Sicily

We have taken many Rick Steve’s tours, including Sicily this summer. We did not feel it was particularly strenuous. ( We are 70 and 68 in good shape-walk several miles per day, hit the gym 5-6 days per week.) Many activities are optional and there is opportunity to bail out of the scheduled activities. The Valley of the Temples involved a lot of walking. Now I have read on this forum the availability of golf carts or some such there, but I did not see any. We took the Best of Rome tour just before Sicily and, on a daily basis, walked much further in Rome. Having said all of that, if you have significant mobility issues any of these tours will present a challenge.

2 to 8 miles is nothing. I walk more than that on a day in Paris, or in any other big city when out sightseeing. There's not going to be an 8 hour walk with no breaks, it's a total for the day which may include some outdoor tourist venue (such as ancient ruins) that involve quite a bit of walking and then a visit to a town that can't be accessed by bus and you need to walk a bit to get there, probably <a mile. It just means that there will be lots of walking during the day and you should be prepared. There's also always the option of skipping some sightseeing days or specific sights that require more walking than you're able to do. Unless you're definitely mobility impaired I wouldn't think it would be a big problem.

I have taken this tour twice...it is that wonderful an experience. That and the itineraries were slightly different! No, I didn't find the walking very strenuous and I am OLD! That said, I do walk here at home a couple of miles whenever the weather cooperates. As Nancy said, you can opt out of anything you feel might be too much for you. One the my favorite things about a Rick Steves tour: you will be treated like an adult and can either go to not, your choice. Just let your guide and/or your buddy know you will not be with them for the planned activity. And yes, indeed....this tour IS fantastic!!

Thank you for the very helpful replies. We went on a RS tour many years ago that was great. This trip looks wonderful but the caution about being strenuous made me hesitant since we are older travelers.

We thought the description was accurate, but it was not that much different than anywhere else we've gone. Yes there were a lot of stairs and hills to negotiate, but its not like its all in a continuous long walk. There is a lot of standing around listening to guides, or going through museums, so its not necessarily fast paced walking. We found plenty of opportunities to sit and rest when needed.