Syracuse and Noto: Sicilian Baroque and Ancient History

Embark on a private tour of Syracuse, Ortigia, and Noto to explore the rich history from Greek domination to Arab influence. Visit archaeological sites, stunning architecture, and more!

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Syracuse - The birthplace of the mathematician Archimedes, who led its defense during the Roman siege in 212 BC. Syracuse served as the capital of Sicily for centuries until the Arabs conquered it in 878. During our visit, we’ll explore the stunning Fonte Aretusa, the Temple of Apollo (one of the oldest Doric temples in Sicily), the Cathedral of…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • On-board WiFi
  • Bottled water
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
Additional Information

The tour starts in Syracuse, one of the oldest cities in Sicily. Visit the ancient Greek Theatre, a well-preserved masterpiece that will transport you back in time. Walk around the island of Ortigia and admire the splendid Cathedral of Syracuse, cross the most evocative places, completely immersing yourself in the thousand-year history of this city….

Location
Syracuse
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(41 Ratings)
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Debra_b
Sep 6, 2024
Fantastic day - Manuel was a lovely guy and was full of knowlege. We were picked up at our hotel on time. We would of loves a little more time in Ortigia as it was amazing.
Review provided by Viator
Carol_c
May 13, 2024
Lovely day in Noto and Ortygia - We spent a very enjoyable day in Noto and Ortygia with Manuel, our tour guide for the day. He took us to some absolutely beautiful sites in Noto including the Cathedral, Theater and Town Hall. The Noto architecture is gorgeous! Then we spent a pleasant visit to Ortygia, visiting the amazing food market, their Cathedral and then a lovely walk along the water to the fortification at the end of the island. Manual shared the interesting local history and took care of our needs during the visit. Both Noto and Ortygia are worth a visit and Manuel is an excellent host!
Review provided by Viator
Kathleencc3007hm
Sep 9, 2023
Siracusa, Ortigia and Noto - We had a great tour with Manuel. He is very friendly, knowledgeable and polite. He gave us great tips in each place we visited. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathleen_c
Sep 8, 2023
Siracusa, Ortigia and Noto - Manuel was a wonderful guide, we had a great tour with him. On time, friendly, good driver and had helpful tips for the places we toured. Definitely recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Csylviareed
Jul 12, 2023
2500 years of Sicilian history in 1 tour - This was the second tour we booked with Manuel after having such a great experience visiting Etna and Gambino winery with him. He recommended this tour as one of the best ways to see historical sites within a closer proximity to our base in Taormina. We loved the diversity of architecture we got to see in Syracuse, which had ruins of the Temple of Appolo, Greek Theater, Roman theater, and Baroque Duomo. Noto, destroyed by an earthquake, was rebuilt in all Baroque style. There were many different attractions you could pay to enter in Noto, and Manuel recommended the top ones to see the insides of churches as well as the incredible views from the top. Manuel scheduled the day to avoid the worst of the heat, and gave us ample chances to explore on our own and cool off with granita. Both cities were beautiful places to visit, highly recommended to anyone who loves history!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kelly
Jul 10, 2023
Great tour of the historic sites in Syracuse, Noto and Ortigia - We had so much fun with Manuel, our tour operator, for the "Private and Guided Tour on Etna with Wine Tasting included", that we arranged this additional tour with him for later in the week. This tour is also highly recommended as we had a great experience with Manuel and it was amazing to see other important historic towns and sites in Sicily. Again, Manuel was prompt and the pick-up was easy, at our hotel in Taormina. It was hotter this day and there was a traffic accident. Since Manuel is a local, he was able to navigate an alternate route to save us some traffic time and still allow for the full tour experience. We headed first to the town of Noto. How beautiful the architecture and Baroque-style buildings. We toured the Cathedral and enjoyed delicious granita e brioche at Caffesicilia. According to Manuel, the best in Noto, and we couldn't have agreed more. After buying some local souvenirs, in my case pistachios and dried ginger, we headed to the island of Ortigia. A short hop across the bridge brought us to the quaint community along the water. We walked the short distance to the Duomo and saw some of the famous sites. We stopped for arancini, stuffed sausage and broccoli bread, and spritzs for a quick bite. Then, Manuel took us to the Parco Archeologico Neapolis. What a wonderful place to visit and experience both Roman and Greek historic ruins. The grottos were an enjoyable reprieve from the summer Syracuse heat. Finally we ended the day with a stop off at the Temple of Apollo. In classic italian style, families and friends passeggiata and enjoy gelato and espressos steps away from the ruins. Manuel drove us expertly and comfortably back to our hotel and we had to unfortunately bid him farewall as our Sicilian vacation was soon coming to an end. Thank you again Manuel for your hospitality, knowledge and kindness.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flyer66603437027
Jul 7, 2023
Great value private tour. Amazing guide Manuel! - This was an excellent private tour to visit some of the best sites in South East Sicily Our guide and driver MANUEL was excellent from the start. The car was comfortable and had air con and manual was a considerate driver. On our particular trip he took us to Noto first so that we didn’t miss out on lunchtime closures. Noto was a wonderful surprise with amazing buildings and history that MNyal explained to us Next stop Syracuse and the historic park that we toured on our own. Great to see all the ancient caves and temples and especially the amphitheatre and views from the top. We could have spent longer but plenty of time to see main sites. We had lunch in Ortigia in a wonderful seafood restaurant recommended by Manuel that was mostly locals and the food was excellent Our walking tour of Ortigia was so interesting and Manuel shared a lot of the history as we toured round We can’t recommend the tour highly enough and Manuel was great company as our driver and guide
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stuk10001
Aug 23, 2023
day trip taormina to syracuse ortigia and noto - our driver gabriele was very knowledgeable about all the sights and the best places to eat too. traffic can be heavy so good to go with a local driver .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael_s
Oct 12, 2023
Not a "tour" but Useful to Checkout the Noted Cities - For future tour goers, this is not a "tour" per se where you will be given much history behind the cities. This is basically a private driver situation to the 3 sites. Gabriele was very nice and offered some facts about some of the places. I just wouldn't call it a tour like the headline suggests. Nonetheless, he offered water, and gave us time in the cities. Siracusa is a dud and would advise people to skip and just see Ortigia as there is not much to Siracusa. I would also opt for a lunch spot on the water in Ortigia to take in the seaside views over the suggested restaurant.
Review provided by Viator
Aaron_e
Aug 13, 2023
meh - tour guide was switched night before. he drove us around and showed us the sites, not much story telling. we went to a random food spot where we were charged tourist prices.
Review provided by Viator
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