Our tours / Sicily

Sicily Coast-to-Coast

(3 customer reviews)

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and used to be the cultural and political center of the ancient world. It has so much to see that we had a hard time deciding where to go, but a well-paced cross-country trip seemed in order! See Baroque splendor, ancient Greek temples, and savor the fabulous food and wine of this great island.
Duration: 9 nights / 10 days (shorter and longer itineraries are possible)
Dates: 2025: we have a new walking tour starting April 23; otherwise private departures upon request
Trip starts/ends: Palermo / Catania airport
Activity level: 1 – easy: exploring cities/archaeological sites on foot, mostly paved, minimal climbing (hiking version can be arranged) [more info]
Group size: min 4 - max 14

Highlights

  • discover the fascinating history, churches, and street markets of Palermo
  • visit the Norman Castle and Palatine Chapel in Palermo
  • see the beautiful Cathedral and cloister in Monreale
  • visit 5 of the 7 Unesco World Heritage sites in Sicily, including the mosaics of the Villa del Casale, the Greek Temples of Agrigento, and the ceramic tiles of Caltagirone
  • enjoy some of the best food in Italy
  • taste delicious Sicilian wines and enjoy a visit to a local winery
  • discover the beauty of the Baroque towns of southern Sicily including Ragusa, Scicli and Ortigia

Trip price includes

  • 9 nights in 4-star hotels and country estates
  • 9 breakfasts and dinners plus 1 lunch
  • all visits and transfers as per itinerary
  • at least one bilingual guide

Not included

  • 7 lunches
  • drinks other than water at meals
  • activities not listed in the itinerary

ITINERARY

Days 1-2: Arrival in Palermo

Make your way to fascinating Palermo, whose airport is well connected to Rome and other European hubs. We start off with a guided visit of the historic city center and then have dinner at a local trattoria. On our second day we’ll tour the local market and visit some of the city’s amazing sites. Two nights Palermo. 

 

Days 3-4: Agrigento

Transfer to the southern side of the island to visit the “Valley of the Temples,” featuring some of the best-preserved Ancient Greek ruins in the world. Our hotel is a renovated country estate featuring extensive gardens and views of the temples lit up at night. 2 nights near Agrigento.

 

Days 5-7: Ragusa

Head east to arrive at another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Baroque towns of Ragusa, Modica and Scicli. They were all built following the earthquake of 1693 that devastated the island, so they have an architectural unity that will astound you with ornate balconies, wedding-cake window trim and golden limestone facades. We stay in another country estate, this one owned by a winery – so you know a tasting is in the books! We also take a day-trip to see the magnificent Roman mosaics in Piazza Armerina, and see some ceramics workshops in Caltagirone. 3 nights near Ragusa.

 

Days 8-9: Siracusa/Ortigia

Our final transfer takes you to the east coast and the wonders of Siracusa, which once rivaled Athens as the most important city in Magna Graecia (“greater Greece” of the ancient world). At the tip of the island is the tiny island of Ortigia, where we’ll spend two nights in a fabulous and charming hotel. Explore the coastline and some of the Greek ruins on your last full day on tour. 2 nights Ortigia.

** If you’ve already been to Siracusa/Ortigia, you can skip the last 2 days and go straight to the Catania airport on Day 8, cutting two days off of the itinerary and 400 euros off of the cost

 

Day 10: Departures for Catania airport
We offer one group transfer to the Catania airport, about an hour’s drive, to be timed to the group’s plans. You can also extend your journey for a few days to go up the slopes of the volcano of Mount Etna or see the tiny but well-known town of Taormina.

 

Getting there and away: You can fly directly into the Palermo airport, which is well connected to a variety of European hubs. And we end at the Catania airport, which also has flights to Rome and other European cities.

from €3,790
[info on prices]

3 reviews for Sicily Coast-to-Coast

  1. JAM –

    My wife and I took a 10 day trip to Sicily in March 2023 with Claire Duiker from Wild Sage as our guide. This was our first time in Sicily and the tour had a perfect combination of seeing much of what the large island has to offer and time to relax and enjoy our group. The itinerary combined time in the amazing coastal cities of Palermo and Siracusa and in the middle of the island near Agrigento and Vittoria. Claire organized everything very well, from hotel selections, restaurant choices, and visits to sites. With her deep knowledge of European history, she provided historical context covering the many layers of Sicily’s past as we moved around and visited sites but gave us space to explore things ourselves too. And she was extremely flexible – if our group wanted to alter the schedule some or stay a little longer (or shorter) somewhere, she was always responsive to impromptu changes. I don’t like to move from hotel to hotel so much when I’m travelling so our itinerary was great in that regard: 2 or 3 nights in each location gave us a chance to unwind and enjoy the location without always worrying about packing and getting out the next morning. Claire is fluent in Italian and English, and it probably isn’t always easy to be working around the clock, including dinners out with your “customers”, but she is fun to be with socially and made it seem easy. I enthusiastically recommend Wild Sage and Claire as a guide for this trip or others. If Sicily, make your trip as long as you can- there’s a lot to see.
    JAM, California, U.S.

  2. BBK –

    Our trip to Sicily with Wild Sage in mid-October (perfect time of year) could not have been better. With Claire as our guide/interpreter and Giuseppe as our intrepid driver, we spent 10 days exploring the island from modern cities to Baroque towns to ancient temples, from the coast to the interior. All we had to do was soak in the amazing environment and enjoy ourselves – everything else was taken care of for us. The food, wine, and cannoli were delightful, the hotels and country inns lovely. We had any number of experiences (visiting a cheese maker, a cart-making shop, an ancient ritual bath deep under a church, a Roman villa with spectacular mosaics) that we undoubtedly would have missed had we not been with Claire. She not only planned a great itinerary but was also attuned to our group’s interests and differing energy levels. This was our first trip with a personal guide, and we’re sold on the concept – especially with Claire and Wild Sage.

  3. CMB –

    Our group of eight took a fantastic trip through Sicily in May to explore our family’s Sicilian roots. Claire worked with us to design an adventure that not only hit all of Sicily’s beautiful highlights, but also included a side trip to our family’s hometown (little Montaperto) and so many other unique experiences as well. Whatever we requested, she made happen! As BBK so eloquently stated in the previous review, the food, lodgings, and private transfers throughout Sicily were all wonderful, leaving us with nothing to do but relax and enjoy. It was a family experience we will never forget! This was our first trip custom designed by Wild Sage, but it will surely not be our last. Claire has spoiled us for all future travel!

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Activity Levels

Some tours have a range of activity levels through the week, where some walks may be more challenging than others, but this will give you a general idea of the type of walking/hiking involved on your tour.

1 – EASY: City walking, all or mostly paved, minimal climbing
2 – GENTLE: Moderate hills & easy terrain
3 – MODERATE: Some sustained hills with occasional steep grades on a mix of terrains
4 – HIKE: Classic hiking with rough/rocky terrain, sustained hills, and longer mileage
5 – CHALLENGING: Challenging hiking with steep climbs and descents over rocky terrain and some longer mileage

See below for more detail:

1 – EASY: City walking, all or mostly paved, with minimal climbing (though some cities may have steeper inclines). Archaeological sites may be unpaved but the grades and difficulty level is easy. TOURS: Sicily Coast-to-Coast and any “light active” version of a tour

2 – GENTLE: Moderate hills & easy terrain
The terrain is easy to navigate with packed earth or gravel roads. There are some climbs but nothing too challenging. TOURS: Tuscany, Puglia, Provence
[2+ The “plus” indicates more challenging terrain though the walks are gentle].

3 – MODERATE: Some sustained hills with occasional steep grades and rocky terrain
Here you find a mix of terrain with some steep stretches.
TOURS: Corsica, Sardinia, some of the Dolomites tours, and some hikes on the Greek Islands
[3+ The plus indicates rockier terrain or lots of stone steps (Amalfi, the Cinque Terre) or greater elevation gain/loss (the Dolomites)].

4 — HIKE: Classical hiking with rough terrain, sustained hills, and more mileage. These hikes are on a mix of rough terrain, sometimes involving steep stretches and difficult footing. TOURS: some of our hikes in Sardinia, some of the days in the Cinque Terre, some of the variants of our Dolomites tours.

5 – CHALLENGING: Longer days, challenging climbs, rocky terrain. We don’t do a lot of seriously challenging tours but we do have a Dolomites trip where we hike from hut to hut, so that’s probably the closest we get to a 5.

Info on prices

The price indicated is for a minimum of 6 people and our basic itinerary based on double occupancy (a “single supplement” covers hotel prices only, we apply no extra fees). Departures with fewer people or with upgraded hotels will have a higher price. We can organize private departures for any number of people but prices vary depending on number of participants. Please contact us for details!