Sicily Divide Bike Route
A Bikepacking Adventure across sicily
Ride the Sicily Divide Bike Route and explore Sicily from west to east!
This is not a race nor an organised tour. No schedules, no pre-booked hotels, no pressure. Take as much or as little time as you need, grab your bike and set off for your next bicycle adventure across Italy’s southernmost region!
We help you find the best route and where to eat and sleep along the way, but you decide when to go, how many miles to ride each day and where to stop for the night.
Gear up for your bikepacking adventure and take in the spirit of Sicily!
Trapani to Catania by bike
This is the original version of the Sicily Divide Bike Route: set off from Trapani on the West Coast and ride across the biggest island of the Med towards Catania in the east, set on the foothills of Europe’s highest active volcano, the mighty Mount Etna! Enjoy a nice warm-up ride on day 1 before tackling more challenging climbs on the following days.
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Distance: 437 km / 272 mi
Elevation gain: 10,400 m / 34,171 ft
Highest point: 988 m / 3,241 ft
Average grade: 4,1%
Bike type: Gravel / Mountain bike
Stage towns: Trapani, Nuova Gibellina, Sambuca di Sicilia, Santo Stefano Quisquina, Montedoro, Enna, Regalbuto, Catania
Palermo to Catania by bike
The variant of the Sicily Divide from Sicily’s capital Palermo to Catania is a bit more challenging than the regular route as there are some tough climbs to tackle before reaching the main track in Nuova Gibellina. From day 2 onwards you’ll follow the same route on a mix of paved and dirt roads until you reach Catania and Mount Etna.
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Distance: 428 km
Elevation gain: 10400 m
Highest point: 988 m
Average grade: 4,2 %
Bike type: Gravel / Mountain bike
Stage towns: Palermo, Nuova Gibellina, Sambuca di Sicilia, Santo Stefano Quisquina, Montedoro, Enna, Regalbuto, Catania
Looking for an epic bike route for gravel bikes, mountain bikes or trekking bikes? Then put the Sicily Divide Bike Route on your bucket list! With a perfect balance of backcountry adventure and Italian small-town atmosphere, a mix of paved roads, abandoned rail-trails and dirt tracks, some challenging climbs and speedy descents, the Sicily Divide route is a great way of exploring the biggest island in the Mediterranean by bicycle.
Support bicycle tourism in Sicily
Join the Sicily Divide Club!
The Sicily Divide Club members are those riders who biked all the way from Trapani (or Palermo) to Catania past the checkpoints along the Sicily Divide Route and earned their Sicily Divide certificate.
Whenever you stop for a quick bite or for the night at one of the bike-friedly inns you support the small communities in inland Sicily that are at risk of depopulation. You and your fellow riders can make a difference, so gear up for your adventure and support our mission!
A life-changing Bicycle Adventure
Start and finish your ride whenever you want! This is not a race, there’s no commissaire and no ranking. We provide all the information you need for your biking trip across Sicily along the most scenic backroads.
Plan and book your accommodations on your own! We provide the GPS tracks and the links to the bike-friendly inns along the route. With a small fee you can use the cycling app with offline maps and turn-by-turn navigation.
Don’t worry about shipping your bike to Sicily. We got some great gravel bikes, mountain bikes and hybrid bikes to rent. Bring your own bags or rent some on the spot. Enjoy peace of mind knowing that a local is there to help.
What is the idea behind the Sicily Divide bike route?
Sicily is famous for its stunning coastline and beautiful, mostly flat or gently graded coastal roads with only the occasional short steep climb. One of the classics for bicycle travellers and road cyclists is the ride around the island, possibly anti-clockwise to enjoy more tailwinds than the other way around.
Inland Sicily, however, is definitely more challenging and off the beaten path so this is the place to go for adventure seekers who wish to explore authentic towns, villages and meet genuine people while enjoying amazing landscapes and delicious food. The more riders will visit the small towns and villages in Sicily the fewer locals will need to leave to make a living elsewhere in Italy or abroad. So, join us in our mission to promote cycling and bicycle touring in Sicily’s remote areas and set off for your biking trip across Sicily.
Contact
- info@sicilydivide.it
- partners@sicilydivide.it