Best of Sicily (Off-Season) in 11 Days Tour
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Overview
Highlights
- Explore Monreale
- Visit Ancient Greek site of Segesta
- Experience Syracuse Ortygia island neighborhood walk
- Explore Neapolis Archaeological Park
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Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- A small, friendly group of 24–28 people — half the size of most tour groups
- Full-time services of a professional Rick Steves guide and local experts who will make the fascinating history, art, and culture of Sicily come alive for you
- All tours and admissions — at no extra cost — covering at least 22 group sightseeing events , Palermo walking tour , Palazzo Federico tour , Monreale Cathedral and Cloister tour , Segesta , Erice orientation walk , Trapanese regional tasting , Sicilian pastry lesson , Marsala Salt Flats boat cruise (weather permitting) , Island of Mozia visit , Valley of the Temples tour , Agrigento Archeological Museum tour , Villa Romana del Casale , Ragusa orientation walk , Sicilian cooking class , Chocolate-making demonstration and tasting , Hill town visit , Syracuse Ortygia island neighborhood walk , Neapolis Archaeological Park , Puppet theater performance , Museo dello Sbarco tour (WWII) , Catania fish market tour , Wine tasting at Sicilian winery… and more
- All group transportation from Palermo to Catania
- 10 nights' accommodations in memorable, centrally located hotels
- All breakfasts and half your dinners
- All tips for guides and driver
- Rick Steves Travel Store credit to use toward guidebooks for your trip
- Guaranteed tour price, locked in the moment you make your deposit
- Optional single supplements — this tour has a limited number of private rooms for solo travelers for an additional fee
- Tour alum discount of $50 for each tour you've taken prior to 2017
- 50% discount on a consulting appointment with our in-house experts to assist with your pre- or post-tour travel plans
- Flexibility should you need to transfer, or cancel/interrupt your tour
- Fine print: You are responsible for the cost of your drinks and free-time sightseeing. See our Tour Conditions Agreement for important details regarding everything listed above
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Itinerary
We'll gather at our hotel in Palermo at 3 p.m. for a welcome meeting. Then we'll begin our Sicilian adventure together by joining a contessa for a personal tour of her family's home, the Palazzo Federico. We'll end our evening getting to know one another at a "Welcome to Sicily" dinner together. Sleep in Palermo (2 nights). No bus. Walking: moderate.
Let's meet our local guide for a tour through Palermo's colorful and bustling Ballaró street market – spiced with an evocative whiff of Africa. Then we'll greet our driver and hop aboard the coach bound for the hill-topping town of Monreale, renowned for its Arab-flav...
This morning we'll head toward the island's western coast, stopping at the ancient Greek site of Segesta to meander through its magnificent Doric temple and hilltop theater. Then we'll continue to the enchanting medieval mountaintop town of Erice. Believed by Romans t...
Today we'll drive down to the Trapani "salt-pans" — a coastal wetland and nature reserve where sea salt has been harvested for nearly 3,000 years. We'll tour the ancient Phoenician island of Mozia and learn about this bygone civilization. Then our guide will explain t...
This morning we'll take a magical history tour through the ruins of Agrigento, one of the richest of the Greek colonies and a thriving democracy 2,500 years ago. We'll also tour the vast collection of artifacts at Agrigento's Archaeological Museum. This afternoon we'l...
The Romans also colonized Sicily, which we'll learn about at today's first destination, the Villa Romana del Casale. Here we'll spend much of our morning surrounded by the world's most rich and colorful collection of Roman mosaics — including the time-bending "bikini ...
The day is yours to wander along Ragusa's narrow streets and soak in the simple pace and traditions of everyday Sicilian life. Enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of this delectable hill town. Tonight we'll gather for a family-style cooking lesson featuring the region's traditional recipes. No bus. Walking: light to strenuous (your choice).
This morning we'll experience (and taste!) the ancient technique of chocolate making, introduced to Sicily by the Spanish colonists. Then we'll take a drive to your guide's favorite hill town in the Ragusa region. After free time for exploring and lunch, it's on to Sy...
This morning we'll experience the roots of modern drama with a tour at Syracuse's impressive Neapolis Archaeological Park, where an ancient Greek theater is carved into the rock. Then the afternoon is yours to wander through Syracuse's delightful jumble of Greek, Roman, medieval, and Baroque layers — or settle on a quiet park bench with a harbor view. No bus. Walking: moderate.
After breakfast, we'll head north to Catania, where we'll tour the Museum of the 1943 Landings in Sicily (Museo dello Sbarco). We'll learn how, nearly a year before D-Day, Allied troops found themselves fighting against — and at the same time liberating — their Italia...
Breakfast is provided, but there are no group activities today. It's a breeze to reach Catania's airport by shuttle bus or taxi. Your guide will help you with any post-tour planning, leaving you well prepared for the road ahead. Grazie e ciao!
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Rick Steves.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Rick Steves Reviews & Ratings
Sicily is Pure Eye Candy :: Will Leave You Wanting More :: Seamless Way To Travel The Island
A perfect "10" for the Rick Steves' Best of Sicily 11-Day Tour. My 1st tour with any company. This was a perfect combination of scheduled time and free time .. with ...
Other Rick Steves Reviews
This is about the store not the tours
We purchased two backpacks from Rick Steves Europe. One of them arrived damaged and unusable. Their website says that you must contact them if you receive damaged me...
Sicily is Pure Eye Candy :: Will Leave You Wanting More :: Seamless Way To Travel The Island
A perfect "10" for the Rick Steves' Best of Sicily 11-Day Tour. My 1st tour with any company. This was a perfect combination of scheduled time and free time .. with ...
Terrible Covid Experience
We are in Ireland now, traveling with Rick Steves Tours and a group of 27. Two days ago a member of the group tested positive for Covid, and we had all been exposed....
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Our mission is to inspire, inform and equip Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable and culturally broadening. We value travel as a powerful way to better understand and contribute to the world in which we live. We strive to keep our own travel style, our world outlook and our business practices consistent with these values.
About Rick Steves
Guidebook author and travel TV host Rick Steves is America's most respected authority on European travel. Rick took his first trip to Europe in 1969, visiting piano factories with his father, a piano importer. As an 18-year-old, Rick began traveling on his own, funding his trips by teaching piano lessons. In 1976, he started his business, Rick Steves' Europe, which has grown from a one-man operation to a company with a staff of 80 full-time, well-travelled employees at his headquarters in Washington state. There he produces more than 50 guidebooks on European travel, America's most popular travel series on public television, a weekly hour-long national public radio show, a weekly syndicated column, and free travel information available through his travel center and website. Rick Steves' Europe also runs a successful European tour program. Rick Steves lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington. His office window overlooks his old junior high school.
What we do
--We research and write European guidebooks, produce a public television series and a public radio show
--We organize and lead energetic tours throughout Europe
--We sell select travel bags, guidebooks, maps, DVDs, and other travelers' supplies
--We offer travel consulting and trip planning services
--We teach do-it-yourself travel seminars
--We provide a wealth of free information about travel in Europe via our Travel Center and Website
--We travel a lot
What we don't do
--We are not travel agents, so we don't book flights, hotels, or rental cars
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Logistics
What's excluded
- International Flights
- Passport and Visa Charges
- Personal Expenses
Sightseeing on Your Own
If you arrive in Sicily before your tour begins, use the Sicily guidebook to get oriented. Ride the public transportation, try out a few words of Italian, and get over your jet lag with lots of fresh air and exercise.
Here are suggestions for sightseeing in Palermo that we do not do as a group: Cappella Palatina, Teatro Massimo (closed Mondays), Marionette Museum, Museo Archeologico Regionale A. Salinas, Palazzo Abatellis, Capuchin Crypt, Palazzo Mirto, Galleria D'Arte Moderna (GAM).
Activity Level
This is one of our most active tours! Most days are strenuously paced with 2–8 miles of walking, including hilly terrain and lots of stairs.
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