Any comments helpful here. I am thinking doing the South Italy tour in April which finishes in Naples, then going to Sicily which starts 6 days later. Going down to catch the ferry across to Sicily sounds cool. Not sure how to do it or spend those 6 days.
Siclly tour starts in Palermo.
Posted by
Sidney, BC, Canada
979 posts
I did the South Italy tour some years ago and found it to be one of the more active Italy tours, involving some quite early starts and long bus journeys, along with all the walking. I think I would want to take a few days to decompress, perhaps in somewhere like Sorrento or another place along the Amalfi coast. If staying at Sorrento you could take the train and visit Herculaneum, the other city devastated by the eruption. Or you could stay on Capri or Ischia for a few days. You can take a ferry to Palermo from Naples - takes about 10 hours. Or the train down to Reggio and then the ferry and train, or possibly bus to Palermo. There are probably some other interesting places along the coast between Naples and The Toe…..a good map and Google could help find interesting towns. Or rent a car and drive down to Reggio and turn the car in there.
Good luck!
Posted by
Southern Oregon
627 posts
We did the reverse, Sicily tour and then South Italy. Had 4 nights at Rome tour hotel in Trastevere to decompress, do laundry and go see St Peters. We were gone for 1 month. We decided then that 3 weeks is a more perfect amount of time to be gone but it also might have been 2 very active tours back to back. It’s a great way, tho, to pay one airfare and see 2 top notch tours. Enjoy whichever way you do it!
Posted by
OP
Portland Oregon
14 posts
Very helpful ...Thank you! I just started thinking today. It would be nice if RS lets you make reservations at the tour hotels to make it easier. Do they let you know the names of the hotels so you can book in advance?
Steve
Portland OR
Posted by
Minnesota
570 posts
Once you register for a tour, Rick Steves will send you information about the first and last hotels so that you can arrange extra nights at those hotels.
I have taken both these tours and they were great! I would plan to arrive a day or two early in Palermo. There’s a lot to see and do there and the tour only spends a day there.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7799 posts
Hi, I will go ahead and share my trip report since I was in Palermo for five days. There’s a lot to see and do there, so I would suggest arriving a couple of days early. I really liked the small hotel where I stayed - both the hotel & the location!
Taking a flight to Palermo was very easy, too.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15781 posts
I'd fly to Palermo from Naples. You may want to spend another day in Naples. You can day trip to Ischia or Caserta.
Palermo has more to see than what RS covers in a day. Go by train to Cefalu for 2 nights to relax on the beautiful beach, explore the harbor and the historic center.