Spending 5 days in Sicily. We're torn between Syracuse and Palermo, please help!
My 4 friends and I are coming to Sicily for 5 days in early September and we need help deciding on where to stay. We'll be ending our 2 week Europe trip in Sicily and we'd like to have a good balance of relaxation and sightseeing, however we've been seeing conflicting information on what each city offers. We originally wanted to stay in Taormina, but after reading that it's touristy and expensive, we decided to narrow it down to Syracuse or Palermo. Something that's very important to us is easy access to sandy beaches. We've heard that Palermo is rougher around the edges, but offers more cultural experiences than Syracuse. From what I've read, Syracuse offers easy access to Greek ruins and other archaeological sites, like the valley of temples. We'll be renting a car either way, but we want to keep driving to a minimum. Which city would give us the best experience with regards to nearby sandy beaches, great restaurants and bars, closeness to archaeological sites, and general easy vibes?