Sicily deluxe tour
 

My husband and I are interested in going to Sicily in September. Does anyone know of a good tour we can go on? We are in our early 60's. We usually do not go on tours, but I have heard that the roads can be difficult. Also, I am concerned about the other safety issues. We would like something a bit upscale, but not outrageous. Thanks, madvee

I likewise would love to know of good tours going to Sicily. Hopefully you will get some answers.

Four years ago I felt the same as you (and the same age) so
we took a tour of Sicily although we'd been travelling on our
own all through Europe for decades. It didn't take us long to
realize we wouldn't have had any trouble driving around the
island without any guide/group. And unless you're going to be
involved in nefarious activities I really don't think there
are any more safety issues than anywhere else in Europe.

Palermo is a tad rough in spots but we walked around the main
district w/o feeling threatened.

We chose a R.Steves tour - although not luxury level it was
certainly very comfortable and the guides were wonderful.

Madvee, I would recommend looking into Insight's "Sicily in Depth" tour with an optional three day jaunt to Malta. I have taken several Insight tours and have been very satisfied. I wanted to take this one but my present schedule only allows summer travel and I would not go to Sicily then. September should be fine time to go - the tour has many date options in that month.

Folks on this board will try to persuade you to go independently but that mode is not for everyone. In any case, don't miss Sicily. I was there once in February and it was lovely. Hoping to return....

Hi madvee, just checking back to see if anyone else has tour suggestions for Sicily.........

As latedaytraveler said, some on this board will suggest that you travel independently. I won't try to pursuade you but will just report that we toured Sicily independently three years ago when we were in our early 60s. We flew into Palermo, spent 3 days, rented a car, drove to Agrigento for 2 days, to Piazza Armerino and spent two days in an agritourimo in addition to visiting the mosaics, drove to Siracusa where we spent 2 days and then to Taormina where we dropped the car and spent 3 days. We flew out of Catania. We went in September and found the weather to be perfect and the roads to be not difficult at all and not too busy. The only difficulty we had driving was in a couple of small towns where the streets were too narrow for two cars to pass.

We had a fabulous time! We'd love to go back and tour the western part of Sicily. If you are experienced independent travelers, I encourage you to give this some consideration.

Madvee:

I have not been to Sicily but I have looked into it a couple times. The only suggestion that I have is for you to look into Martin Randall Tours and Cox and Kings. These are British companies and you would change planes in London rather than Rome or Naples, These are experienced, good companies and I believe that their groups are fairly small.
I know that Martin Randall Tours always sends an expert in the area on their tour which would be interesting.

Good luck!

Pat

Thanks so much for all of the responses. Your stories have made me feel even more excited about the trip. Again, I feel torn by alternative travel methods. Any good suggestions for deluxe accommodations at these stops. Also, do I stay at one or two places and make side trips? Are there B&B's that are pretty? I feel a bit OCD. Thanks again, madvee.

I decided to not go on a tour. I booked a hotel in Catania, Hotel Imperiale. I need a smoke free room. I would also like to know if we should rent a car to explore Palermo and the surrounding areas as well as Catania and its' surround areas? Thanks so much for any advice. I would also appreciate information on places to visit while there.

Why Catania? Have you read the TRs on this site? Most people prefer Ortigia (Ssiracusa) or Taormina to Catania.

You don't want a car in Palermo - the public transport is fine both around town and for visiting Monreale.

I am sorry. I booked the hotel in Taormina, but I am flying out of Catania. I hope it is not too far from one to the other. Should I rent a car in Taormina? Will we be able to see all the places without renting a car.

Hello! I was in Sicily last year and have three suggestions.

1. I would first decide which sites interest you most because they're spread out. Ancient ruins? Historic cities? Scenic villages? Mt. Etna? Unless you have several weeks, it's hard to cover the entire island.

2. Then choose your base(s) for easy access to your favorite sites. For example, we were very interested in the Palermo history, museums, and markets, so we spent a few nights there, followed by a few nights each in Taormina, Ortigia, and Agrigento.

3. Although we found driving easy (renting a car after our stay in Palermo), we found pretty poor information and signage--and most of it in Italian--at most of the sites we visited, so we had to rely heavily on sketchy info in our guidebooks. I think this may be because historically most people have visited Sicily on guided tours. So if you are very interested in a lot of in-depth information on the sites you visit, you may want to consider tour guides for at least part of your visit.

Good luck!!

It isn't too far from Taormina to Catania and you have a choice of either a bus or cab from Taormina to the airport. Nothing to see in Catania. We had about the same itinerary your are planning - Palermo and Monreale, Agrigento, near Piazza Armerina for the mosaics, Siracusa and Taormina. We rented the car as we left Palermo and dropped it off the minute we reached Taormina. Driving for the most part was easy but you won't want or need a car in either Palermo or Taormina. A good navigator is needed because, as Abbydog says, the signage isn't great in many places.