You need to ask Sicilians which are the best beaches in Sicily. They change every year, not only because of who goes to them and how clean they are, but because nature works fast on this triangular island. There’s a beach near me that was twenty yards of soft sand last summer: this year its ten feet of pebbles.
However, there are some which remain perennially stunning, no matter what annual changes may occur.
SCALA DEI TURCHI
FACE MASKS AND THERAPEUTIC BODY TREATMENTS ON THE BEACH
In Provincia di Agrigento, this unique beach has clay which you can use for face and body masks instead of sand.
LO ZINGARO
BEACH AND NATURE RESERVE
Lo Zingaro nature reserve, in San Vito lo capo, was Sicily’s first nature reserve. There are now over 70, but not all of them have 7 kilometres of pristine beach. It is located in the Province of Trapani on Sicily’s western coast.
PUNTA BRACCETTO & CONTRADA CHIAPPA
BEACH COMBING FOR SICILIAN AMBER – the beaches to visit in winter
There is a particular type of amber which is found only in Sicily. It dates from a different period of prehistory from Baltic amber of Brazilian amber. It can be found on some of Sicily’s beaches, usually washed up after a storm. If beach combing is one of the things you like to do on holiday, you may pick up a small fortune in Sicily, because Sicilian amber is rare and highly valuable.
Some pieces are found on the beaches between:
- Punta Braccetto, the riviera of Santa Croce Camerina on the southern Sicilian coast in the Ragusa region, and
- Contrada Chiappa in the Pachino region, which is also known as the Amber Coast (Costa dell’Ambra). This is in the Siracusa region.
The ancient Romans had a beautiful legend about amber being the tears of the daughters of Helios, god of the sun. Read more: Sicilian Amber – the Tears of the Sun God’s Daughters
CEFALU’
This north-coast town in the Provincia di Palermo has a beautiful beach where you can not only enjoy swimming in pristine water, you can also try windsurfing to other water sports with professional instructors. It’s also a centre for nautical training and you can book either a day on the water or some proper training in yachting and skipper skills – approach the larger hotel resorts for information as they are the biggest organisers.
MORE IDEAS: SOME EXTERNAL LINKS
Here are some external links to great lists of Sicily’s perennial beauties:
The Corriere Della Sera (Sicilian newspaper) top 10 list
Some of these are chosen purely on the beauty of the beach itself, whereas others (Touring Club in particular) are chosen on the basis of also having clean water, lavish facilities and a lovely village or town nearby to provide holiday accommodation – in other words, the whole package.
The Dangerously Truthful Diary of a Sicilian Housewife 
Hi, I’m really enjoying your page while planning my family holiday. Do you have any experience with jellyfish át beaches? Are they a real threat in Sicily? I do not find reliable info sources but do remember how our Corsica holiday was ruined by jellyfish presence. Many thanks, Andras
LikeLike
We had one year of jellyfish out of twelve I have experienced in Sicily so far. It depends on the weather conditions in Spring around the Mediterranean, but it is a decidedly rare thing. If you are unlucky enough to get a jellyfish year, you need to ask the locals which beaches to avoid. It depends on the sea currents so you get them on some beaches and not others. Jellyfish near beaches are definitely a rare event, though.
LikeLike
The Le Spiege link goes to a 404 page. 😦 Any idea if that is just temporary or permanent? Thanks!
LikeLike
Oh dear!!! Thankyou for letting me know. I will have a look and hopefully find its new location.
LikeLike
I have managed to track the site down and apparently it is being redesigned. They are adding a similar ranking for golf courses and other ideas, apparently – I will keep an eye on it a post a new link once it is up.
LikeLike