Madonie itineraries

How do you plan a trip to the Madonie?

Start from the time you have. In one day, from Palermo or Cefalù, pick one side: the coast with Cefalù and Castelbuono, or the interior with Piano Battaglia and the two Petralias. In a weekend you can combine a high-level trail and two villages. In a week you do the full tour, spending some nights by the sea and some in the mountains.

What is in this section?

Day-by-day itineraries with stops that bring together the site’s villages, trails, places to stay, restaurants and events. Each stop leads to its page, with facts and sources. We publish them after building them stop by stop with checked distances and times; the list below marks those already ready.

Meanwhile there is a complete plan in the magazine: the weekend in the Madonie from Palermo, with Pizzo Carbonara and Petralia Sottana on Saturday, Petralia Soprana, Geraci Siculo and Castelbuono on Sunday.

How far apart are the main places?

Here are some driving distances, calculated with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data:

From	To	Km	Time
Palermo	Cefalù	72	1 h 06
Palermo	Petralia Sottana	105	1 h 32
Cefalù	Castelbuono	23	26 min
Castelbuono	Geraci Siculo	22	25 min
Petralia Sottana	Piano Battaglia	18	24 min
Petralia Sottana	Gangi	16	19 min

Other distances, winter rules and notices are on the roads page.

Where do you start building your itinerary?

• From the villages, ordered by altitude, each with what to see and do.
• From the trails, with grades and times: the Pizzo Carbonara loop is the classic half-day hike.
• From the upcoming events, if you want your trip to coincide with a festival or a sagra.
• From where to stay, choosing the right base between coast and interior.