Sicily · HALF-DAY
Good half-day tours fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Visit Monreale’s glittering Norman cathedral and Cefalù’s seaside streets on a flexible six-hour minivan trip from Palermo.
“Great day trip to two wonderful locations. Well worth it”
Review of Mount Etna’s six-hour small-group hike from Taormina, with lava caves, old craters, guide pickup, boots, snacks, and wine.
“Mount Etna is fascinating especially with a fantastic guide and a small group. It was an amazing day.”
Trek Mount Etna from Taormina, walk extinct craters, enter a lava cave, and enjoy a winery lunch with wine tasting and gear included.
“Roberto C was our guide, and he was fabulous! He engaged really well with the whole group and made a special effort with our 2 sons. He was very knowledgeable, kind and had a great sense of humour. We had a great tour with him! Grazie Roberto!”
Taste four Sicilian wines at Gambino Winery, enjoy local cheeses and olive oil, and see Mount Etna from a beautiful hillside setting.
“This trip was amazing! Beautiful wines, beautiful views and very friendly people. Our guide Isobella was great. This is a must do if staying in the area.”
Make Sicilian pizza in Taormina with a professional chef, fresh pasta, wine, bruschetta, dessert, and a take-home certificate.
“Very fun group of people and chef! Loves how hands on it was”
Explore Mount Etna from Taormina with a private driver, crater walks, volcanic views, and Sicilian honey, wine, and olive oil tasting.
“Guide was very accommodating, helpful and informative, with lots of interesting stories of Etna and Sicily as a whole.”
Explore Mount Etna from Catania on a five-hour guided hike with craters, lava caves, coastal views, local tastings, and hotel pickup.
“The tour guides were fantastic. Very educational, funny and personable. It was interesting to learn all the facts about Etna. The transportation was good and the pickup was easy. The only downside is there really wants much hiking. It's more of a van tour with a bit of wandering around. Overall still good.”
Explore Mount Etna’s craters and lava cave, then taste Sicilian wines, cheeses, meats, honey, and olive oil near Zafferana.
“Driver was courteous and on time and the agency communicated frequently with us. The transportation vehicle could have been more spacious. The excursion itself was very good and the wine tasting experience and local food lunch setting was excellent. Given the wonderful July weather we did not need a jacket as recommended and running shoes instead of the suggested hiking shoes were just fine (we could have avoided packing these). We were supposed to visit caves as part of the program but this was removed from our excursion, so that wasn’t right!”
Learn Sicilian pizza making in Taormina with a professional pizzaiolo, shared lunch, drinks, recipes, and a certificate to take home.
“Fun experience and great chefs who helped us along the way with clear instructions and lots of tips.”
Review of Palermo’s six-hour Corleone trip, with Mafia history, Sicilian countryside, Ficuzza, waterfalls, costs, and practical booking advice.
“Such a great half-day trip. Corleone seems very small, we spent our time in the Museum with a great guide, so we didn't walk around much. And in Ficuzza we ate a delicious lunch, recommended by our driver 👌.”
Explore Mount Etna from Catania, walk ancient craters, taste Sicilian honey, and enjoy flexible transport with a local driver-guide.
“It was one of the best experience EVER. We found out so many interesting things and we were speechless when we arrived at the final destination. The driver Orazio, it’s a 10+ driver, person and guide. He explained absolutely everything since he took us from the hotel. He was so polite and he had answers for every question we had. It’s different when you hear what happened in the past and all the historical stories, from a local person. We also tasted the local honey, chocolate, liquor, thanks to Orazio. He gave me and my little brother, the best ‘Etna Visit’ ever. He even showed us one of the Palaces…”
Shop Taormina’s markets with Chef Massimo, make Sicilian pasta and family recipes, then enjoy a six-course meal with local wine.
“We've taken about 12 cooking classes in Italy over the years and Massimo's class was the best one for us. He was second-to-none as a teacher. He took us to the market and shared all sorts of valuable information about selecting produce, meat, and fish. Then, at his home, we started the class. Again he offered great information throughout the class about cooking. There were 16 people in this hands-on class and everyone got opportunities to do many things. He created the environment of a typical, Sunday family meal in Italy. We had an abundance of a variety of great foods: mussels, fish, caponata, stuffed zucchini blossoms, pasta, meatballs, etc.…”
Explore Palermo’s coast by small RIB boat, swimming at caves and Mondello Bay with snorkeling gear, a skipper, fruit, and drinks included.
“Beautiful experience with Andrea!! Had a few different stops for swimming and stories about the area around. Definitely worth the price”
Explore Mount Etna by 4x4, enter a lava cave, walk the Silvestri Craters, and see Valle del Bove with guide Fabrizio.
“Great guide Mr.Fabrizio,great tour, we all enjoyed a lot”
Shop Palermo’s Capo Market with chef Patrizia, cook Sicilian classics, and share a four-course lunch with local wine.
“Personal attention of Patrizia and care taken to explain each step - commencing with buying our ingredients in the Capo market. Only improvement would be the weather!!”
Pick a crater, a coastline or a kitchen.
