We will be arriving in Ortigia by train and staying 4 nights before driving to stay near Agrigento. We will be hitting Villa Romana on the day we leave to Agrigento. My plan was to collect the car mid day the day after arrival and have it the 2 days before we leave. I am now wondering if it is worth having the car or is there plenty in Ortigia to keep busy for 3 days with no car?
Travelling first week October.
Thanks
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17914 posts
Ortigia is a small island connected to the mainland by a couple of very short bridges (Ortigia is separated from the mainland by a canal). It can be seen in a few hours.
In Syracuse there is also the Neapolis Archeological Park, which takes several hours to see. You can reach the park via bus or taxi.
The baroque town of Noto can be reached by train from Syracuse in about 35 min.
Modica, another baroque town is a bit further on the same railway, that needs an additional 70 min to reach.
Ragusa is a bit further than Modica.
If you go in summer and you'd like to go to the beach also, there is a beautiful beach in Fontane Bianche, half way between Syracuse and Noto. The station is walking distance from the beach.
Posted by
1019 posts
I think it's kind of an unnecessary hassle and cost to rent a car for those days. It's not like Ortigia has a massive bucket list of activities to keep you busy but I don't think people come to Ortigia for that type of sightseeing.
Honestly, if you're worried about getting so bored on Ortigia that you need a car to do day trips for half of your time, just consider cutting a day or two from Ortigia and giving it to someplace else along your way.
Posted by
56 posts
Hi!
We spent a day and a half in Ortigia and felt like it was plenty. That included visiting the archaeological sites in Siracusa, but we did not visit the museum. We had planned to, but decided we would rather head back to Ortigia for lunch. We picked up our car when we departed for Cefalu. In early May the parking garages in Ortigia seemed to have a number of available spaces. I would imagine early October might be similar. That said, I think it might be an unnecessary hassle and waste of money. In retrospect, I wish we had returned our car when we arrived in Taormina rather than paying for rental and parking for three days when we didn’t use it then just gotten a shuttle to the airport. I suspect you might have the same feeling paying for a car you will not use in Ortigia. Of course, if you plan day trips then you may be happy to have it.