Top Sicily Day Trips

It is a long day! And can be very hot and sunny—be prepared! But our driver, Francisco (hope I have that correct!), was fantastic! He gave good instructions on where to meet and gave adequate time for each adventure. It is not a guided tour (and taking the audio tours are problematic for many reasons), but there are signs and the driver also provides info packets about each location. Sights worth seeing!!!

A relaxed tour that gave a good experience of Mt Etna. You don't go up the cable car or near to the peak, but you end up seeing and walking around the lower craters. Unfortunately, we missed out on the sunset due to bad luck with the weather in mid October. Though you can change the date with some notice if your vacation schedule is flexible, which ours was not; so check the weather! However we still enjoyed the crater with fog rolling in and out, completely clear to silent hill in seconds, it really added to the surreal scene of the lava rocks. Beforehand we had gone to a honey producer where we tried local produce including different types of honey and snacks. We also went down into a small lava cave which had formed from previous lava flows. Despite the weather, Angelo kept us in good spirits and was very informative of the history of the region and of the volcano. I was also very impressed at how he was able to easily accommodate the split language group of French and English (and let me practice my Italian).

Our guide Dario was just outstanding. Excellent command of English, very knowledgeable and very concerned and caring for the abilities and limitations of each of the six members of our group, ranging in age from 30s to 70s. Commentary involved various perspectives on the lava flows, interactions between the local population and the active volcano which was insightful. Visitor center stop allowed ample time for photography of the spectacular setting, a brief hike up the mountain, and a drink/bathroom/shopping stop for those inclined to more passive time. Maybe the highlight was exploration of a lava cave; unique for sure. Suggestion for those considering this excursion - check the weather on Etna, not in the cities at the base. It can get windy and cold on a mountain. Our only complaint had nothing to do with the tour itself, or of our guides. Both were superb. Our problem was with communication with management - in particular- confirming the meeting location. We sent messages through the Viator app - no response. Day of tour we showed up at the location shown on the Viator app but the office at that location was locked and had a different business name. Fortunately there was another couple waiting there. We both reached out to our booking companies - they were informed the meeting place was across the piazza. Viator only told us that the tour had not been cancelled. Both Viator and the company management failed us. If not for the other couple we would have missed an exceptional tour.

Such a unique experience! Our guide Bruna was absolutely wonderful. She was funny, kind and very informative. She picked us up right on time and we headed to Mt Etna. We chose to pay for the cable car to the summit which was an extremely unique experience and not too difficult of a walk. The winery tasting with food was delicious and there was more than enough food. We are so glad we did this!

We thoroughly enjoyed our day at Mt Etna and the Alcantara Gorge with our guide, Sario. The first part of the day was focused on exploring the volcano followed by a fantastic lunch at a Mt Etna winery. We then explored the Alcantara Gorge in the afternoon - it was a great way to spend the day enjoying nature, would definitely recommend!

We had so much fun on the Kristal! The captain knew a lot about the area and very skillfully drove our boat into grottoes and caves. We opted to snorkel and had a blast seeing the fish and swimming in the sea. We would definitely recommend this experience to others!

Alessandro was lovely, professional and took us to very interesting spots in the forest as well as the little towns before and after Mt Etna. Highly recommend. The winery and cellar were lovely. We would hope they offer better and fresher food and vegetables.

This opera experience was just right. I wanted to experience Italian opera while in Italy, but did not think I could sit through a whole full opera so this really hit the spot. It's a small intimate theater with excellent singers and musicians. The only problem was that it was difficult to find and surprisingly none of the shopkeepers could give us directions