landscape in Sicily is ideal for cyclists! From the coastal towns of Balestrate, Castellammare del Golfo, Alcamo Marina and Trappeto you can make several beautiful bike trips in the area. Due to the lovely Sicilian weather you can ride a bike for most part of the year, roughly from March until (the end of) December.
On this page you’ll find cycling tips and information about bike rental, cycling with an English speaking guide and real life videos for your Tacx trainer.
Click here to go to page with bike routes.
Cycling in Sicily
The hilly and mountainous landscape in Sicily is ideal for cyclists! From the coastal towns of Balestrate, Castellammare del Golfo, Alcamo Marina and Trappeto you can make several beautiful bike trips in the area. Due to the lovely Sicilian weather you can ride a bike for most part of the year, roughly from March until (the end of) December.
On this page you’ll find cycling tips and information about bike rental, cycling with an English speaking guide and real life videos for your Tacx trainer.
Click here to go to page with bike routes.
bike rental
Whether you’d like to conquer the hills and mountain climbs in the area by mountain bike, road bike or hybrid bike, we can arrange the bicycle rental for you. We organize bike rental in collaboration with our friends at Eurobici in the town of Partinico and offer several quality road bikes and MTBs, such as carbon Ridley and Focus road bikes and Focus and Ghost mountain bikes. To ensure that your rental bike fits you perfectly and rides as comfortably and efficiently as possible, we’ll do a quick bike fit when you come and pick up the bike.
On this page you’ll find the rates and several pictures of our Ridley road bikes.
Road bike rides with a cycling guide
If you’d like to go cycling with someone who knows the area well, we can arrange a local (and English speaking) cycling guide for you. Based on your wishes, he will plan an itinerary with you (minimum 50 and maximum 150 km, maximum 2000 meters elevation). Depending on the route, the guide will be waiting for you at Eurobici in Partinico or at the Eni gas station in the town of Balestrate.
Click here for some examples of cycling routes you can follow with a guide.
If you cycle with a cycling guide, you can test a Polar bottle and a Castelli vest for free. The costs for a road bike ride with a cycling guide are 25 Euros per hour, with a minimum of 75 Euros.
Mountain bike rides with a cycling guide
In collaboration with Sikania MTB from Palermo we organize mountain bike rides with English speaking guides. You can do beautiful rides in the gulf area but also in the mountains near the city of Palermo, like Monte Pellegrino, from which you’ll have a lovely view of the sea and the city!
The costs for these rides depend on the time spent on the bike: the guides charge 80 euros for the shortest route (5 hours). If you’d like to do several guided rides, you’ll get discount.
If you won’t be able to bring your own mountain bike to Sicily, you can rent one in Sicily. See bike rental.
Guestbook cycling with a guide
“In November I rode to Palermo with some local cyclists. A ride with nice climbs and views from the mountain in Palermo! Thanks for the nice ride say hello to Giuseppe at the bike shop for me. Ciao, Marc Verbeek”
“Thanks for arranging the bike and the fun rides we did together. Especially the area near Segesta was really beautiful. We definitely plan to return soon to your beautiful island and of course we will do some rides together! Greetings Bart and Sandra (App. del Barone)”
“I would like to thank you, also on behalf of Jolien, for your hospitality during this very successful holiday on your island. Our bike ride was one of the highlights for me. I’ll definitely promote to all my cycling buddies. Sincerely. Ben”
“The bike ride was great, thank you! Kind regards, Ron”
“Thanks for the hospitality and the beautiful ride. The climb near Scopello was hard, but the area is beautiful! See you next time in Sicily! Kind regards, Hans”
Real life video’s for you Tacx trainer
Haven’t you been to Sicily yet, but you’d already like to cycle here? No problem! In june 2013 we made several Real Life Videos with Jaap Wagenvoort which are compatible with your .
We filmed in Alcamo, in the area of Segesta, on the road to the medieval town of Erice and in the area of Carina, where we followed cycling guide Don Bici. Bad weather again? Get on your Tacx trainer and ride one of our beautiful and sunny routes in Sicily:
Sicily - Erice
A lovely ride to the medieval town of Erice, 750 meters above sea level, passing the archaeological park of Segesta and the Garibaldi monument at Pianto Romano.
Length: 69 kilometers
Meters of ascent: 1500
Watch the trailer and order this sunny RLV here!
Sicily - Bosco d'Alcamo
With a total length of 18.6 kilometers, this is the shortest RLV of the three. Ride from the valley to the town of Alcamo on Monte Bonifato. From this town you’ll climb to the Bosco d’Alcamo, 739 meters above sea level.
Length: 18,6 kilometer
Meters of ascent: 750
Watch the trailer and order this sunny RLV here!
Sicily - Don Bici
Follow cycling guide Don Bici and ride from the coastal town of Balestrate in the direction of Terrasini. After this warming up, you take over and ride towards the town of Carini where you’ll start the Carini climb (around 450 meters ascent). Halfway on the climb Don Bici will join you and you can follow him on the descent through the town of Montelepre towards the town of Partinico. Then it’s time for the challenging final climb, which will take you up all the way to the radio antenna at the top of Via Romitello, 1.000 vertical meters ascent, the final 3 km averaging at 10%! It will be hard, but the scenery will certainly make up for it! In bocca al lupo!
Length: 70 kilometer
Meters of ascent: 1600
Watch the trailer and order this sunny RLV here!
Cycling tips
Here are a few cycling tips for you:
Cycling tip 1: Polar bottles
Riding your bike in Sicily means riding in hot, sunny weather for most part of the year. With these high temperatures, the water in your water bottles will be lukewarm in no time, but with a Polar Bottle you can keep your water cool for 3 to 4 hours!
Fill your Polar Bottle up to about 80% and put it in the freezer the night before you go on a bike ride. If the bike route is less than 50 kilometers, then you should take the bottle out of the freezer one hour before you leave, otherwise you can leave the Polar Bottle in the freezer until the moment you start your ride in the Sicilian hills and mountains.
If you go on a bike ride with one of our local guides, you can test a Polar Bottle for free and you’ll see why we love Polar bottles!
Cycling tip 2: Safety
Cycling in Sicily is not particularly dangerous, but a few safety tips won’t hurt..:
- There are no bike lanes in Sicily, but the Sicilians are used to seeing cyclists on the road. However, avoid riding too close to the side of the road. Instead, own your space and make sure the other road users can easily see you (in time).
- Always wear a helmet (this needs no further explanation).
- If you’re planning on riding on your own, take a (plasticized) card with your name and contact details with you. You can also mention our names and phone numbers on the card. Also let your travelling companions know which route you’d like to ride and/or turn on Livetrack on your Garmin. There are several routes to choose from: see bike routes.
- In the months between October and March it’s getting dark early in the evening, so if you go for a ride in the afternoon, make sure you wear reflective cycling clothes and mount some lights on your bike.
Cycling tip 3: Clothing
If you’d like to go for a ride in the summer, make sure you wear cycling clothes made from airy and breathable materials and wear a bandana under your helmet to keep your head cool.
In the months of April – May and September – November we advise you to bring a wind vest with you. Such a lightweight vest will fit easily in one of your jersey pockets and will keep you warm on the descents. If you go on a bike ride with one of our local guides, you can test a Castelli Cycling leggero vest/jacket for free.
In the other months you can encounter cold(er) winds and the chance of rain will increase. So if you’re riding your bike in this period, make sure you bring a long sleeved jersey and or a cycling / rain jacket.
TIP: With our onsicilycard you’ll get a 15% discount on cycling clothes (and other bike related items) in bikeshop Eurobici in the town of Partinico.
Cycling tip 4: Bike maintenance and small repairs
It’ll always come in handy to know how to do some basic bike repairs and bike maintenance. Check out MadeGood, the web’s most extensive guide to bicycle repair.
This MadeGood website offers lots of instructional videos about fixing and maintaining your bike. Underneath each video you’ll find a handy factsheet and a step by step instruction accompanied by detailed pictures. Simple, effective and free to use!
Cycling tip 5: Travel with your own bike
So what if you’d love to do some bike rides in Sicily, but you prefer to ride your own bike? No problem! Many airlines offer the possibility to transport a bike. Make sure your road bike is well protected though, so it will arrive safe and sound on this lovely island.
Scicon offers both hard cases and bike bags for cyclists who wish to protect their precious bike during travel. Watch these videos and see how you can pack your bike in a Scicon hard case or bike bag and how these bags and cases will protect your bike.
Cycling tip 6: Cyling blog Don Bici
On Don Bici’s cycling blog you’ll find lots of pictures of the area, tips and several bike routes, also for mountain bikes.
