Sicily Tour reviews

Welcome to the forum!

I did the Sicily tour a few years ago and loved it. Could you be more specific about any concerns you have?

Hi Thank You.....Is there lots of walking on hills, the hotel accommodations etc.

there are also great reviews in the Sicily TOUR part of this website. Go to the Sicily tour, one of the sections is reviews, another section is the activity level.

I assume this would be your first RS tour?
All the RS tours I have taken have had a variety of hotels some are great, some are just good, all have been in good locations.

Sicily is rated as one of the most active tours, and yes there is lots of walking, sometimes on uneven ground.

As the other poster suggested, there is lots of information on the tour page.

We took the Sicily tour fall of 2019. It was our 8th RS tour. Great tour, great food, lots of walking.

My journal notes indicate the steps I took (obviously, your activity level will differ based on your interests outside of the organized part of the tour): Day 1: 16,020 steps (we had an active day prior to the greet and meet), Day 2: 12,859 steps, Day 3: 13,018 steps, Day 4: 8,826 steps, Day 5: 12,388 steps, Day 6: 11,896 steps, Day 7: 15,387 steps, Day 8: 10,522, Day 9: 10,685 steps, Day 10: 7,854 steps, Day 11: tour over-we flew home early that morning before breakfast (didn't record steps).

The weather for late September to early October was mid-to-upper 70's. Only one day of rain. Get in shape with walking including stairs to get ready. Yes, some of the stops/towns had hills - some more than others. You will really love this tour.

gtjackets8083, It is so helpful that you provided your daily step count. Thank you! Weather info also helpful, as I will be on the Sicily tour at the same time in 2022/

I’m 69, in good shape and it was great. We just finished the tour Friday. That said, spouse is older so we frequently break mid-day. I averaged 5.2 miles for the first week and about the same for the second week. Some days you walk more than others, but a lot of that is your own choice. I brought a pair of Brooks running shoes and appreciated the stable tread. Segesta was probably the most uneven terrain on the way down from the top - bus takes you up and there is an option to take it back down.In Agrigento, we started at the top and it was a gradual descent. Walking around the crater at Mt. Etna meant uneven terrain, but it wasn’t hard.

I did this tour in June 2017 (wonderful tour, by the way, you'll have a great time!). I remember a good bit of walking but not over very challenging terrain. Granted, I was 37 and without mobility issues, but I had recently recovered from a very nasty and long bout with double pneumonia, so my stamina was not at its best. I do remember that some of the places we stopped at during the Taormina walking tour (and in Monreale, too, I think) had a good number of steps, but on well-maintained open stairs. I hope this is helpful.

Mainly what sticks in my mind was how hot it got at times and how some sites (Segesta, Agrigento) have very little shade. Bring water, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunscreen!

Caroline

Oh, about the accommodations: I thought they were generally extremely comfortable (the last hotel, in Catania, was beautiful and higher-end than I usually associate with RS tours), but I'm also pretty easy going on that front. To me, "comfortable" is clean, well-maintained, with hot water and air-conditioning.

I do remember that there were some issues with the hotel in Ortigia. It was more basic than most and clearly chosen for its (lovely) location. My room was fine, but one couple had a genuine problem with the plumbing and were moved to another room. I only knew about that because they commented favorably on how quickly our guide and the hotel dealt with the situation.

The other complaints came from this one guy who clearly didn't get the "no grumps" memo. I remember him saying that he had chosen the RS tour over a more luxurious Sicily tour because he knew he'd learn more on the RS tour, so I didn't have a lot of sympathy with his groaning about lack of luxuries. And, honestly, this guy was very much the type who, 15 minutes after you meet him, manages to convey how much money he makes and how important he is. You know the type, I'm sure. As far as I could tell, everybody else had a great time.

Lastly, I think Sicily is a good place to do an organized tour, unless you're super adventurous. It's still a bit rough around the edges (which can be nice, but also challenging) and its tourism infrastructure is still very much developing. In cities like Palermo and Trapani, if you walk two blocks in any direction from the main sights, you very quickly run into a reminder of the region's history of poverty, official neglect, and warfare over the last several centuries. Our guide, Tommaso, was wonderful, both in helping us to navigate, but also in putting Sicily's history, development, and current challenges into perspective.

Hope you opt for the Sicily tour. You'll have a blast!

Caroline

We took the tour (or 4th RS) in 2019. Our hotels and the food, were the best of any of the tours. I think it should be pretty clear from the tour descriptions and the basic RS travel philosophy, that it is not a luxury tour. Its all about convenient locations - nice hotels are a bonus.

One nice thing about the Sicily tour is that the distances are small, so the bus rides are short, and there is time for more sights on the way.

We took the tour in mid-March. My husband is 74 and in good shape and he had no problem at all. We walk 2-3 miles daily at home. There were a couple of elderly tour participants who were very slow walkers and they elected to sit out some of the walking. The tour guide was very helpful in accommodating them. We were surprised this is rated more active than Best of Adriatic. We thought the Best of Adriatic had more walking and more hills. In our opinion, the only issue that makes this trip hard is walking on large stones or big cobblestone sidewalks and streets. There was no smooth pavement. We took our hiking boots to give us ankle support and I am glad we did. As for the tour, we loved it. The culture and food was great! We highly recommend it.