Destinations / Europe
Personally composedSpeciality
Sicily
Temples, baroque, markets and Etna: the complete Sicily, private and at your own pace
For information only, not an offer yet. Brochure not opening? Email me and I will send it to you.
I arrange this route from Palermo to Taormina in full for you as a 12-day private trip through 3,000 years of history: Arab-Norman mosaics in Palermo and Monreale, Greek temples at Segesta and Agrigento, Roman mosaics at Piazza Armerina and the baroque towns of the Val di Noto. You finish in Siracusa and Taormina, with an excursion on Mount Etna and plenty of Sicilian food and wine. You drive a rental car yourself or travel with a private driver, and you explore everything at your own pace.
Highlights
- Palermo: Cappella Palatina, the markets and the best street food in Italy
- The golden mosaics of Monreale Cathedral
- Cefalù: Norman cathedral and medieval seaside town
- The Greek temple of Segesta and the hilltop town of Erice
- Sunset in the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento
- Roman mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale
- Baroque Ragusa, Modica and Noto (UNESCO) and a chocolate workshop
- Ortigia, the old heart of Siracusa
- Etna up to about 2,900 m (compulsory with a licensed volcanological guide) and wine from the volcano's slopes
- Taormina's Greek theatre overlooking sea and volcano
Day by day in the brochure (PDF)
For information only, not an offer yet.
What I will arrange for you after launch
- Pickup at the arrival airport and the transfer on your last day; the details are in the brochure.
- All hotels and guesthouses, booked in advance at the level you choose: Comfort or Premium.
- Transport on the ground: a rental car waiting for you (self-drive) or a private driver and private transfers. Domestic flights and trains where that makes sense.
- The activities and entrance fees on the route. By default you travel without a guide. Prefer a guide at the Valley of the Temples, the Villa Romana del Casale or Ortigia? I am happy to arrange one.
- Breakfast, and the meals at remote places with no alternative (such as a safari lodge, desert camp or yurt camp). For the other meals I give you my restaurant recommendations, but you choose completely freely where you eat.
- A personal intake, at your home or by video call.
- A WhatsApp line, before and during your trip, and my personal 24/7 number.
- A call-back after your trip.
- Your international flight from Brussels: after launch I'm happy to book it for you, or you book it yourself. Prices on the site exclude the flight.
Travel whenever you like
Your dates are completely free: there are no fixed departure dates, you leave on the day that suits you. My recommended route takes 12 days. Shorter or longer is possible too; I adapt the route.
This is advice, not a rule. If you want to travel in another month, I tell you honestly what to expect (rain, heat, crowds) and adapt the route.
Price by level and transport
You choose the level of your hotels and how you get around. Same route, same care; only the hotels and the transport differ.
Estimated prices per person, based on 2 travellers, excl. international flight. The price per person is calculated per party size (rooms and transport shared). E.g. Comfort, self-drive: solo € 3,060, two € 1,780, three € 1,580, four € 1,560 pp. Pick the number of travellers in the price box.
If you are interested, I am happy to send you the hotel guide with all the addresses.
More about self-drive and the private driver on this route
Self-drive
Sicily is made for a road trip: short distances, good motorways and the freedom to stop wherever you like. Your licence and insurance are valid as at home. You collect your rental car (full insurance with zero excess) in Palermo on day 3 and return it at Catania airport on day 12; the one-way fee is included. Fuel, tolls and parking are paid locally (indicative ± €260 per car for the whole route). The only things to watch are the ZTL zones in the historic centres (cameras and fines), assertive traffic in Palermo and Catania and narrow streets: that is why your roadbook gives a parking space or car park outside the ZTL for every hotel, and why you have no car during the first two days in Palermo.
Private driver
A licensed private driver (NCC) takes you in a comfortable vehicle on all travel and excursion days: Monreale and Cefalù, the drive via Segesta and Erice, to Agrigento, via Piazza Armerina to Ragusa, Modica, Noto, Etna and the airport. He drops you at the edge of the ZTL, waits during visits and knows the way. On the walking days in Palermo, Siracusa and Taormina you do not need a car. In Sicily this is the more expensive option, because drivers are paid per transfer or per day, but you never have to park and can join the wine tasting.
Flight & price
After launch I'm happy to book your flight for you, or you book it yourself. The prices on this page exclude the international flight.
Flight Brussels–Palermo, returning from Catania, not included: allow about € 200–350 p.p. depending on the month (often cheaper from Charleroi). After launch I will find you the best flight with your proposal.
Estimated price per person based on 2 travellers, excl. international flight; higher in high season, lower in low season. Not an offer: nothing is being sold yet.
Travelling responsibly
I recommend spring and autumn, outside the busy and hot summer months. You stay in family-run B&Bs and small hotels, and eat at small trattorias and producers (chocolate, wine, street food). If you take a guide, it is a licensed Sicilian guide paid per visit. In the historic centres you walk: the car stays outside the ZTL. Sicily is a short flight from Belgium; CO₂ offsetting is available.