Spirit of Sicily

10 days
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
Additional images not provided by operator
Video not provided by operator
4.9/5 Excellent
100+ reviews  
99%
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
preferred

USTOA

Cancellation Policy
Group Tour
Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina, a Roman Villa known for its beautiful, well-preserved Roman mosaics which was only excavated in the 20th century. It was part of a late third and early fourth century AD Roman estate and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Sicily because of its unusually beautiful and detailed mosaics which luckily have we...

Overview

Trip type
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Highlights

    • Visit the “royal mountain,” a mighty Norman cathedral in Monreale
    • Explore the hilltop town of Erice
    • Explore Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples
    • Visit Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina
    • Ascend the Slopes of Mt. Etna
    • Visit Fishing Villages of Acitrezza and Acicastello

What's this trip about?

    Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina, a Roman Villa known for its beautiful, well-preserved Roman mosaics which was only excavated in the 20th century. It was part of a late third and early fourth century AD Roman estate and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Sicily because of its unusually beautiful and detailed mosaics which luckily have weathered floods and other natural calamities which affected the estate over the years.

Compare to similar trips

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeStandard Group - 25 + people
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportAll internal transport included (including local flights)
Start CityPalermo
End CityTaormina

Travel Themes

  • Cultural
  • National Parks
  • Nature & Wildlife

Destinations

Attractions

  • Agrigento
  • Mount Etna
  • New York
  • Palermo
  • Sicily

Activities

  • Culture
  • Historic sightseeing
  • History
  • Nature

Trip includes

    • Round-trip airfare from New York (JFK) via scheduled flight on Alitalia
    • Airfare taxes, fees & fuel surcharges
    • All intra-Italy transportation via air-conditioned motor coach
    • Accommodations at First Class hotels
    • 10 meals: 7 breakfasts (B), and 3 dinners
    • A glass of wine with included dinners
    • Comprehensive sightseeing tours including admission fees as indicated in the itinerary
    • Professional English-speaking Tour Director throughout

View Similar Trips

Itinerary

Travel Map
Day 1: USA to Palermo
Your unforgettable trip to Sicily begins as you depart New York (JFK) today.

Day 2: Arrive in Palermo
Meals: Dinner Accommodation: Cristal Palace Hotel or Hotel NH Palermo or similar Welcome to Italy! Arrive in Palermo, where you’ll be met and escorted to your centrally located hotel. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure in Sicily’s capital where the architecture reflects ...
Day 3: Palermo to Monreale to Palermo
Meals: Breakfast After breakfast, enjoy a guided tour of Palermo’s city center where you’ll explore old avenues, Arabic neighborhoods, and iconic cathedrals. You’ll see the exterior of Teatro Massimo, Palermo’s elegant Opera House, and visit the Palatine Chapel inside ...
Day 4: Palermo
Meals: Breakfast Today is at your leisure. You might consider an optional tour visiting Cefalu, founded on a hillside facing the sea with a medieval appearance, and Castelbuono, an ancient village in the Madonie Park rich in historical and artistic attractions.

Day 5: Palermo to Erice to Salt Road to Agrigento
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner Accommodation: Hotel Baia di Ulisse or Colleverde Park Hotel or similar After breakfast, check-out from your Palermo hotel and depart for Agrigento. Along the way, explore the hilltop town of Erice, a medieval town built atop Monte San Giu...
Day 6: Agrigento to Piazza Armerina to the Taormina Area
Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Atahotel Naxos Beach Resort or Sant Alphio Garden Hotel or similar Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then explore Agrigento. See the ruins of the Valley of the Temples, where the city’s ancient architects erected most of their sacred bu...
Day 7: Taormina Area to Etna to Taormina Area
Meals: Breakfast Following breakfast, depart for the Etna Volcano. Drive along the coastline, renowned for its beautiful scenery, stopping to ascend the slopes of massive Mount Etna with a gentle walk. The volcano totally dominates the life and landscape of eastern Sic...
Day 8: Taormina Area
Meals: Breakfast Today is at leisure to enjoy Taormina on your own. You might consider an optional tour to Siracusa, an ancient city founded by the Greeks from Corinth, and Noto, the epitome of a baroque town.

Day 9: Taormina Area to Catania to Riviera Ciclopi to Acireale to Taormina Area
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner After breakfast, discover Catania, called the black baroque town because it is made of lava from the neighboring Etna Volcano. Afterwards enjoy a scenic drive along the Riciera dei Ciclopi for stunning views of the coast. Admire pretty fishi...
Day 10: Taormina Area to USA
Meals: Breakfast Check out of the hotel after breakfast and travel to the Catania airport for your return flight to the US or continue on the Aeolian Islands extension!

Want a tailor-made trip instead?

Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:

  • You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
  • Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics
Design custom trip

Dates & Availability

Price From $2,949
Price per day$295
Single supplement (single occupancy)$349
Last Updated: 9/1/2021

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with SmarTours.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

SmarTours Reviews & Ratings

4.9/5  Excellent
Excellent
996
Great
111
Average
1
Disappointing
2
Terrible
5
Write a Review

Other SmarTours Reviews

A

Amy G

Jun 2024

Written on

I did a tour to San Remo / Menton/…

I did a tour to San Remo / Menton/ Turbine and my tour guide was Smiley - she was great knowledgable, educated. One of the best tours I have taken. Highly recommend ...

T

Tour Guide Spoke Unintelligible English

Jun 2024

Written on

Company Failed to provide value and service

traveled with Smartours to Japan on a 12 day trip in May 2 024. This was the tour guide’s first trip working for Smartours. She spoke unintelligible English. Smartou...

c

customer

Feb 2024

Written on

BUYER BEWARE

BUYER BEWARE. We were to leave on a tour of Egypt/Jordan 5 days after the Hamas attacks on Israel. This outfit took about 5 minutes consideration to decide that it...

Write a Review

Travelers also viewed

Tour Operator

SmarTours

preferred
View Profile

smarTours was founded in 1996 with one goal in mind: to provide high quality, exciting group tour packages to some of the most fascinating countries in the world at the lowest possible price.  The team at smarTours believes deeply that high quality international travel should be affordable, and we work tirelessly to deliver affordability.

At smarTours, most of our travelers in any given year are repeat customers – they had such great experiences with us before that they decided to travel with us again.  And many of our customers are so happy with smarTours that they have made traveling with us an annual tradition, reaching 5, 10, even 15 trips with smarTours!  In other words, we must be doing at least a few things right.

Unbeatable Value: We provide exceptional value for your money, and it does not take that much time visiting our website to figure that out.  However, it can be difficult to compare the value provided by different tour operators because the tours are so intricate and multifaceted.  If you take the time to really peel back onion and evaluate the tours offered by smarTours, we are confident that you would come to the conclusion that our loyal customers have – that smarTours provides unbeatable value.

Phenomenal Tour Guides: If you ask anyone who has been on an escorted tour, they will tell you that the tour guides are an essential ingredient to making the trip a success.  The importance of tour guides is not lost on us at smarTours, which is why we are relentless in our pursuit and retention of the very best tour guides.  We are proud to say with confidence that our tour guides are phenomenal, and many of them have become celebrity-like figures within the smarTours community.

smarTours Price Protection: We have had a price protection policy since we started in 1996, and we thought it was time to share it with you.  If you reserve a spot on a tour and we later lower the price, we will make up the difference for you!  We do not penalize you for booking early, so you can reserve your spot with confidence that the price will not get any better (lower) for that particular date.  Also, to be clear, if you reserve a spot on a tour and we later increase the price, we will not raise your price to match the new price!

Focus: Unlike most of our competitors, we focus exclusively on providing affordable group tours to foreign, largely exotic destinations.  In the travel business, it is particularly easy to get distracted by new trends and themes, but we have chosen to focus on what we do best.  We are extremely deliberate in introducing new tours because we have set a standard that our loyal customers have come to rely on, and we are committed to meeting and exceeding your expectations.

What they’re known for
Low-cost international tours to bucket list destinations for travelers looking to maximize their holiday budget.

Associations

About Travelstride

Find your perfect trip

An epic selection of pre-planned trips on every continent, for every style. Thousands of itineraries from over 1,000 trusted travel companies.

Save time

Use simple search and comparison tools to easily find the best trip. Don't sweat the logistics — travel providers plan for you.

Save money

Book directly with the operator. See inclusive packages for the best values, and get access to amazing deals.

Travel confidently

Read unbiased user reviews, pick the operator that suits your needs, and connect with them directly.

Logistics

What's excluded

    • Baggage and personal insurance
    • Passport and visa fees
    • Gratuities and optional tours
    • Expenses of personal nature
    • Any items not specifically mentioned in the itinerary
    • Beverages
    • Meals other than specified in the trip itinerary
    • Items of a personal nature

Accommodation

Cancellation policy
Cancellation charges per person are: Up to 90 days before departure: $300 89-60 days before departure: $1000 59-45 days before departure: $1500 44-30 days before departure: $2000 29 days or fewer before departure: No refund. All cancellations must be received in writing.
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Meals Included
7 Breakfasts and 3 Dinners
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Optional Activities
To enhance and make your experience when you visit Italy more complete and memorable, you tour director will offer optional tours. All rates are approximate in US dollars and are subject to change based on fluctuation of exchange rates and suppliers rates. Payment should be made in local currency by cash, or major credit card (additional service fee may apply). Optional tours are subject to a minimum number of participants, payable in cash (Euro) or credit cards and may be cancelled if the minimum is not met. Additional optional tours may be added for your enjoyment, and the optional tours listed below may not be available on all departure dates. Optional tours are non-refundable. Day 4: Cefalu & Castelbuono (Approx. $89 per person including lunch) On this optional tour, visit Cefalu which was founded on a hillside facing the sea near Palermo. Cefalu has retained its medieval appearance with the center of the town located around a Norman cathedral built in the 12th century. Enjoy lunch on a terrace overlooking the blue sea before proceeding inland to discover the small and ancient village of Castelbuono in the Madonie Park, rich in historical and artistic attractions. This internal region between the Northern Coast and Central Sicily has a wealth of ancient small villages where many people still live according to Sicilian traditions. Return Palermo in the afternoon. Day 8: Siracusa & Noto (Approx. $105 per person) On this optional tour, travel to Siracusa. This ancient city was founded by the Greeks from Corinth, and was once the most important city in the Western world. Siracusa reached its zenith in the 5th century BC when it ruled all of Sicily. In the unique Parco Archeologico, the impressive ruins include the magnificent Greek Theatre, one of the biggest and best preserved int he entire Mediterranean, situated adjacent to a large Roman Coliseum and an ancient quarry possessing such remarkable acoustics that Caravaggio called it “Orecchio de Dionisiso” or “the Ear of Dionysius”. Next, visit the beautiful island of Ortygia. Here, amid the artistic vestiges of the Piazza Archimede, the legendary Fonte Aretusa or Fountain of Arethusa, and Siracusa’s historically unique Duomo, a building that has been a Greek Temple, a Muslim mosque, and a Christian church at various times during its long history, which is clearly visible in the architecture of the building. Later, reach Noto the apotheosis of a baroque town, famous for its magnificent church.
Additional Information
Trip ID
smartours-SpiSicSma

Become a member

(it's free)
  • Save up to $700 per person
  • Access members-only specials
  • Personalize trip recommendations
Sign up and save
Top Tour Companies on Travelstride:
All 1,600+ companies >