Hello! We will have a rental car and will be in Ortigia, Sicily for 5 nights in July. One day we want to see Mt. Etna and I'm having trouble figuring out logistics as most tours seem to leave from Taormina and Catania.

1. Is it better to drive our car there and then buy skip the line tickets for the cable car and 4x4? With this option, we would do some walking around on our own and then go up. Assuming there is visitor parking.
   OR
2. Go via a private tour? Having trouble finding one that leaves from Ortigia/picks us up from our hotel and includes the cable car and 4x4 in their prices. Any suggestions for a reputable tour operator (and link to the specific tour) appreciated! I have sent emails to Go Etna and Etna Tribe to get more information.

Thank you!

Here's a recent thread about exactly that!
Mt Etna advice

We got our tour last month using Get your Guide. Did the Mt Etna guided tour morning hike and food tasting. Pick up was in Siracusa about a 7 minute walk from our hotel in Ortigia. Did consider driving ourselves but did not. Fortunate because the drive back down the mountain was in clouds and you could not see more than about 10 feet in front of you.

kja - thank you!

mjs - thank you! Also leaning towards getting the guide for this one. Do you happen to have the name/link of the tour you took? Did it include the cable car/4x4?

My partner booked it.
paid separately to take cable car plus 4X4 plus hike

Provider was Travelers: title was: Get your guide website
From Syracuse: Mt Etna guided morning hike & Food tasting. After getting to the Refugio Sapienza station you have several options. We took the cable car plus 4X4 and hike.

@ mjs: I wonder if you encountered lines at the Refugio Sapienza station? When I visited Mt. Etna many years ago, there were long lines at every transition point. Being able to skip them was a decided advantage of joining a tour.

Nope no lines in late April. Mt had an eruption a few days after we visited so that might effect things if that happens around when you visit. I also suspect summer months more crowded.

@ mjs: thanks! My visit was in May, a few days after vigorous venting of black smoke and some cinders, which I'd watched from Enna.

Just occurred to me that we came from Siracusa while almost all tours come from Taormina or Catania. I suppose that might make a difference in crowding.

mjs - Thank you for the info on the tour you took. So the GYG tour picked you up at the hotel, so you didn't have to deal with parking, etc.
And then for the tickets you booked separately for the cable car / 4x4, which I know you can do online, that allowed you to skip the lines?

Does the guide just wait for you while you go up higher and then drop you back off at pick-up point? Thanks again!

We did not get picked up at the hotel. We were at the Ortea Palace and the meeting point was a 7 minute easy walk. You were given three choices of what to do upon arriving at Etna. We did the cable car option. We were fortunate that the clouds were not that bad up top and had some decent views.

Thank you @mjs - I also seem to have found an option that's also a 10 min walk from our hotel, which happens to also be the Ortea Palace! And we can buy the cable car / 4x4 tickets separate. Confirming a few details and then going to book. How did you like the hotel?

We really like the hotel. Perfect location a few minutes walk to Siracusa with its bus stop and train station. Lots of parking in front of hotel.Decent breakfast. Nice staff. Upgraded to suite due to platinum status which was nice.
Fair pricing. Get EasyPark ap for parking. Very easy to use

https://www.mysiracusa.it/en/ This was the tour guide we used to go to Mt. Etna and we were so pleased! Please check my trip report.Southern Italy and Sicily May, 2024

Thank you - very helpful tips!

Thank you, checking them out right now!

Nobody will be going to Etna anytime soon since it’s currently erupting. You should be able to hear it from Ortygia. All flights canceled for now in Sicily.

I saw the news earlier this morning. We will be there first/second week of July. Will it have been cleared up by then?