Sicilian Carousel | 8 Days

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Sicilian Carousel

4
(3 Reviews)
From $3,572 AUD
  • 8 Days
  • Cities Visited

    Catania, Siracusa, Ragusa, Agrigento, Marsala, Erice, Palermo, Monreale, Cefalu, Messina, Taormina, Etna

    Group Size:
    2 to 20
    Age Range:
    1 to 99
    Languages: English
    Type: Guided Group Tours

Or contact your local travel agent.

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Tour at a Glance

Tour at a Glance

Experience the best of Sicily on this phenomenal 7 day tour

  • Travel to the archaeological area “Neapolis”
  • Tour the Capital of Sicily, Palermo
  • Visit the coastal town of Cefalu
  • Explore the tiny streets of charming Taormina also known as “the pearl of the Ionian Sea”
  • Start Point:
  • End Point:
  • Stops:
  • Map is an indication of destinations visited and may not depict the exact route taken.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Saturday:                          CATANIA

Upon arrival at Catania Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure. Welcome drink and dinner at your hotel. Overnight Catania. (D)

Day 2 – Sunday:                            CATANIA – SIRACUSA – CATANIA

After breakfast, departure to Siracusa: visit the World Heritage Site “Neapolis”. The visit of this archaeological area includes the famous Greek theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Latomie of Paradise, and the “Dionysius Ear”. Continue to the island of Ortigia, the small baroque old city centre of Siracusa. Visit the beautiful Cathedral, which is built upon the site of the Doric Temple of Minerva, the legendary Arethusa’s Fountain, and the Temple of Apollo. Free time for lunch and afternoon at your own leisure to stroll through the streets of the centre and for shopping. Return to your hotel in Catania for overnight. (B)

Day 3 – Monday:                           CATANIA – RAGUSA

After breakfast, depart for a walking tour of Catania. Stroll through the city centre with your professional guide who will charm you with the history of the city and take you to visit the famous fish market “A PISCARIA”, one of the largest fish markets in Sicily. As old as the city itself, it’s a great way to experience the abundant fishing and seafood culture of Sicily, with a very special and authentic atmosphere. Depart to Ragusa, renowned for its cheese production, therefore, we will not miss a tasting of artisan cheeses and Sicilian specialties (light lunch). We will visit the enchanting historical centre “Ibla”, with its stunning baroque palaces and churches. Together with seven other cities in the Val di Noto, Ragusa is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Overnight Ragusa. (B, D)

Day 4 – Tuesday:                           RAGUSA – AGRIGENTO – MARSALA

After breakfast, departure to Agrigento, a hillside town famous for its magnificent Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit of the Valley, including the Temple of Concordia, which is in almost perfectly preserved condition, and the temples of Juno and Heracles. In the afternoon we’ll proceed to Marsala a city on the western coast famous for its production of sweet Sicilian wine. Arrival at Baglio Donnafranca, a perfectly restored 19th century baglio, which rises in the Marsala countryside, on the hills in front of the Stagnone Reserve and the Egadi Islands. The baglio was a property of Florio. Here we will have the opportunity to visit the cellar and learn all about winemaking. At the end of the tour, we will enjoy a wine tasting/light dinner at sunset. Overnight Marsala. (B)

Day 5 – Wednesday:                    MARSALA – ERICE – PALERMO 

After breakfast, departure to Erice via the spectacular “Salt Route”, a road flanked by the salt pans, windmills, and the “salt houses” where they still extract the sea salt as did the Phoenicians. Arrival in Erice, located on the top of a hill overlooking the city of Trapani and the Egadi Islands. Walk through its tiny and characteristic streets, the winding lanes, and inner courtyards. Stop for marzipan and biscuit tasting. Continue to Palermo, the capital of Sicily. We will enjoy a “street food” lunch in the centre of the town and then we’ll visit the Cathedral, one of the most important architectural monuments. Continue our visit by walking along Corso Vittorio Emanuele to reach “I Quattro Canti di Città” Piazza Pretoria, Piazza Bellini, and then visit the Church of Santa Caterina. Overnight in Palermo. (B, L)

Day 6 – Thursday:                         PALERMO – MONREALE – CEFALU – MESSINA – TAORMINA 

After breakfast, departure to the town of Monreale, situated on a hill at few kilometres from Palermo in a panoramic position. Visit of the Cathedral, one of the most beautiful monuments in the world with its Moorish architecture, housing very fine mosaics representing a complete cycle of the Old and New Testaments in Arab-Norman style. Continue to Cefalù, a former fishing village, now a charming coastal town. Enjoy a walk to the city centre and down the main street to reach the Arab-Norman Cathedral and the medieval washhouse built in the rock. Free time to explore the town. Proceed to Taormina through the coastal road passing through Messina from where we’ll have the chance to admire the suggestive scenery of the Strait of Messina. Continue to Taormina for overnight. (B)

Day 7 – Friday:                               TAORMINA – MT ETNA – TAORMINA

After breakfast, excursion to Mount Etna, the highest active Volcano in Europe. Weather conditions permitting, we will reach a height of 1800 metres to visit the Sylvester Craters where we’ll enjoy a spectacular panorama over the Ionian Sea. Stop at a local winery on the eastern slopes of Etna and visit a prestigious cellar. We will have the opportunity to taste different local wines accompanied by local cheese and cold cuts. In the afternoon, return to Taormina, the charming city called “the pearl of the Ionian Sea”. Enjoy time at leisure for shopping or walking through its tiny streets. Possibility to visit the Greek-Roman Theatre on your own, with its spectacular view of Giardini Naxos and Mount Etna. Overnight in Taormina. (B)

Day 8 – Saturday:                          TAORMINA

After breakfast, the tour concludes. End of our services. (B)

Accommodation (or similar):

CATANIA: Katane Palace Hotel

RAGUSA: Poggio Del Sole Resort

MARSALA: Baglio Donnafranca Wineresort

PALERMO: Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa, or Hotel Politeama Palace

TAORMINA: Villa Diodoro, or Hotel Caparena

Includes:

  • 6 nights accommodation in 4* hotels.
  • 1 night in a Wine Resort
  • Welcome drink on day 1.
  • Meals as per itinerary
  • Mineral water (1/2 per person) at meals in hotel
  • 1 Street food lunch experience in Palermo including water and a glass of wine.
  • Cheese & Sicilian products tasting/light lunch in Ragusa including water and a glass of wine.
  • Almond pastries tasting in Erice.
  • Visit of a cellar in Marsala
  • Wine tasting and light dinner at Sunset in Marsala
  • Visit of a cellar and Wine tasting on Mount Etna
  • Transportation by deluxe motorcoach* with free wi-fi (*a minivan with English Speaking driver, normally not equipped with Wi-Fi, will be provided if there are 8 or less participants)
  • English speaking Tour Escort* and local guides where necessary
  • Whispers Kit (for groups with more than 10 passengers)
  • Porterage at hotels

Excludes:

  • Entrance tickets to sites and museums (unless pre-purchased)
  • City Tax: to be paid directly at the Hotel.
  • Beverages (excluding water with meals at hotel)
  • Everything which is not mentioned in “inclusions”

Things to Note:

–          Accommodation is subject to change without notice. Every effort is made to avoid hotel changes, but should a mid-tour hotel change become necessary after this list has been printed, contact details of the new hotel will be supplied to you by your Tour Director.

–          For organisational reasons or health security, the itinerary may be reversed or modified without notice; in this case the operator ensures similar visits and excursions in accordance with the spirit of the tour program. If the number of participants does not reach the minimum of 9 pax, the operator will guarantee the departure, with a minivan, English Speaking driver and Local Guide services where necessary, reserving the right to make changes to the travel program by giving notice within 15 days before the departure date

–          Hotel taxes, service charges and tips for baggage handling are not included in the tour price.

–          Tour can be a combination of regular tours, therefore coach changes may be required. The same people may not be travelling throughout the tour.

–          Entrance fees to sights are not included but can be purchased as a supplement

–          A government tourist tax will need to be paid locally upon arrival at your hotels.

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Pricing & Availability

Filter Dates
2024
2025
Departing Ending

All rates are based on twin/double share. Please enquire for single and triple rates. Rates are based on AUD. Availability is conditional on final confirmation from the supplier and is subject to change.

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Reviews for Sicilian Carousel

avatar default
Room for improvement

Review for: Sicilian Classics

Room for improvement. Title says it all. Basic accommodation, nothing special. Tour guide & driver didn't seem like they wanted to be there. Overall it really just felt like I was using them to get from A to B and doing everything else myself.
avatar default
Daniel
Review of Jolly Sicily Tour

Review for: Jolly Sicily Tour

Review of Jolly Sicily Tour Palermo to Palermo tour of Sicily. (7 nights) The tour itself was comprehensive and covered most of the major sights that we wanted to see in Sicily. We choose Jolly Sicily Tour because of it’s start in Palermo, enabling us to spend more time in the city without backtracking. The hotels were of good quality and the restaurants selected for lunches were, for the most part, excellent. As I recall, all meals were included in the price, including wine and water at lunchtime but at the evening (hotel) meals wine and beer were usually extra. Our guide, Valentina was quite knowledgeable about the sites we visited and was able to answer most questions with accuracy, The bus drivers were friendly and provided a safe experience. However an over-reliance on GPS and an apparent unfamiliarity with some of the towns resulted in some gross misdirection's thus creating issues related to punctuality which impacted the time allowed at some of the sights. I was able to contact the company’s offices part way through the trip, to express my concerns on this issue and they took some steps which partially corrected the issue. So I expect it will not be an issue for future travellers. There is a reasonable amount of walking required, as was expected, so anyone with mobility issues should be prepared. But this is typical of group tours in Italy. Sicily is a quite mountainous region so several cities were located on the sides of hills. So a hiking pole may be worth packing. I would recommend, should you wish to see Palermo that you add on an additional 2 nights before or after the trip. There is quite a lot to see, and there are several musical theatres in Palermo so a night at the opera might be something to consider. Again the tour company did arrange our extra nights at the same hotel so we did not have to worry about booking or changing hotels. For those with limited time a tour like this gives a good overview of the country, However selecting the town of Ragusa as an overnight stop was, in hindsight a waste of time since it offered little to see in the time allotted. It also necessitated a backtrack of several km to Modica, a town we had passed the night before. Most sights visited allowed a reasonable amount of time for a general overview but for serious history buffs it night be considered a bit too rushed. If you feel the need to fully immerse yourself in the culture and spend a full day or more exploring each town you will most likely need to do it on your own or look at a customized private trip which will add significantly to the price.
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Cristina Maletta
Recently booked 6 clients on

Review for: Classic Tour of Sicily

Recently booked 6 clients on the Sicily mini carousel tour from Catania to Palermo. I have personally done this trip before and loved it. My clients came back absolutely thrilled with their time in Sicily on this tour. Their guide was amazing, the accommodation fantastic and the value of this tour is well worth it.
SunIslandTour
Reply from Sun Island Tours
Hi Cristina, we really appreciate the time you've taken to leave your review. Catania to Palermo is our shortest of 14 Sicily Tours and gives our guests a wonderful snapshot of that amazing island. I'm glad they got in before the crowds, because Sicily is booking! Regards Paul @ Sun Island Tours

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TRIP IN BRIEF

Sicilian Carousel

4
(3 Reviews)
From $3,572 AUD
  • 8 Days
  • Cities Visited

    Catania, Siracusa, Ragusa, Agrigento, Marsala, Erice, Palermo, Monreale, Cefalu, Messina, Taormina, Etna

    Group Size:
    2 to 20
    Age Range:
    1 to 99
    Languages: English
    Travel Style: Guided Group Tours

Or contact your local travel agent.

Italy
Speak to our Italy Expert - Natalie

Natalia is in love with Italy. Contact her for advice on Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice, Como, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Amalfi Coast, Puglia and Sicily.

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