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RICK STEVES SICILY TOUR - Questions on post tour plans & itinerary

Posted by (Vancouver, BC, Canada) on

My husband & I are booked on the RS Sicily Tour end of March 2020. This will be our 5th tour and I have always used this forum and received many helpful suggestions from all you wonderful posters. I have been doing a lot of reading on the Sicily and Italy forums (also got Rick's latest Italy & Sicily books from the library) and have already made note of a lot of suggestions regarding accommodation & transportation. I would like to put forth our plans and some questions to see if any of you have some suggestions to help further.

  • Vancouver, BC - London - Rome arriving 10:00pm so will overnight at airport (Likely the expensive Hilton for convenience because of late hour! as per suggestions from forum)

  • fly to Palermo (Air Alitalia - per forum) train to Cefalù and stay 3 nights before returning to Palermo the night before the tour begins.

  • tour ends in Catania on April 8th, the Wednesday before Easter. We would now like to take some down time after the busy tour (we are 73 & 75 & active but do not want to rent a car) and return to Ortigia as a base (the tour spends 2 nights here) and spend a few days taking in the Baroque towns of Ragusa , Modica & Noto by train or bus. But, after reading advice on this forum regarding bus & train travel on Sundays & holidays it appears that this would eliminate Good Friday & Easter Sunday as "exploring days" . So as an alternate plan, I was hoping we could find reasonable day tour of Ragusa & Modica for the Thursday( any suggestions of tour companies or guides would be appreciated), rest on the holiday Friday, take bus to Noto on Saturday if buses running, rest on Easter Sunday, and take private transport back to Catania airport on Easter Monday ( also an observed holiday) . Yes, this is probably too many days to stay in Ortigia but the holidays limit our movement. We would likely leave on the Sunday if it wasn't a holiday, but I don't want to arrive in Rome & get a train to Orvieto, the next leg of our post tour travels, on Easter Sunday. As it is, I'm not sure that we won't be impacted by a reduced train schedule on Easter Monday. The reason we aren't using Ragusa as a base is because of all the hills & stairs.

  • any thoughts or advice on this plan would be much appreciated and also any first hand knowledge of public transport in this area on holidays would be helpful. We have booked at the B & B Via Della Giudecca in Ortigia(refundable) so if any of you have stayed there, could you let me know your experience. I have questions regarding Orvieto & Umbria but will save that for another post.
    Thank you in advance.

Posted by
257 posts

As for the Palermo to Cefalu part, you can either take the train from the airport (Punta Raisa) or the bus since both end up at the Palermo Centrale train station. If you take the train, will have to transfer to another train to get to Cefalu.

Posted by
5298 posts

Lynne,

I think Palermo definitely needs more time. It looks like you’ll only be spending part of one day in Palermo when on the tour.
Consider staying in Palermo and taking a day trip to Cefalù (one hour train ride) instead.

Ortigia is one of my favorite places in Sicily so I think you’ll be happy to stay there at the end of your tour.

I didn’t stay at B&B Via Della Giudecca but it’s in a good location.

I enjoyed my stay at the Domus Mariae Albergo; my room had a balcony facing the beautiful turquoise blue sea. The staff were friendly and helpful, and the breakfast was excellent.

A day trip to Noto is easily done by bus.
You can check bus schedules here: Interbus.it

Here’s my trip report if you’re interested.

Happy planning!

Posted by
28422 posts

I agree with Priscilla. Cefalu is a former fishing village, now touristy during peak season. I have no idea what it will be like in April, but I (with no interest in spending time on beaches) wouldn't want to be there for 3 nights at any time of year. I know Rick is a much bigger fan than I am, but I really think a multi-night stay in Cefalu is a good idea only for beachgoers. There's so much to see in Palermo; I'd be going back there every day, which would be a huge waste of my time.

Posted by
154 posts

We are also taking the RS Sicily in June 2020 and adding an extra day in Palermo and a few extra days post trip from Catania.

There are 4 of us and we would really rather not have a car. We would like to see Ragusa, Noto and Modica and toyed with idea of staying in those areas for a few days, but decided against it (for now) as i don't want to be worried about backtracking to be near Catania on the last night.

So, I am considering staying on in Catania and exploring optional day adventures from there. One potential day trip i found is the Baroque Tour from https://www.getyourguide.com/catania-l258/catania-the-baroque-tour-t98892/
It's not in depth, but we will at least get to see those towns. If you opted to do something like this, you could ask driver/guide to drop you in Ortigia after the tour so you are making the most of a traveling day and being dropped at you destination.

We would also like to explore Etna more so another reason for us to stay on in Catania. I would also like to either take a cooking class or take the Streaty Food Tour in Catania. I am still exploring options for those last 3 or 4 nights.

Posted by
1059 posts

I’m in agreement with the others here. Cefalù in April is not in season, and though I adore the place, I just can’t imagine spending more than a day there if you’re not enjoying the sea. A day in Cefalù is probably plenty. I also found Palermo to be richly enjoyable, vibrant and cosmopolitan. Extra days there will not be wasted.

I also would not worry too much about your time in Ortigia. You’re doing the best you can to manage sightseeing around holidays. Ortigia is a treat. The tour is pretty jammed packed, you’ll probably be ready for some laid back days exploring Ortigia’s charm. Plus, I’ll wager you’ll be witness to some big celebrations on those days. That will be a unique experience in itself. Noto is very easy by bus, and easy to explore. Do not take the train there. I think your plans look good!

Posted by
82 posts

A big thank you to all of you! Each one of you gave me some very valuable advice. I feel much better about our time in Ortigia now - thank you Priscilla and awrzesinski ( & thanks for the tip about the bus to Noto)

The advice given by all on our time in Cefalù is well noted. Thank you Dan for the tip on the train transfer. The reason we planned 3 nights (only 2 days) there is to have one day to get over jet lag & one day to explore. If we take an early Saturday train back to Palermo( or even a Friday afternoon train) that would give us a day & a half in Palermo before the tour starts at 3:00pm on Sunday.
Cindy - I thought your idea about taking the Baroque Tour from Catania & being dropped off in Ortigia was a great one! When I googled the site you gave me & put in our dates, a message came up saying tour was not available after March 2020. I will dig further & try to email them directly if possible. Good luck with your trip planning as well.
acraven - thank you re Cefalù - you are a very well traveled person! I have seen your name and generous posts on a number of forums I have used. You are always very helpful.
Priscilla - I have been reading your trip report (not finished yet) and was moved to tears when you talked about your friend Zoe. So very sad to have lost such a lovely friend. I had seen Zoe's name on posts when I was digging back in previous posts. I may PM you, if that is ok, with some questions after I have finished reading your posts.
Once again, a million thanks - you are all very much appreciated by this little grannie! A Happy July 4th from your Canadian friend!

Posted by
11651 posts

Too much time in ORTIGIA? No. We spent a week there last fall and would happily have stayed a second week.
Tour company- based in Taormina but they cover all of Sicily- Sicily Life. We used them twice for transfers but they offer many tours too.

Posted by
76 posts

First, have to agree with your assessment, Lynne, that there are wonderful experts like Priscilla and acraven and Suki on this forum. I thank yhou all for your contributions! I learn so much and have gotten so much more excited for our trip in October. I also have learned to think about my need a little more rather than taking every piece of advice since, as these experts and others have pointed out, it is all about what YOU like to do.

For example, we were in Cefalu for shoulder season (October) 2 years ago. We were there for 3 days and it was delightful. Now, part of the reason is that we are more likely to sit at a cafe and watch the world go by, hike, etc., participate in Passagiata with our arancini in hand. We are NOT likely to go through the history and academic details of a place. Cefalu is perfect for the former, limited for the latter, IMHO.

So, as Suki referenced about Ortigia, I can say for Cefalu. We loved being there multiple days. One of my favorite photo memories is my husband, at the beach and an Aperol Spritz on the table in front of him...quite impromptu and captured the spirit of our trip! You will have to decide what your group desires to do and find the best fit.

Posted by
11651 posts

I totally agree with the above post. We even a cancelled a day trip we had booked from Ortigia as we just wanted to stay put, walk to the farmers’ market, hang out, enjoy the moment.

Posted by
82 posts

Thank you Suki & pmalbritton for your input. You have both made me feel more comfortable about our time in Cefalù and Ortigia. It is fun & interesting to get everybody's perspective , mull it over & then figure out what best suits. Suki - I have emailed Sicily Life to see if they offer a Baroque town tour from Ortigia at that time of year & to see what the price is. Thank you.
I really appreciate everybody taking the time to contribute.
Regards,
Lynne

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