I almost skipped an Instagram-famous beach in Sicily because it felt overhyped. It’s actually more charming in real life.

When I was planning a trip to Sicily with my family, I kept looking up the locations we were staying at on Instagram.

We had added a one-night stop at Cefalù as a cushion between leaving the volcanic island of Stromboli before heading to my family’s hometown in the south of the island.

I was skeptical about this stop. On Instagram, it felt like a total tourist trap. But once we arrived, I realized it is much more beautiful than the reels show.

We stayed away from the city center

After a three-hour ferry and a two-hour car ride, we finally arrived in Cefalù. We had chosen a hotel away from the city center and in the mountains to relax after a very active first half of our trip. We were so tired that we decided to have dinner in the hotel and go to bed early.

The next morning, we headed down to the town, and as soon as we stepped out of the car, I was blown away by the beauty of Cefalù. All the streets leading to the beach are narrow and stacked with buildings, but they’re incredibly picturesque. No wonder it attracts so many Instagrammers who create content there.

By the time we go to the beach, I wished we had planned more days to explore the town in more depth.

The beach is stunning and perfect for families

The main beach in Cefalù is about 1.2 miles long, and even though we were there on a June weekend, it didn’t feel crowded.

There’s a section where you can rent chairs and umbrellas, and a much larger section where you can plop yourself on the sand without having to pay. We didn’t have beach towels, but we were able to buy some in a store nearby, which also offered sunscreen, beach toys, and other necessities.

Unlike beaches in Taormina or the Aeolian Islands, the beach in Cefalù is sandy, making it perfect for kids to play in. The water is see-through and warm, and my kids spent hours chasing little fish and building sand castles.

There’s more to do than just the beach

While we spent most of our day relaxing at the beach, watching people jump off a wall into the water, and taking in the views from this UNESCO World Heritage site, there’s more to do.

We took a walk through the streets near the beach, and I bought my favorite dress from our trip to Italy. We stopped for ice cream and found the Lavatoio Medievale (or medieval washhouse) where women washed clothes centuries ago. You can also take boat rides, hike up La Rocca, have drinks at the Piazza Duomo, and try all the food.

I want to go back

Having spent such a wonderful day at Cefalù, I’m already looking forward to going back. We had a relaxing day, and even got to enjoy fresh pizza, arancini, and local beers right on the beach.

While we did have to dodge plenty of people with tripods creating content for their socials, annoyed that my kids would run into their shots, the town is way more beautiful and charming in person than any of the reels show.

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