Skip to main content
Sicily Highlights September 2023

SICILY:

HIGHLIGHTS

GO TO TOUR

$3200 Double / $3900 Single

Wetravel standard registration for March has ended, but we may still have room!

Complicated, misunderstood, generous, outrageous, sensual and seductive, Sicily is pure opera. If you think you know Italy but haven’t been to Sicily, you are in for a mind-bending treat. 3000 years of history piled up like a sweet cassata cake is waiting for your exploration. And the food. It’s all about the food. This tour is part of a duo, you can pair it with our Sicilian Pleasures tour for the full Sicilian experience.

We start in the island’s capital, Palermo, with its 19th century faded elegance, marvel at the sparkling Byzantine mosaics of Monreale, and navigate the noisy markets of Ballaró. Next, we will discover the Greek temples of Agrigento, then enjoy the elegant island of Ortygia. Our final stop will be the classic Grand Tour city of Taormina, with sweeping views of Etna and the east coast.

Sicily is a passion for Sarah, who co-Authored the Rick Steves Sicily book and has spent a decade exploring every corner of the Mediterranean’s largest island. This tour will combine the famous must-see destinations and Sarah’s mission to connect visitors with the soul of the island through history, food, off-beat sights, and traditions.

We have enjoyed our small groups so much that we will continue to keep numbers low and personal attention high. We will take a maximum of 16 guests per tour in 2023.

March tour is with Sarah. To read about last year’s tour see the blog!

Day One

Overnight: Palermo

Benvenuti in Sicilia

In the afternoon we will meet at our hotel in the heart of Palermo. Tonight, we will be welcomed by the effervescent Contessa Alwine Federico for a tour of her home. After our visit, we will take a stroll through the city and enjoy dinner together.

Day Two

Overnight: Palermo

Get to Know Palermo

In the morning we will be joined by local guide and professional photographer Domenico Aronica for a munch and learn walking tour. We will enjoy the back streets that only a local knows, and sample some street food specialties. In the evening, our group will attend a private show at the Cuticchio Puppet Theater, the most famous theater for traditional Sicilian Opera dei Pupi.

Day Three

Overnight: Agrigento

Monreale to Agrigento

We will venture outside of Palermo on our bus today to visit the magnificent cathedral of Monreale. Covered in glittering Byzantine mosaics, Monreale is one of the great legacies of the Middle Ages. After lunch, we will drive to Agrigento and enjoy a dinner together.

Day Four

Overnight: Agrigento

Greek Sicily

Our focus today is on the magnificent ruins of the Valley of the Temples. We will visit the museum, and have time to stroll the upper town of Agrigento to find hidden treasures.

Day Five

Overnight: Syracuse

Heart of Sicily

We will dive into the heart of the island today, starting with a visit to the Roman Villa del Casale. This mosaic cycle is one of the largest and most impressive from the ancient Roman world. After a country lunch, we will drive to the east coast and sleep on the island of Ortygia.

Day Six

Overnight: Ortygia

Baroque Sicily

We will have the whole day free to enjoy the many delights of Syracuse. Your guide will help you choose the best activities to suit your energy level.

Day Seven

Overnight: Taormina

Catania and Taormina

Leaving the southeast, we will drive up the coast and stop in the busy city of Catania. Our stroll through town will take us to the fish market and cathedral. In the afternoon, we will arrive at our homebase in the old-time resort town of Taormina.

Day Eight

Overnight: Taromina

Taormina

Our final full day will be spent enjoying the beauty of Sicily’s famous resort town. In the morning, we will stroll to have granita and brioche, then enjoy the ancient Greek-Roman theater. Tonight, we will gather for our final dinner to celebrate this beautiful island.

Day Nine

Tour over after breakfast

Our sweet farewell is after breakfast. Your guide can help you arrange transportation to the Catania airport. For those staying on for the Sicilian Pleasures tour, you’ll transfer to the first hotel with your guide.

Price: $3200 (Air not included). Single Supplement is $700. We welcome singles and can try to pair you with another single to room with, but the single supplement will be required if we can’t.

What’s included: 3 dinners and 3 lunches, 8 nights lodging in a clean, comfortable, and centrally located hotel. All admissions and fees for group activities. Transport within the tour and private guides, tips included.

Deposit Policy: A non-refundable deposit of $600 per person is due upon booking.

Tour begins in Palermo (PMO) and ends in Taormina. Catania Airport (CTA) is 90 minutes away, and your guide will help arrange a transfer by taxi or bus.

If you have additional questions please email us at: info@adventureswithsarah.net

If you would like to book this tour just for your own group of friends or family (minimum 6 people), we can offer a private tour with different dates to suit your travel needs.

I have been visiting friends and showing them my photos from the Piemonte tour. I was telling them how great it was to become immersed in this area and see things you would not normally have the opportunity to do or know about. Having a caring and inquisitive guide who delights in sharing where she lives brings so much to the experience. Go visit Piemonte with Lisa- you will have such an amazing time and fond memories to share and relish!

Patricia Eaganafter a tour in Piedmont, Italy with Lisa

I have had the joy of traveling with Adventures with Sarah many times, from Thailand, to Turkey, and many places in between. I choose to book with AWS because I can rely on a tour that is paced well, varied in activities, with great food and even greater guides. As a frequent traveler to Europe, I really enjoy AWS tours due to a small group size and the opportunity to go in depth into a region and really experience the culture of the area I’m visiting. And every time, with every group, I meet fellow travelers who are now friends. Adventures with Sarah is a tour company that I would recommend without hesitation. In fact, I have 3 tours booked for this year!

Betsy McGregorafter multiple tours with Adventures with Sarah

Fantastic look at more "out of the way" spots and wonderful experiences of food and wine. No crowds, just the Sicilian countryside and lovely towns. Traveling in April was fantastic with all the wildflowers. And walking on Mama Etna's shoulders was a highlight!

Barbara B.Sicily Pleasures tour

It really was a wonderful trip. This was our first group trip, and the size was just right. We all got along well which was a bonus. Everything was smooth, and Sarah had picked out some really wonderful things for us to do. I felt like we were getting "sneak peeks" of special things regular tourists don't get to do. We were willing participants for her to try out new things on this trip. The hotels were lovely, and the wine lunches perfect! There was a good balance of planned activities and free time which I appreciated. I will definitely be looking for more trips to go on with Adventures with Sarah!

Leslie P.Sicily Pleasures tour

Good accommodations in the heart of all important areas. Food experience was excellent with incentive to try new foods. Sarah is very personable and has each tour member's concerns and needs in mind. Love the small groups.

Larry C.Sicily Highlights tour

We had a great time! Perfect mix of free time and planned group excursions/tours. The food was amazing! Our accommodation was comfortable and our views were unforgettable! I would book another trip with this company.

Jen R.Dalmatian Staycation tour

My husband and I had a great time touring Dalmatia with Sarah and the local guides that joined us. A favorite activity was sailing on a traditional sail boat from the island of Vis. Lovely group of travelers and many memories made!

Dawn R.Dalmatian Staycation tour

Food and wine blitz in beautiful areas of Slovenia and Croatia. You will appreciate it most if you are a true wine lover. Meetings with young enthusiastic, creative winemakers were the highlight.

Betsy W.Harvest tour

We had a wonderful trip with no issues at all. Gorgeous area, plenty of delicious food, perfect weather and knowledgeable guide!

John G.Harvest tour

What a perfect way to get back into European travel. It was obvious from the start that Trish had put her heart and soul into the planning of the Hidden Paris tour. It was a great mix of adventures and I throughly enjoyed my travel group, who became like family, and it was obvious to see why most had traveled with adventures with Sarah before, Our local guide, Julian, was excellent and it was fun finally getting to also meet Sarah and sons. Merci beaucoup, Trish for this great time and I hope to travel with you again in the future.

Leslie A.Paris Staycation tour

A thoroughly enjoyable trip. George, our leader, was super-knowledgeable, helpful, energetic, and fun. His knowledge of people and places gave us experiences we couldn't have duplicated on our own. The itinerary was great - I thought the pace was good and we had a variety of experiences. The only thing I didn't like was that the weather in late April was rather chilly and often wet, more so than I expected. However, traveling later in the spring would have meant missing Orthodox Easter, which was the highlight of the trip for me. We spent it in a rural village, and participating in the villagers' traditions was a rare privilege that I'll never forget. So take an umbrella and some warm clothes and prepare for a special experience. Maybe you'll get the sunshine that we mostly didn't get!

Melissa M.Romania tour

Our guide Susanna was both professional and thoughtful. She cared for our health and happiness! I had some health issues and was treated with kindness and help! Our accommodations were both comfortable and clean. The bus driver was fearless and professional. I will travel with Susanna again!

Melva O.Sicily Pleasures tour

This was a wonderful trip! Susanna was such a wonderful tour guide, thoughtful, funny, informative. I can’t imagine a better guide for this trip! Our accommodations were wonderful as were all the varied activities and dining experiences. I enjoyed the other travelers in our group and felt as if we were family. I have made new friends that I will keep in touch with. Thank you!

Anne B.Sicily Pleasures tour

We had a wonderful tour with our guide Susanna and fellow travelers. The tour was well planned out touching on most all the main destinations in Sicily. Susanna was super well organized, kind and considerate and a lot of fun to travel with. She was a great communicator before, during and after the tour and was helpful with day to day needs like finding laundry service, restaurants and transport to the airport. The local guides, meals, accommodations, etc were all top notch. We had a great small group of 7 travelers that all got on very well. The spacious van we used for traveling was very comfortable and the driver Giuseppe was highly skilled at driving the chaotic streets in Sicily’s cities and towns. We highly recommend booking a tour with Adventures with Sarah and especially with Susanna Perrucchini!!

Randal D.Sicily Highlights tour

In short, we will travel with AWS again and would highly recommend them! Oh!! We also felt that we received far more in value and experience than the price for the tour.

Veneto Slovenia tour