Grab your towel and beach bag (or in our case this weekend, an umbrella). We love Cefalu, a charming medieval town with a beautiful Duomo and sandy beach near the Tyrrhenian Sea. Towering above the Duomo, there’s a huge crag called the Rocca, which you can hike. In the summer, it is super crowded, so you may want to try going in spring. Cefalu has it all: great seafood, beautiful beaches, and unique shops. Of course, it’s not only a place for tourists. You can stroll the town and still see daily life: women hanging out their clothes to dry, old men talking in the park, and all the Italians taking the passeggiata, their nightly stroll.
There’s a Lavatorio, an ancient washhouse that is worth seeing. Our favorite pottery store is filadelfio, which is near the port. (They have a sore in Santo Stefano too). There’s a small park that opens after 9:30, but it’s small. The beach (especially by the Sea Palace) is the best bet with or without kids.
Where ever you stay, you will love it. Of course, it makes a great day trip. It’s near Le Madonie, a golf course, and it’s near Santo Stefano if you want fabulous ceramics, roof tiles, and lava tables.
From 9:30-13:00 and 16:30-05:00, the center is closed for traffic. You can park your car for free near the Sea Palace until April on the street. After April, you'll need to pay.
For free parking: at the beginning of Cefalù, you see on the right an AGIP gas station and on the left Bar/Hotel St. Lucia, turn directly to the right. Follow the road, direction Messina (2km). At the cross you turn right, again direction Messina. After 50m at the Pizzeria Girotondo turn right, direction Hotel Pescatore. Follow the road to the left and continue the road. When you come to Hotel Pescatore (on your right), turn left direction PORTO. Please park your car down at the PORTO (harbor).
For paid parking: enter the town and follow the national road. Pass the railway cross and follow the road (Via Roma). After 1km you come to a cross where you see an Esso gas station, here you turn completely left and drive back the Via Roma. After 100m turn right at the cross go straight ahead. At the end of the road turn left and park your car at the parking next to Hotel Riva del Sole.
We’ve stayed at the Sea Palace, Hotel Alberi Del Paradiso, and rented an apartment.
The Sea Palace has modern décor, a great pool, and is steps (literally) away from the beach. We liked staying here with kids because it was easy: near the beach, large rooms, and a great breakfast. Plus, there’s parking. It’s about a 7-10 min. walk to town, but you’ll walk over wide streets. Right next store, it the Hotel Riva Sole, which is also right near the beach.
Alberi is simply lovely with splendid views. It has a great pool, massage therapist who will come to your room, and great breakfast. It’s not in the center of town, so you’ll need to walk (15-20 min) or take a shuttle. This can be a pro or con. The staff is friendly, which can be unusual here. Make sure you use your GPS; the hotel can be a little hard to find without it.
We rented an apartment too (B&B Palazzo Villelmi). This is a great option for kids too. The pros: we all got separate rooms (which is a plus with a baby in a crib). We were able to make our own breakfast and keep milk in the frig. We had some room to play, and we were literally steps away from the Duomo. The cons—it was up 4-floor walkup. We did leave our stroller down below which made it a little easier. You walk out and wha-la you are in the center of town. During the summer, it would probably be louder, but off-season it was a good choice.
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