Sicily trains and Syracuse hotels
 

We are thinking of catching a train from Giardini Naxos to Syracuse and then hiring a car to tour around south east Sicily. Does anyone know if such a train exists and how often they run? Also can anyone recommend a nice hotel in or near Syracuse or Modica that has parking. Also are there any "must sees" in that area that aren't in the guide books?

I forgot to say, does anyone know if there's a train to get us back to Catania airport from Syracuse? I suppose the option is to hire a car in Giardini Naxos and return it to Catania airport but I expect that will be extremely expensive; has anyone ever tried that? Alternatively I guess we could get to the airport somehow from Giardini and then hire the car. Advice please.

We rented a car for our two weeks in Sicily, but, from what I've read, buses are usually a better option than trains for getting around. You might check with the Tripadvisor Sicily forum for more specific information. Casa Talia in Modica, one of my favorite lodgings anywhere, had parking a short distance away. In Siracusa I'd stay on Ortigia. There was some parking near our hotel, the Algila Charme, and there's also a large public lot near the entrance to the island. You do have to be mindful of the zones with restricted car access on Ortigia.

I see trains leaving Taormina-Giardini at 7:31, 8:37, 10:16, 13:20, 16:36 and taking between 2 and 4 hours. Go to http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml to see the full schedule. You'd probably have a better schedule if you take a bus.

Buses are a better choice to get to the airport.

<< Also are there any "must sees" in that area that aren't in the guide books? >>

For anyone to answer this question you would need to provide a list of all sights in all guide books. Otherwise how would anyone know what is in guide books and what is not in guide books?

I took the train from Naples to Siracusa, so certainly you can take the train from Giardini. It was slow, but had the advantage that I didn't need to change in Catania which I would have had to do if I took a bus.

There are many TRs on this site, including mine (click on my name), on Sicily.

We took the train from Siracusa to Giardini-Naxos. It was very comfortable, an easy trip. But we saw other trains that looked old and ill-kept.

The best place to stay in Siracusa is Ortigia, and it doesn't lend itself to car travel. (Semi-pedestrian streets, little parking, a longish way into and out.) Maybe do a day or two of sightseeing in Siracusa, then rent a car, staying in Modica. Finally drive the car to Catania airport.

We rented from economycarrentals.com; the rates were very reasonable.

Second Mimar--we spent hours driving around Ortygia (Siracusa) trying to find our hotel, and found it only after parking the car in a long-term parking garage and walking until we found the hotel. We left the car in the garage the entire stay. You can take the bus to the archaeological area from Ortygia.

Moral: pick the car up when leaving town.

lynny,

I visited Sicily for 3 1/2 weeks last April. I picked up a car in Trapani (downtown) and used it for 9 days, dropping in Ortigia, just over the bridge on the island. Very easy.

I traveled on to Taormina by train from Syracusa. Nice easy trip, took about 1.5 hours. No use for a car on Ortigia. I took a bus up to the Arch Park and museum in Syracusa.

The Arch Park was disappointing due to unbelievable crowds and temp wooden seats and theatre in the Greek theatre for the start of the drama season. Great if you are there for a play, not great if you just miss the season! Really enjoyed the museum much much more. Be sure to see the coin exhibit in the basement vault. Amazing, and I'm not even into coins!

Ortigia is wonderful. The most beautiful piazza I've seen in Italy. Lots to see and do. Wander, eat, shop, sitesee. You will love it. Stay as long as possible. I would have skipped Taormina and added that night to Ortigia if I had known....

My short trip report is on here too.

Buon viaggio!

PS - for Ortigia I stayed at La Via Della Guidecca and loved it. Lovely, huge rooms, awesome staff, great breakfast!

"are there any "must sees" in that area that aren't in the guide books?" -- depends on the guide book! IME, the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet generally give provide much more extensive coverage than most guidebooks. Those books will also provide good information about your transportation options.

I agree that while in Siracusa, you should stay in Ortygia and it would be best to wait until you are ready to leave Siracusa to pick up a rental car. I stayed at the L'Approdo dell Sirene and loved it, but I doubt that it has parking:
http://www.apprododellesirene.com

Definitely stay in Ortigia. There is a big public parking deck, but why pay to park a car you don't need?

In Modica we stayed at Casa Talia, which I can recommend highly. There is parking.

http://casatalia.it/english/index.cfm

In Ortigia we stayed at Palazzo del Sale, which I also recommend. I don't know if they have parking; we ditched the car upon arrival in Siracusa.

http://www.palazzodelsale.com/

For a car we booked through AutoEurope; the actual rental agency was Avis. And for the drive to Catania airport from Ortigia we hired a driver that we found through recommendations on the TripAdvisor Sicily board (Vagabonda recommended him and others had used his services). His name was Mario and very professional.

Thanks so much everybody for that excellent advice and suggestions. I will investigate further and look up the transport links. A driver to the airport sounds rather swish; isn't it expensive? When I asked for must sees that aren't in guide books I was thinking of tiny, off the normal route places that really appeal to you.

lynny2,

In Ortigia, I really enjoyed a quick visit to the Puppet Museum. 2E and 20 minutes, but really very interesting. The life-size puppets were amazing and the museum is operated by the puppeteer's grandson.

Also liked visiting the ancient fort at the tip of the island and a boat tour around the island. Nice on a warm day!

Be certain to try granite - in as many flavors as possible :-)

My driver from Taormina to Milazzo was 90E. It was worth it to me in order to make the early hydrofoil to Lipari. I don't usually spend money for "luxuries", but after 4 trips to Italy, I have finally learned that there are times when it is WELL worth it!

There are some great restaurants in Ortigia. Read my trip report.

Buon viaggio!

Thanks Dayle, that's the sort of info that is really helpful. I suppose your spell-checker revised granita to granite! I'll have a look at your report now.
I love this forum; it has helped me out of tricky situations when I've been on holiday and come up with ideas that I would never have thought of. The replies come in so fast - thanks everybody. I hope I can help you out one day.

The Villa Romana del Tellaro near Noto and the Chiesa San Nicola Inferiore, a rock church with frescoes behind the Duomo San Pietro in Modica. Both of these are in guidebooks but finding them felt like a discovery. We weren't going to be able to see the mosaics at the very famous Villa del Casale (relatively few rooms were open at the time we were in Sicily, and a cold had limited my desire to run my group ragged while in Modica), and the Villa del Tellaro is conveniently located near Noto, anhttp://www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/dirbenicult/database/page_musei/pagina_musei.asp?ID=53&IdSito=83d. You can click on my name for my trip report which has more detail.

We went to Tellaro, and it is nothing compared to Casale. It seems the villa at Casale always has some rooms closed. But, at least when we went there, we saw plenty even so.

And we had a very good and pleasant lunch sitting outside at La Ruota, a restaurant just down the road from the entrance to the Villa at Casale.