Sicilian Highlights 7 days/6 nights Escorted Tour from Taormina to Palermo

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GUARANTEED DEPARTURE (with a minimum of 2 clients)
Price is per person based on a double room occupancy
Small size group: Limited to 25 people
Style of Accommodation: First Class
Featuring: 3 nights in Taormina, 3 nights in Palermo

Highlights:

Taormina Worldrenowned Mediterranean resort town
Syracuse Archaeological Park and Ortigia Island
Piazza Armerina Ancient mosaics in the Roman Villa
Agrigento Valley of the Temples
Marsala Winery visit and wine tasting
Trapani province Saltpan works
Erice Castle built on the remnants of Venus Temple
Palermo The Sicilian capital and capo market
Monreale Dome and the golden mosaics
Cefalù Norman Cathedral

ITINERARY

Day 1 (Monday) Catania/Taormina
Welcome to the warm, beautiful and pleasant island of Sicily! Upon arrival at Catania airport (CTA) please proceed through the Passport Control and collect your luggage inside the customs area. Then independent transfer to your hotel In Taormina. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Day 2 (Tuesday) Taormina
Today is at leisure or Optional Excursion.
Tonight we meet our staff at hotel for a short briefing. Then together we gather for dinner at a local restaurant. (D)

Day 3 (Wednesday) Taormina/Syracuse/Taormina
Today we depart for Syracuse, founded by colonists from Cornith in 735 B.C. and once the most important competitor to Athens. On arrival stroll through the streets of Ortygia Island, the heart of the city center. Light lunch at local restaurant. This afternoon visit through the Archaeological Park (Admission Fee: not included) highlights the Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre and the Paradise Quarry. Later we return to Taormina. (BB L)

Day 4 (Thursday) Taormina/Piazza Armerina & Agrigento/Palermo
Following breakfast, we will drive through the interior of Sicily to reach Piazza Armerina where we will view the ruins of the Roman Villa of Casale (Admission Fee: not included). The mosaics discovered here are celebrated among scholars of antiquity. This afternoon continue to Agrigento. This afternoon we will visit the finest of all ancient Greek sites—the complete Doric Temples (Admission Fee: not included). Then we will continue to Palermo, the capital of Sicily.
Tonight dinner in a local trattoria. (BB D)

Day 5 (Friday) Palermo/Marsala Wine, Olive Oil, Erice/Palermo
Early departure to tour western Sicily where we reach Marsala where we visit a local winery’s cellar and taste Sicilian wines. Later we travel between Trapani and Marsala on the Salt Way Road. We tour the historic saltpan works, where the ancient tradition of harvesting salt from the sea is still practiced. Then, to an olive oil factory & farmhouse to enjoy a light lunch. This afternoon we continue to Erice uptown. The Elymians settled the medieval town of Erice, which was an important religious site associated with the goddess Venus. Wander through its ancient streets and visit some of the famous homemade pastry shops—world-famous for marzipan candies and other delicacies like almond and pistachio pastries.
Later we return to Palermo. (BB L)

Day 6 (Saturday) Monreale, Palermo & Cefalù
Breakfast at hotel. Our first stop is Monreale to see where the Arab-Norman art and architecture reached the pinnacle of its glory with the Duomo, launched in 1174 by William II. It represents scenes from the Old and New Testaments all in golden mosaics. Then onto Palermo to explore the lively Capo Market, a large open air street market that captures the flavor of Palermo's Saracen Arab past. Capo is a blend of general confusion and a jumble of vendors' stalls, winding toward the old gate --Porta Carini-- of what used to be the city wall. This afternoon we continue by seeing Piazza Pretoria and Via Maqueda, whose “four corners” converge Palermo at a quartet of baroque palaces left over from the heyday of Spanish rule dating from 1560. This afternoon depart for Cefalù, a charming coastal town home to a massive Norman Cathedral with outstanding mosaics. Here we visit the city center and stroll down main street to reach the Cathedral. Later we return to Palermo (BB)

Day 7 (Sunday) Palermo
Time to say goodbye to Sicily. Independent transfer to Palermo airport (PMO). (BB)

Meal Legend: BB Buffet Breakfast, L Lunch or Light Lunch, D Dinner

Local Operator Information
Complete Operator information, including local telephone numbers at your destination, are included on your Confirmation Voucher sent via email. Our Product Managers select only the most experienced and reliable operators in each destination, removing the guesswork for you, and ensuring your peace of mind.

Inclusions:

Taormina: 3 nights accommodation, sea view rooms
Palermo: 3 nights accommodation
Daily breakfast buffet
Taormina: one dinner at local restaurant with set group menù
Syracuse: one light lunch at local restaurant with set group menù
Palermo: one dinenr in a local trattoria with set group menù
One light lunch at olive oil factory/farmhouse with tasting of typical local dishes
One visit to Sicilian cellar with Sicilian wine tasting
Vehicle/coach with air conditioning, no toilet
English speaking Tour Director/Driver Guide as per program
All sightseeing, tasting and excursions as specified in the itinerary
Hotel & VAT
Hotel & VAT

Exclusions:

Intercontinental Flight
Gratuities to Tour Director/Driver-Guide, Local Guide and Driver
Porterage at airport
Luggage handling fee at hotel
Beverages and meals not mentioned in the program
Travel Insurance
Tips
Round trip airport transfers
Admission fees (the price of this tour does not include the Admission Fees, which are usually around Euros 8,00/10,00 per person payable directly on the spot)
Optional Excursions
Licensed tourist guide if less than 8 people on the tour
City Taxes

Confirmation of this activity will take up to 48 hours, depending on availability
Guaranteed departure up to 20 days before the departure date. Within 20 days, this tour is on request and if no seats are available, a full refund will be issued.
Small Group tour maximum 25 people
One piece of luggage per person is permitted on this tour
Local operator reserves the right to provide hotels of similar category to those listed in the tour itineraries if necessary

Featured Hotels:

Palermo: Hotel Plaza Opera
Taormina: Hotel Villa Diodoro

List of properties used will be advised 20 days before tour departure date.
In case of overbooking, hotel may be substituted with similar categories or superior.

This tour is operated only with a Driver-Guide up to 7 people.
The Driver Guide is not a Licensed Tourist Guide --Licensed Tourist Guide: are the only professionals, with a Regional license, permitted to conduct visits and tours in all sites and museums within a city -- and he cannot escort you inside the monuments because this is not allowed by Italian Rules.

From 8 people, the tour is operated with a Tour Director.
Licensed Tourist Guide are provided on the spot as below specified:

Monreale & Palermo: maximum 4 hours;

Agrigento: maximum 2 hours;

Piazza Armerina: maximum 2 hours;

Syracuse: maximum 4 hours;

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Duration:7 days/ 6 nights
Departure location: Catania/Taormina
Departure time: Meeting in the lobby of the hotel in the evening before dinner.
Departure Dates: From January to December
Language: English

Once you have booked and received your electronic voucher by email, the contact details for the travel service operator will be on this voucher including the departure time, the exact address of the departure location and a local telephone number for you to call if you require any assistance during your trip. Where applicable, you are required to call the travel service operator directly to advise of additional information.