Day 1: PALERMO (KM 30)
- Arrive at Palermo Airport. After picking up the rental car, drive to Palermo. On this day there are no planned activities. Free time to discover the city on your own. Overnight in Palermo.
Day 2: PALERMO, MONREALE & MONDELLO (KM 45)
- Breakfast in the hotel. This day you are free to relax and explore the city on your own Palermo
- Suggested itinerary: Today you will visit Palermo-You begin with the Teatro Massimo, the third biggest opera theatre in Europe. Then you enter the popular market “Il Capo”, that looks like an African souk; at the end of the visit of the market you will taste in a bar the typical Sicilian “Arancina”, a speciality of the local street food. You will continue the visit in the old part of the city with the Cathedral, the Royal Palace and the Palatine Chapel. Proceed to Monreale, famous because of its Cathedral with polychrome mosaics on a golden background, representing scenes of the Old and the New Testament.You will end the visit with the cloiste. In the afternoon enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in Italy, so close to the centre of Palermo. You will reach Mondello beach in 30 minutes from the centre of the city. Mondello was (and still nowadays is) a fisher village, that at the beginning of the XX century was chosen by the rich families of Palermo as seat for their summer holidays. For this reason you will admire there a lot of villas built in liberty style, and another interesting liberty building, the “Stabilimento Balneare” (the bathouse), erected on stilts on the water, that hosts also one of the best restaurants in Palermo. Mondello beach is half-circular shaped, between two promontories (Monte Pellegrino and Capo Gallo) and the colour of the sea will astonish you. Depending on the weather and on the sea conditions you could also have the opportunity to swim (from May to the end of October). A stroll along the sea-promenade (with the palm trees) is a “must”. In the main square you will have the opportunity to taste on your own the specialities of the Sicilian street-food or an ice-cream. Back to Palermo city center. Overnight in Palermo.
Day 3: MARSALA STAGNONE, ERICE & SEGESTA (KM 310)
- Breakfast in the hotel. This day you are free to relax and explore the city on your own or you can visit Marsala Stagnone, Erice and Segesta.
- Suggested itinerary: Drive to Marsala, famous because of the salt works and the production of wine. Stop in The Riserva dello Stagnone a magical place, with a striking natural landscape of rare beauty for its white salt pans with windmills. Continue driving to to Erice, the medieval town on the summit of Monte San Giuliano. Here you can admire the Norman Castle (exterior) and the Cathedral. In the meantime we suggest you to have a stop at a bakery to taste the typical almond pastry of Erice. Drive to Segesta, one of the most beautiful archeological sites of Sicily, where you should visit the Doric temple whose majestic appearance and dominating position bestows great nobility to the landscape. Return to Palermo. Overnight in Palermo.
Day 4: AGRIGENTO & RAGUSA (KM 270)
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Breakfast at hotel. Today you will drive to Ragusa/Siracusa making a stop in Agrigento to discover the wonderful and well-known Valley of the temples where you can admire the Temple of Juno, the Temple of Concordia (one of the best preserved Doric temples in the whole Greek world), the Temple of Hercules and the Temple of Castor and Pollux. You will arrive in Ragusa in the afternoon and you can immediately admire the historic center of Ragusa "Ibla", characterized by the numerous churches and palaces in Baroque style, as well as by the characteristic domes that dominate the city. Ragusa has become part of the Unesco list, with 18 sites declared World Heritage Sites. Hotel accommodation in hotel area. Overnight in Ragusa/Siracusa.
Day 5: RAGUSA, MODICA & NOTO (KM 110)
- Breakfast at the hotel. Today we suggest yo to spend your day to visit the baroque cities of Modica and Noto
- Suggested itinerary: Today it will be possible to discover the less known part of Sicily, dominated by the sumptuous and majestic Baroque style of the buildings, characterized by the numerous UNESCO sites and also known for the television series of "Il Commissario Montalbano". Start your visit from the historic center of the city of Ragusa, "Ibla", characterized by the numerous baroque churches and palaces, as well as by the characteristic domes that dominate the city. Ragusa has become part of the Unesco list, with 18 sites declared World Heritage Sites. Continue to Modica, a UNESCO World Heritage city especially known for its chocolate as well as for its wonderful buildings. We advise you to wander through the alleys, always moving upwards, once you reach the highest part of the hill you can admire a wonderful panorama of the city. Continue your tour by going to Noto, included by UNESCO in the list of World Heritage Sites in 2002. Cross the famous Arco, stroll in the center admiring the wonderful aristocratic palaces with the famous decorated balconies, the sumptuous churches full of decorations, the cathedral with its staircase and the city theater, all built in Baroque style. Return to the hotel in Ragusa/Siracusa for overnight.
DAY 6: ETNA & TAORMINA (KM 340)
- Breakfast in the hotel. Today you are free to relax and explore the surroundings or have a swim on the beach or visit Etna and Taormina
- Suggested itinerary: Drive to the Mt. Etna, the highest peak of Sicily and the most active volcano in Europe. The territory surrounding the volcano constitutes the “Park of Etna”, one of the largest protected areas in Italy: You will be astonished about the great variety of vegetation and landscapes that we will meet along the way before arriving at the “Silvestri Craters” (about 1.900 mt). From here on you will have the option to continue the excursion by jeep and cableway. Drive to Taormina. As you walk and discover the amazing town of Taormina, you will see beautiful old buildings, including the 15th-century Palazzo Corvaja and an ancient Greek Roman theatre the 2nd largest classical theatre in Sicily. Discover the medieval area of the town with its narrow strest and old shops. Drive back to the hotel in Ragusa/Siracusa. Overnight.
Day 7: CEFALU' (KM 340)
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Breakfast in the hotel and drive to Palermo.
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Suggested itinerary: drive to Cefalù, one of the top touristic destinations in Sicily. Cefalù, medieval fishers’ village, at the slopes of a promontory, hosts as well a Unesco World Heritage site, the Arabic-Norman Cathedral, that looks like a fortress. The cathedral was erected by the Norman King Roger II as its own burial seat (not used anymore for this purpose); for this reason the polychrome mosaics on a golden background were positioned just in the apse and not in the sides of the cathedral. We will then walk in the narrow streets and admire the medieval washhouse, still used till the 50’. Time at leisure to admire the beach, to do shopping or to visit on its own the Mandralisca Museum, that hosts the “Portrait of Unknow Man” of the famous Sicilian painter Antonello da Messina. Drive to Palermo. Overnight.
Day 8: DEPARTURE DAY (KM 15)
- Breakfast in the hotel. Check out at 10:00. Drive to the airport, release of the car and end of our services. Grazie e arrivederci!
- 3 overnights in a 4* hotel in Palermo/Mondello on BB basis
- 3 overnights in a 4* hotel in Ragusa/Syracuse on BB basis
- 1 overnight in a 4* hotel in Palermo/Mondello on BB basis
- Category C car and “PLATINUM insurance” included*
*Full coverage for damages and theft (no deductibles)
*Personal Injury insurance protection
*Road assistance Plus (refund for taxi up to € 120)
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Palermo: Astoria Palace, San Paolo Palace or similar (*) or Mondello B&B as Villa Flora, Le Muse, Mondello Felix or similar (*)
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Ragusa/Siracusa: Mediterraneo Palace, Arethusa, Panorama or similar (*)
(*) It could happen and i n case of problems the hotels indicated may be replaced with others of the same category located in the same towns or up to 30 km distance where will be possible to realize the program. In case of hotels full booked we reserve to invert the tour and/or confirm the booking in a middle class hotel with a reduction of 5 euro per person per day. The name of the hotel will be sent to you 21 days before the arrival.
- Norma Vacanze only deals with the intermediation between the customer and the car rental company. In the event of disputes with the rental company or accidents, the rules established in the contract signed at the airport between the customer and the rental company shall apply, without any involvement of Norma Vacanze.
- Each customer will be able to choose independently whether to follow the suggested itinerary or, instead, to create one according to its needs. However, it is essential to follow the program concerning the cities where to overnight
- The cars are subjected to availability and your category may not be available on all periods. In case the C category will not be available at the time of your booking, a superior category will be offered with a supplement that will be communicated before the confirmation of each reservation.
- Parking in hotel is not guaranteed, it will be possible in the surrounding area
- The rate includes Category C car rental for the duration of your stay with the "PLATINUM" insurance package.
- The drivers must have the credit card for the check in.
- Norma Vacanze is entitled to change the itinerary of the excursion if it considers it appropriate or due to force majeure.
- Norma Vacanze is not responsible for accidents, delays, damage or loss of luggage or personal belongings, nor for damages caused by third parties or others like floods, storms, landslides, earthquakes, political unrest, epidemy, terrorists attacks, strike
The rate does not include:
- City tax to be paid on spot
- Lunches and dinners where not mentioned
- Tips and extras of a personal nature
- Porterage service
- Gasoline
- Motorway tolls
- Parkings
- Tickets for plane, ship, train or bus to reach airport
- Entrance to monuments and archaeological parks
- Anything not expressly indicated in "the rate includes"
- Car must be delivery at the same airport or there will be an additional cost to be agreed with the rental company
- Each rental day is a fraction of 24 hours, the vehicle must be returned on time or within the next 59 minutes
- The pick-up and drop-off of the car at the airport will be during the opening hours of the company Noleggiare (everyday from 08:00 to 22:30); after these hours the rental company will charge an extra fee. Please inquire before booking your flight
Admission Fees
- In order to skip the queues in the museums or in the archeological parks we need to make the reservation in advance: Pre-bookings of entrance tickets are mandatory on the first day of the tour.
- Tickets are non-refundable
The rate includes:
- Category C car, unlimited mileage
- 22% VAT
- Airport, railway and automotive charges
- Motor TPL policy - auto civil liability
- Platinum Insurance - resets all deductibles for theft and damage. It also covers damage to glass and tyres and attempted theft. Personal Injury Insurance. Road assistance Plus.
- Additional driver
The rate does not include:
- Fuel
- Fines
- Re-notification fees
- Rental to leave in another airport
- Baby Seat
- Satellite Navigator
- Fuel recovery service, an extra charge of €30,00 will be applied if the car is returned with more than 5 litres of fuel missing
- There is a tolerance of 59 minutes, after which a full day will be charged
- At the time of booking, the car group is guaranteed, not the model
Insurance Platinum includes
- With Platinum insurance, the amount of the deductible will not be charged. The "Platinum" package clears the deductibles provided for all damages, partial, attempted and total theft, including windows, tyres, damage to the roof, damage to the lower part of the vehicle. Damage to the interior and damage caused by vandalism, riots, etc. are excluded.
