+39 090 213 5672 booking@discovermessina.com
Sicily grand tour: 9 days to immerse in the UNESCO World Heritage Sicily sites, as Palermo, Cefalù, Agrigento, Noto, Syracuse and much more.
Our Sicily grand tour starts in the south-east visiting Syracuse, to experience the Greek heritage of the Archaelogical Park of Neapolis, and the nice Ortigia, a unique and special place where Greek temples are preserved and in some case have also been combined with modern building.
Then, we go to discover Noto, known as “the stone garden” with its Cathedral and Palace Ducezio, seat of the town hall. It would be a pleasure to taste typical dishes and products of the local cookery. Nearby Syracuse, let yourself be inspired by Caltagirone, Ragusa and Modica, localities holding precious wonders and treasures, capitals of baroque in Sicily.
This Sicily grand tour also includes other UNESCO World heritage Sicily sites: a unique experience will be walking the Roman footsteps and visiting Villa Romana del Casale (Piazza Armerina), with its famous and beautiful mosaics dating back to the IV century a.C. Visit the Archaeological Park of the Temples Valley in Agrigento and get impressed by the magnificence evidence of the Greek civilization in Sicily.
Our Sicily grand tour will continue exploring Cefalù and the Cathedral of Monreale, in a short distance from Palermo, the capital of Sicily and famous destinations because of the stunning mosaics, testifying the XII century Arab and Norman heritage in Sicily.
Choose the Sicily grand tour and take the opportunity to know a consistent part of the UNESCO World heritage Sicily.
Catania: Aeroporto Fontanarossa ( Google Map )
Palermo: Aeroporto Falcone-Borsellino ( Google Map )
Messina Center – Sede Discover Messina Sicily ( Google Map )
Hotel / B&B
English, Italian, Spanish, French, Romanian
The reservations must be done no later than seven days before the tour.
The payment of 30% of the total amount of the tour must be paid at the moment of the booking.
Guests are required to observe with attention the dispositions given by the tour guide during the entire journey, to follow the established itineraries without getting away from the group, except the cases in which they have the approval and to respect the schedule for a possible free time.
The guided visits include promenades with pedestrian itineraries, a few an uphill climb. During all the activities our guest with mobility difficulties must be supported by an personal assistant able to help them.
Discover Messina Travel, will assume the responsibility to modify the itinerary or the program of the journey but only in exceptional situations.
Not recommended to people with restricted mobility.
The participants, once they have become aware of the detailed program, duration and attractions that we will visit, will exempt Discover Messina Travel by any civil and penal responsibility for eventual delays, accidents or incidents that might occur during the itineraries and transfers not attributable to the agency
Discover Messina Travel reserves the right to cancel the tour if the minimum of 4 participants is not reached later than seven days before the departure. In this case, we will refund 100% of the fees between the 24 hours from the moment guests receive the cancellation communication e-mail.
In case of cancellation by the guest, not later than seven days before the tour, we will refund 100% of the participation fees. If the cancellation should occur during the seven days that precede the departure, will be retained 40% of the participation fees.
Regarding the general conditions exposed above, Discover Messina Travel refers to the applicable laws in force.
Flexible hours and days.
Return details: Returns to the original departure point.
The confirmation will be received at the moment of the booking.
The participation of minors is allowed if accompanied by parental authority or by someone acting in their place only.
The car seats for infant and children are available only if required at the moment of the reservation.
The adult prices apply to all travellers.
If necessary, the tour can be run in more than one language.
Cell-phone number and valid e-mail address are required at the moment of the booking.
The timetable is established with our booking service at the following e-mail address: booking@discovermessina.com or with our assistance at the followings numbers: +39.090.2135672 and +39.3913288688
Discover Messina Sicily thinks that your time is valuable. Our attentive staff is here to help and guide you at any moment and through all the stages of your experience in Sicily: before, during and after your journey, hoping to see you back in our land in the near future.
With us, local and professional tour guides you will be able to experience and understand Sicily from a different perspective, with small-medium groups of visitors and getting answers and curiosities that only an insider can provide. So, what to expect from this experience?
Pick-up and hotel check-in. You will be welcomed by your tour guide at the airport of Catania or Palermo, or in the city center of Messina.
The first day on Sicily Gran tour starts with the nice mariner town of Ortigia, where the visitors can discover the baroque Cathedral of Saint Lucy, built over the ruins of a Greek temple, whose columns are still visible inside the church.
Ortigia is a little island preserving the historical city center of the ancient Syracuse , including the Castle Maniace at the very end of the harbour.
Among the things to visit, the Fountain of Diana (also known as Goddess Artemide) and Palace Bellomo, the seat of the Regional Museum of Syracuse with a rich collection of works of art. Dinner and overnight in hotel in Syracuse.
Breakfast in hotel. Our Sicily gran tour continues in Syracuse, visiting the acropolis where it’s possible to enjoy the heritage of the ancient Greek colony, included in the Archaeological Park of Neapolis, especially the largest Greek theatre of the island and the Orecchio di Dionisio (Ear of Dionysius).
We will discover the Latomie dei Cappuccini, rocky caves where it is supposed to stand the Tomb of Archimedes, died in Syracuse in the III century b.C. Dinner and overnight in hotel.
Breakfast in hotel. In the morning we will have a tour in Noto, known as “the stone garden2”, seduced by its baroque churches and buildings located along the main street Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
Among the most important monuments: Porta Reale, standing at the entrance of the city center, the Church of San Francesco all’Immacolata, the Monastery of Santa Chiara, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Nicholas, Palace Ducezio with its elegant rooms like the Mirror Room, and the noble palaces. Dinner and overnight in hotel.
Breakfast in hotel. During the morning the Sicily grand tour will take you to visit the attractions of Ragusa and Ragusa Ibla: the two cities are connected each other by a long staircase of 300 steps. We will visit the baroque cathedrals, Giardini Iblei, the Portal of the Church of Saint George, the Town Hall, the main churches and noble palaces, the Palace of the Chancery.
In the afternoon we will move to Modica, where to visit the Cathedral Churches of Saint Peter and Saint George, and the Church of Carmine with a fine portal in gothic style. Also, we will visit a local chocolatier to taste the delicious Chocolate of Modica, whose Aztec recipe was introduced in Sicily during the Spanish domination. Dinner and overnight in hotel.
Breakfast in hotel. In the morning we will visit Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina, a beautiful example in Sicily of Roman domus, elegant residence enriched by well-preserved mosaics of the late imperial age, declared UNESCO World Heritage.
The tour continues with the visit of Caltagirone, where we discover the Public Gardens, the Staircase Santa Maria del Monte, the Church Santa Maria della Scala, the Cathedral of Saint Julian, baroque noble palaces along the way and we will experience the production of Sicilian ceramics visiting a workshop. Dinner and overnight in hotel.
Breakfast in hotel. To live a really astonishing Sicily grand tour,we will go to discover theArchaeological Park of the Valley of Temples of Agrigento, where we can admire the majesty of Greek temples of the VI-V centuries b.C., first of all the Temple of Concordia.
The temples, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, well represent the presence of the Greeks in Sicily at the time of the colonization, and they are an input to retrace myths linked to the Olympian Gods.
In the city center of Agrigento, we will visit the Cathedral of Saint Gerlando, patron Saint of the town, and the Church of Santa Maria dei Greci, built by the Byzantines as Cathedral following the greek-orthodox rite over the ruins of a temple standing outside the city walls, probably dedicated to Athena or Zeus. Dinner and overnight in hotel.
Breakfast in hotel. Cefalù is a famous Arab-Norman capital, included in the Arab-Norman UNESCO site during a Sicily tour, but it is also an interesting destination for its archaeological area of the Temple of Diana, dating back Greek-roman times, then turned into a Byzantine fortress.
During a guided walk in Corso Ruggero, in the city center of Cefalù, we will visit the monumental medieval Cathedral with the Cloister, the Bishop Palace and the Treasure of the Cathedral, with reliquaries, silver objects about sacred art.
Moreover, we will discover the works of art of the Mandralisca Museum, especially portraits and furniture of the XVIII century, and the arch Porta Pescara, facing the coastline, and the Medieval Wash where the river Cefalino flows. Dinner and overnight in hotel.
Breakfast in hotel. At a short distance from Cefalù, we will have the opportunity to visit another town rich in history: Monreale. Here we will visit the Cathedral of Monreale, built in the XII century, the Archbishop Palace and the Benedictine Convent, including a beautiful monumental Cloister, one of the most precious works of art produced in Sicily by Arab architects, made up of 228 twin columns.
Palermo, the capital of the island, will let you retrace the history of Sicily and in particular discover the Arab-Norman buildings, in an interesting itinerary that has been recently included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sicily sites.
We start with the historical city centre of Palermo, visiting the majestic Cathedral. We will visit the Church of Saint Joseph, “I Quattro Canti” (Four Corners), and finally, in Piazza Pretoria, we will enjoy the XVI-century Fountain of Shame. Dinner and overnight in hotel.
Breakfast in hotel, check-out. Our last day on Sicily grand tour includes the visit of Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Royal Palace), built in Palermo between 1072 and 1130. It is the oldest royal residence in Europe, today it is the seat of the Sicilian Parliament.
Inside, we will visit the spectacular Palatine Chapel, with Byzantine mosaics decorations, and several rooms. Our tour guide will recommend you the typical street food to eat in Palermo, such as arancini and pane e panelle. Transfer to the airport (or city centre of Messina).