Cefalu Coast

Cefalu Coast

Cefalu Coast
4.5
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  • Stefy_Andre
    Rome, Italy117 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you decide to spend a day at the beach in Cefalù, Recommendation the stretch of beach between Lido Punta Arenas and Lido Poseidon, the water is crystal clear, sometimes there are stones to enter the water better to have shoes. The beach is free and you can decide whether to rent sunbeds and umbrellas (I do not know the prices) or allocate with your own, services such as showers and bathrooms are free. There are kiosks for a lunch, snack or aperitif on the beach. In this stretch also just go up the road to have available, bars, ice cream parlors, restaurants and street food. All very convenient to enjoy a wonderful sea!
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 19, 2024
  • P H
    Pinner, United Kingdom2 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    We loved Cefalu and the beautiful little lanes, People at restaurants very friendly and food wonderful. It was such a shame to be greeted at the railway station at Cefalu, with a message just above the Welcome Sign written in English No tickets no information and with a girl in the office looking bored with her legs up on the desk. Not a good example of Italian hospitality
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 24, 2024
  • Sydneyside
    Sydney, Australia804 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We loved Cefalu. It is a nice seaside town with plenty of food options, shopping and steeped in history. Locals are friendly and it’s a great place to watch the world go by. It’s incredibly hot and crowded in August but when you’re on holidays it doesn’t seem to bother you. We would definitely stay in Cefalu again if given the opportunity.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 11, 2024
  • marianmfgr
    Buenos Aires, Argentina9 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A getaway from Palermo, leading to a very nice city. The main street has a lot of businesses, restaurants, places to taste the delicacies of Sicily. The end of the street ends at na playa, where we spent a few hours to cool off from the heat that was in September. All cute, all colorful and the landscapes even better
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written December 7, 2024
  • Vitomir P
    10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautifull Sicily and beautifull Cefalu. First we wanted to go to Catania, but flights were fully booked so only option was Palermo and Cefalu. Even thou it wasn't our first choise we had great time.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 11, 2025
  • Laura L
    Sydney, Australia23 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We took a short train from Palermo and stayed for two nights. Loved every minute. Such a beautiful and quaint place, plenty of food and dessert options. The beaches are clean and lovely, albeit a little busy in the summer. Cannot wait to go back
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 9, 2024
  • ssm17
    Chicago, Illinois85 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We LOVED Cefalu. So glad we stayed two nights as opposed to one - we almost wish we did a third. The beach was wonderful - sandy and calm waters. We also hiked to the top of La Rocca - beautiful hike, worth going all the way up for the views and to see the ancient sites. We also loved the little town for shopping and dining. Here you will find higher quality shops for gifts and take home items. They had great Sicilian restaurants, and the Duomo and Piazza were lovely to enjoy at night for a drink, gelato or people watching. We enjoyed this so much more than Siracusa.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 30, 2024
  • Seth M
    15 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We took a day trip out here from Palermo. It’s easy enough to get to by train. We spent a few hours at the beach, and rented some chairs at one of the beach clubs. In October, the beach is lovely and not too crowded. Then, we walked through the town to see the Roman laundry and the old walls. All in all a great way to escape the chaos of Palermo for a day, and a really cute town that’s super manageable to plan on your own as a day trip.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 1, 2024
  • Jack Y
    Leigh-on Sea, United Kingdom50 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Çefalu is delightful. A very laid back atmosphere. Beautiful views of the coastline and a beautiful little town. Plenty of places to have a drink and eat and many restaurants with sea views. Well worth a trip if you're based in Palermo.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written June 2, 2024
  • Claudia P
    Toronto, Canada66 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We went to Cefalu as a day trip from Palermo. It’s a charming little beach town with a high limestone cliff called La Rocca which is the backdrop for some beautiful pictures. The highlights of our visit was the beach itself, the cathedral and La Rocca. My husband and I spent our time walking the streets and spending time at the beach. Our daughter hiked up La Rocca and took in some magnificent views. We enjoyed Cefalu and if we went again would probably stay for a couple of days.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 29, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5 of 5 bubbles2,467 reviews
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Pizzera
13 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Couples
Total disappointment. Cefalu has no charm and the Arab-Norman cathedral is under renovation. You will therefore see NOTHING of the choir and its mosaics since the access is covered. But it will be too late since that's what you came for. Of the three Norman Arab churches, the most exceptional by far is the Palatine Chapel in the Palace of Palermo. A treasure ! And the site of Monreale - its mosaics and its cloister - is also very beautiful. It is easily accessible by bus from the Norman Palace/bus 389 for 6 euros return. The Norman Arab church of Cefalu, magnificent on the outside, is unfortunately in poor condition. The cloister also requires renovation of the colonnades. No warning warns visitors of this situation before they travel. For me this is a trap set for tourists who by default fall back on its restaurants which take advantage of the massive influx of tourists: this is the invasion on the train, the buses...The beaches are ordinary. In the current state of renovation of the cathedral, the trip to Cefalube is not at all worth it. Paying a high price for an excursion is in no way justified. The return train costs less than 20 euros.
Google
Written September 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

monchhichi56
London, England, United Kingdom373 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
Cefalu main beach is beautiful. However, it is severely overcrowded! The locals are extremely rude and in any shop in Cefalu you are treated like a second class citizen. I would not recommend anyone to come here in July /August! It’s awful! It’s high stress just to find a spot on the beach and high stress to ensure you are not ripped off when paying for things! Steer clear !
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

424monica51
Central Argentina, Argentina81 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
We stayed 4 nights and from here by car we visited Palermo and San Vito do Capo. It is a small city on the banks of the Tyrrhenian River with beautiful beaches and a very scenic old town. It is much friendlier than Palermo to stay and if you are without a car you can visit Palermo by taking the train.
Google
Written August 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trip585171
Worcester, UK3 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
Cefalù could be beautiful with a magnificent rock above the town and castle and cathedral below but it is super busy. There are some nice restaurants and lots of shops, if you like trinkets and the like. Beware of insisting that your hotel gets a transit permit for you to drive if you need to drop your luggage in via Giudecca or you’ll get a hefty fine from Polizia Municipale! So keen they are in making sure you are persecuted that they’ll track you down, even as a foreign tourist, months after your visit. This just reinforces the recollection of the madly hectic and exhausting town that is Cefalù’ where it seems they are only after your money, a place you would not want to go back to for a holiday…ever!!
Written December 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rosy c
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
Coming across the various reviews displayed here, I was surprised, once I visited the place, that nothing corresponds to reality.
1. The sea is anything but crystal clear, it has colors between green and brown, with an addition of dirt in the afternoon
2. Entertainment component: THIS UNKNOWN, starting from the hours on the beach, no idea of wanting to liven up the environment, up to the night hours in which the complete absence of involving the tourist is even more evident.
You cannot hear any type of sound that could lead back to a Sicilian tradition on the main streets of the center nor on the seafront, all of which leads me to think that it is a soulless town.
3. This enormous outcry from the municipality in wanting to raise money through parking, with rules created ad hoc, seems ridiculous to us for a place that in the idea of tourism, in addition to the banal gastronomic offer, has no intention of providing anything else.
Google
Written August 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Christel M
Versailles, France384 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
We loved it. The little town is superb. Cheap restaurants (see my comment), shops where you can find cheap things compared to Taormina for example.
Walking the streets in the evening is a real treat.
To park, there is a large forgotten car park outside the town. Allow 12 minutes on foot from the entrance to the old town.
We were at the hotel (see my comment) so I don't know the price and availability of this public parking lot.
Google
Written August 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Piterco5
802 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
A wild beauty that amazes with its simplicity and which impresses with certain cliffs that descend sheer into the sea. The purity of the waters and the cleanliness of the beaches (black volcanoes) bode well for the conservation of flora and fauna, both on land and in the sea. There are very few boats offshore, both due to the period, but also due to the regulations that limit crowding. Beaches with appreciable free spaces.
Google
Written October 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sharon A
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
I agree with some others here, extremely rude people, highly overpriced beach (sunbeds are ridiculously expensive), even at the hotel where the staff were polite, the service was not great, they would charge you for anything. We were in Crete last year where the hotel provided you with beach towels for instance. The day we were leaving Crete we only sat a bit by the pool and the lady at the pool bar came over with freshly squeezed juices (courtesy of the hotel). Driving around Crete in various beaches the highest we paid for two sunbeds and umbrella was 12€ and in some places that included water or water and coffee. In Cefalu, don’t even think about it, it’s between 36€ and 50€, the beach showers operate only with coins. It’s not about freebies, it’s about hospitality, would I go again to Crete for summer holiday with my family? Sure, would I go to Sicily for summer holiday? Never again. Mind you I just brought up Crete as a recent example, I have been to other Mediterranean countries at the beach, South East Asia, Latin America, nowhere else was I treated with so much disrespect.
Written August 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kathi Frisch
4 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Couples
No no no! And again NO.
Only because it’s one of the most beautiful beaches in Sicily doesn’t mean it’s beautiful, right. The beach is long but really slim. Sandy but stony at the same time.
On the weekend it’s way too crowded. Do not go then.
The sun beds are super expensive, 30-40€ For 2, especially compared to other beaches. Sometimes you don’t even have a restroom . So for what are we paying then? And you are forced to listed to really loud bad pop music everywhere. We’ve been to other beaches like Mondello or san Vito lo capo. They are so much better. Of course they are crowded as well but they are much more comfortable. And the panorama is better as well. Also you have proper restrooms and showers , a fence if you pay for sun beds (they are then on a private area) so no seller might bother you every 5 minutes and you get the sun beds for just 20€ For 2.
Visit the beautiful little city Cefalu but do yourself a favour and do not go to beach there. You will regret it. Promise
Written August 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gyula
Budapest42 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
The Poseidon beach is an overcrowded, cheekily overpriced place. Long queues in the blazing sun just to pay, and then the cashier will tell you where your place is in the queue you have chosen and paid for. There is an expensive restaurant with poor food. And the fact that you have to pay for a shower is really the bottom of the barrel. Avoid far away!
Written July 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Cefalu Coast (2025) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Reviews)

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