Sicily in 11 Days Tour Sun - October 27, 2024 - Wed, November 6, 2024

I'd take the RT to Palermo, too. In addition to the price difference, there's the fact that sometimes Mt. Etna misbehaves and causes issues at the Catania airport.

I haven't taken the tour, but Sicily is wonderful. You might think an 11-day tour (even though it's really basically a 9-full-day tour, would be a long time for just one island, but you would be wrong. If you can scramble a few extra days, you'll have lots of places to use them:

Palermo is worth a lot more than the one day. I don't have a copy of Rick's guide to Sicily, which was first published after I toured the island, but I'm sure it will give you lots of ideas. During your free time during the tour, you'll be able to see the Norman Palace (magnificent, but I guess not an absolute, 100% must-see since the tour goes to Monreale), but I don't know that you'd want to rush to Cefalu with only part of a day available. Palermo has a lot of interesting churches ad small chapels (oratorios) that are nice to pop into as you walk through their neighborhoods.

The Baroque villages in the southeastern part of the island (Ragusa, Noto, Modica, Scicli) aren't on the tour at all. They are accessible, though not terribly efficiently reached, via public transportation from Siracusa over the course of two days.

Sicily highlights for us were: sunset at Valley of the Temples in Agrigento; Palermo, including Monreale; wine tasting at Emilio Sciacca, Mt. Etna.

acraven: "Palermo is worth a lot more than the one day." Good advice. We are planning to arrive in Palermo at least a day and a half before the official start of the RS tour. Time enough, just time enough, to get over the jet lag and walkabout in the city ourselves. Once we know the hotel, I'll look for special places to which we can walk... I sure we'll find "interesting churches and small chapels (oratorios) that are nice to pop into while walking through their neighborhoods." And Mt. Etna acting up - that's good to know, too. Thank you.

mml... thanks for sharing your highlights. I will make note of them.

We flew round trip Las Vegas to/from Rome for this tour and then booked flight on ITA. On the way to Sicily we overnighted at Rome airport and then caught the mid- morning flight to Palermo. We arrived on a Friday and the tour started on Tuesday. I think we were surprised how much we loved Palermo and were glad we had the extra time. One of our favorite activities in Palermo was the Streaty Food Tour.

The whole Sicily tour was sensational - a varied itinerary and fabulous meals. I can see why so many people rave about it. I would agree that walking through the Valley of the Temples was impressive, but so was walking around a crater on Mt. Etna one day and then seeing it glow in the evening from Taormina.

The RS tour in Sicily is great. And, yes, Palermo is worth some extra time. If you get Alfio as your guide, you’re in for a treat!

I have been in Sicily twice, at the beginning of November and also in March. As a resident of Minnesota, I imagined that Sicily would provide a warm, Mediterranean respite from cold weather. NOT! While some days were mild and only required a light sweater, evenings were always chilly and some days were downright cold - especially on windy days along the coast and up on Mt. Etna. I needed all my layers - long-sleeves, fleece jacket, and even a light-weight down jacket! My warm, cashmere scarf was also appreciated, along with gloves. Maybe you will be luckier than I was in terms of weather, but bring layers in case.

To find cheaper flights, you might consider looking at RT fares to Rome, and then book separate flights to Palermo and from Catania on a different airline - Ryanair or ITA. I did this kind of booking on both my trips - to Rome on Delta, a night at a nearby airport hotel, and then a flight in the morning to Palermo, then reversing this to go home (I flew from Catania at the end of the RS tour with no problem). This plan cost me less than flying all the way through Delta. Adding a night or two in Rome reduces the risk when booking two separate flights on different airlines.

Have fun!

My daughter and I just booked the same tour! We are flying Detroit to Istanbul to Palermo with Turkish air. Train to Palermo the last morning and flying to Istanbul for 16 hour layover. We will do some sightseeing then back to Detroit. This was by far the best flight that I could find in terms of price for business class out of Detroit. Plus Istanbul is amazing. I would love to talk before the trip.

We did this tour last year. The day in Catania felt more like a half-day so you might want to look at guidebooks and online to see if you'd want to see more of the city or go on daytrips. In retrospect that's what I'd do differently since the additional cost of another day or two is small in relation to the total trip cost.

I have been to Sicily twice as an independent traveler and have had the good fortune of seeing all of the stops on the RS tour. Almost all of these places are great walking cities, so get out on your free time and walk. I was anxious about Palermo, but enjoyed it much. It is one place that the RS tour is definitely short changing on time. See the Norman Palace. You must be patient to enjoy Sicily, more than most places, things happen. In places where you are near the water, stroll near the water.

Patty
Renee
leylmossani
John
dani

Thank you all for your thoughtful and helpful replies. Much appreciated.

Flights... we did book RT to Rome on Air Canada. (We had a good experience with them when we went on the Best of Rome in 7 Days Tour last October.) We added one ways on ITA to Palermo and from Catania. We did consider taking the train from Catania back to Palermo and flying back to Rome from there. The flights we found were the most convenient and the best deal.

Extra Days... Last October we added extra days at the end of the RS tour to take the fast train from Rome to Florence and then spend one last day in Rome on our own. We did consider a day trip to Orvieto but opted for that one more day in Rome. It's always a question whether to add days on before or after the tour. We decided this time to add a day and a half before the start of the tour for jet-lag recovery and walkabouts on our own.

We added one ways on ITA to Palermo and from Catania

Are you saying you have an ITA ticket to Rome bought independently from your round-trip ticket? If so I hope you're flying to Rome, spending a nite, and then leaving for home the next day. Otherwise if the flight to Rome is delayed such that you can't make the connection and must rebook you may have to pay any fare difference between the original and new flight (depending on the rules that apply to your ticket).

John...

On our return after the RS tour, I have a 5 hour cushion between when our ITA flight from Catania is scheduled to arrive in Rome and the scheduled departure for our Air Canada flight from Rome to Montreal.

ITA is still a partner with Delta, so you can book it all on one ticket, easily connecting in Rome. We did this in 2019 (when it was Alitalia) and had no issues. I too would book it R/T via Palermo (Punta Raisa) and take the bus from Catania to Palermo. We had to do that because of Mt Etna.

Take note of the layover times when looking at flights - some of those are crazy long. Is your $2700 number for one person? Wow.

Hi,
We are thinking of booking the November 24th "Sicily in 11 Days Tour" trip, thank you for all the great commnets. I would like to fly from Palermo instead of Catania as well. There is a train? bus? and is the information on Rick Steeves Sicily guide?
Did you checked your carry on bag? I was concerned becasue of the change of planes. Thank!

Stan... $1,350 pp RT with seat selection

Getting from Catania to Palermo...
direct shuttle from Catania–Fontanarossa Airport to Palermo. Buses depart hourly, except on weekends... takes about 2 hour and 30 minutes

https://www.excursionssicily.com/how-to-get-from-catania-to-palermo/

Maruchi... On RS tours, you have to pack light and carry your bags yourself. One carry-on.