Best of Italy and Sicily

Day 1 Welcome to Palermo

The multicultural capital of Palermo is the launchpad for your journey across Sicily and Italy. You’ll have some free time before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception and orientation of the city’s attractions, so why not head straight out to explore its fascinating streets on your own?

Accommodation Mercure Palermo Centro

Iconic Experience

Palermo OrientationJoin your Travel Director and fellow travellers for an introductory orientation of Palermo's highlights. Included With Trip

Day 2 Enjoy the Views in Monreale

Join your Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour, which includes the Teatro Massimo and old 'La Cala' harbour. Later, travel to Monreale on the slopes of Monte Caputo overlooking the almond, olive and orange groves of La Conca d'Oro. Here you’ll visit the 12th-century Norman Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Accommodation Mercure Palermo Centro

Iconic Experience

Palermo City TourDiscover the Sicilian capital with your Local Specialist. See Pretoria Square and the 16th-century fountain. View the composite architectural styles of the Palermo Cathedral and visit the Cathedral of Monreale

Day 3 Journey to Ancient Agrigento

This morning we visit the pretty seaside resort of Mondello. Later, journey onwards to Agrigento to tour the impressive Greek Valley of the Temples, dating back to the 6th century BC, with a Local Specialist. This evening, dinner is served at your hotel.

Accommodation Hotel Dioscuri Bay Palace Agrigento

Iconic Experience

Stop in MondelloTake a moment to soak up the relaxing atmosphere of coastal Mondello. Included With Trip

Iconic Experience

Agrigento City TourA Local Specialist will lead you through the magnificent remains of the Greek colony in the Valley in the Temples. See the massive Temple of Concord and clifftop Temple of Juno

Day 4 Onwards to Scenic Taormina

Travel through the vineyards of the southern hills towards the seaside resort of Taormina, your home for the next two nights. Enjoy spectacular vistas and a taste of la dolce vita in this hillside town, with some free time on arrival.

Accommodation Caesar Palace Giardini Naxos

Optional Experience

Dinner in CastelmolaClimb by minibus to the heights of Castelmola, above Taormina, to enjoy a tasty Sicilian Dinner with local wine in a characteristic restaurant with some of the best views of this magical part of the island. Then enjoy a tasty Sicilian Dinner with wine.

Day 5 Be My Guest - Taormina Your Way

Spend the day relaxing at your chic Sicilian resort. Dive into the warm Mediterranean waters, shop for exquisite hand-painted ceramics on Corso Umberto or indulge in a mulberry granita. Consider joining an Optional Experience to Savoca, the village made famous by ‘The Godfather', and Europe's most active volcano - Mount Etna. This evening, Connect With Locals during a Be My Guest experience hosted at a beautiful family owned Sicilian lemon farm overlooking Mount Etna.

Accommodation Caesar Palace Giardini Naxos

Be My Guest

Dine on a Family Owned Lemon Farm Overlooking Mount EtnaJoin a family-owned lemon farm and enjoy a Be My Guest dinner overlooking Mount Etna.Included With Trip

Day 6 Travel to Sorrento

Today we cross the Strait of Messina to mainland Italy by ferry, driving north through rustic Calabria and past Salerno to our hotel in Sorrento where we’ll spend the next two nights. Tonight perhaps consider an Optional Experience to explore the famous culinary culture of Southern Italy.

Accommodation Grand Hotel Vesuvio Sorrento

Day 7 A Day on the Isle of Capri

We cruise to the Isle of Capri where we’ll enjoy a guided walking tour of Capri town with a Local Specialist. Window-shop along Via Camerelle and watch the beautiful people in the Piazzetta before returning to Sorrento. This afternoon perhaps consider a drive along the famed Amalfi Coast to Positano, a true Mediterranean gem. You will have the evening at leisure to indulge in a little limoncello in one of Sorrento's many cafés 

Accommodation Grand Hotel Vesuvio Sorrento

Iconic ExperienceTour CapriJoin a Local Specialist on a walk through elegant Capri to gain insight into the island's local culture and historic landmarks.

Day 8 Explore Pompeii’s Ruins and Rome

This morning we visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ruins of Pompeii where a Local Specialist will take you on a walking tour. For centuries this city was lost to the world, but its rediscovery in the 18th century revealed a time capsule of well-preserved ruins, providing insights into the day-to-day life of a Roman city centuries ago. Later, admire the dramatic coastline as we drive north from Pompeii to the 'Eternal City' of Rome. This evening, an exclusive Trafalgar experience will see you Dive Into Culture and enjoy a visit to the extraordinary Vatican Museums including the famous frescoed ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, followed by a special dinner inside the Anima Mundi Museum.

Accommodation Grand Hotel Tiberio Rome

Dive Into Culture

Discover the Museo Gregoriano Profano with a private visit and exclusive dinnerEnjoy a private visit inside the Vatican where you will tour the Museo Gregoriano Profano featuring Roman and Ancient Greek antiquities before an exclusive private dinner.

Iconic Experience

Visit PompeiiWalk with a Local Specialist through the cobbled streets of this ill-fated town, frozen in time since the 1st century.Included With Trip

Day 9 Explore Ancient Rome and the Vatican City

Rome was once the capital of the world and is a city with an irrepressible spirit. Join your Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour to admire the city's iconic and unexpected highlights. Head to the Vatican and see Michelangelo’s magnificent Pietà inside St. Peter’s Basilica, then continue on to Ancient Rome, where you’ll see the Circus Maximus and visit the Colosseum where gladiators and slaves once fought to their deaths. Spend the rest of the day exploring the city your way.

Accommodation Grand Hotel Tiberio Rome

Iconic Experience

Rome City TourExperience Rome through the eyes of a local, as a passionate Roman guides you past the city's most iconic sites.

Iconic Experience

Rome Colosseum VisitVisit the Colosseum, still echoing with the thronging crowds and ghostly cries of gladiatorial combat.

Day 10 Trafalgar Difference Off to Historic Assisi

Today we drive north to the mystical medieval hilltop town of Assisi, most famous for being the birthplace of St. Francis. Join a Local Specialist  for a tour of the Basilica of St. Francis to view its magnificent frescoes and carvings. Tonight, we'll stay at one of Trafalgar's Stays With Stories - a fully renovated old Franciscan monastery.

Accommodation Hotel Cristallo

Trafalgar Difference

Stays with StoriesBuilt to welcome pilgrims visiting Assisi, Hotel Cenacolo is a fully renovated old Franciscan monastery in nearby Santa Maria degli Angeli.Included With Trip

Iconic Experience

Visit the Basilica of St. Francis of AssisiWith a Local Specialist, find out why the Basilica of St. Francis is considered to be one of the crowning artisitic achievements of 13th-century Europe.Included With Trip

Day 11 Admire Pisa and on to La Spezia

We venture to Pisa to visit the Square of Miracles and view the Leaning Tower that bears this city's name. A short drive north takes us to La Spezia, known as the 'Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea'. Tonight is free to explore as you wish.

Accommodation Hotel Firenze & Continentale La Spezia

Iconic Experience

See Pisa's LandmarksDuring an orientation, your Travel Director will show you the baptistery, cathedral and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.Included With Trip

Day 12 Enjoy Colourful Cinque Terre and Florence

Join a Local Specialist to visit Cinque Terre, a series of centuries-old seaside villages clinging impossibly to rugged cliffs that plunge into the Ligurian Sea. Continue later to Florence, once a vibrant republic under the rule of the dynamic Medici family, whose love for art and antiquities created one of the world's most cultural cities. Tonight perhaps consider dinner in the famed Tuscan Hills.

Accommodation Grand Hotel Mediterraneo Florence

Iconic Experience

Cinque Terre VisitLed by your Local Specialist, visit this unique UNESCO World Heritage Site, tucked away on the mountainous Italian Riviera coastline. Admire the charming fishing villages and perhaps snap some memorable pictures.

Day 13 - Journey to Venice

The magnificent marble Duomo, Santa Croce Basilica, Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria feature on your walking tour with a Local Specialist through Florence's historic streets. Later, journey north to Venice, the 'Queen of the Adriatic'.

Accommodation Hotel Le Boulevard Lido

Iconic Experience

Florence City TourJoin a Local Specialist to view the multi-coloured marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, adorned by Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise. Visit the political heart of the city, Signoria Square.

Day 14 Make Travel Matter - Cruise the Canals of Venice

Embark on an orientation cruise by private launch to the gateway of Venice, St. Mark's Square, which Napoleon once called the 'drawing room of Europe'. See the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica and the Bridge of Sighs, where prisoners would have one last look at their beloved city before facing imprisonment. Next, witness the centuries-old craft of glassblowing. Your unforgettable MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience helps keep alive this delicate tradition for which Venice is justifiably famous, and you’ll watch in awe as master craftsmen shape molten glass into the exquisite pieces that adorn homes all over the world.The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore more of the sights or consider an Optional Experience, navigating the city's elegant canals aboard a traditional gondola. Tonight, join your fellow travellers for a Farewell Dinner and toast to shared memories that will linger long after the evening ends.

Accommodation Hotel Le Boulevard Lido

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER

Learn about the History and Ancient Skills on Venetian GlassblowingLearn about the history and ancient skill of Venetian glassblowing, playing your role in ensuring the survival of this traditional craft through your visit.Included With Trip

Day 15 Farewell Venice

For now, it's a fond ciao Venezia as you say goodbye to new friends and prepare to depart for your journey home. Find out more about your free airport transfer at trafalgar.com/freetransfers.