Syracuse’s sensational sea views, delectable local cuisine, and deep-rooted history are enough to enchant any visitor. However, the diverse range of day trips that you can take from this coastal Sicilian city opens up a new day of exploration for visitors.
There are endless day tours you can take from Syracuse (Siracusa). I’m thinking of well-preserved archaeological sites like the Valley of the Temples that will captivate those hoping to brush up on their history.
Or how about cities like Noto, which you’ll instantly fall in love with for their charming Baroque architectural masterpieces? This is just some of what lies ahead if you venture outside of Syracuse.
Having grown up in Sicily and spent much of my time discovering the beauty and splendor of Syracuse, I’ve set off on quite a few day trips from here in the past. From insane treks up to Mount Etna to days out in Taormina, you name it, I’ve done it.
If you need some inspiration before your next visit to eastern Sicily, here’s a roundup of my best-loved Syracuse day trips, battle-tested by yours truly!
The Best Day Trips From Syracuse, Sicily
Mount Etna
Mount Etna, a volcano among the most active in the world, stands tall above the island. This 3,300-meter mountain lies in eastern Sicily, just 100 km north of Syracuse. As far as day trips in Sicily go, this is one you simply can’t miss if you’re staying in Syracuse.
You have a couple of ways to get to Mount Etna, with guided tours and car rentals being the most popular options.
Public transport is another alternative, though this will require you to take the train to Catania, where you’ll catch the AST bus to Rifugio Sapienza. This is the starting point of the famed cable car that ascends Etna.
There’s just one bus departure to Rifugio Sapienza each morning and one return journey to Catania, so I’d generally advise against this.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, climbing a section of Mount Etna is a wonderful add-on activity. From the highest point of the cable car, there’s a hiking trail you can follow with a guide to a venture closer to the summit.
For me, this trek always rounds up to a four-hour round trip, depending on how tired I get, because it isn’t easy. This journey time excludes the cable car, so it will require an early start!
Taormina
Around 120 km north of Syracuse is Sicily’s revered and high-end resort town, Taormina, one of the island’s most stunning places to visit.
Though I think Taormina warrants more than a day trip from Syracuse, just a few hours in the centre will give you a taste of the magic that lies within the old town.
If you’ve rented a car for your Syracuse trip, it’ll take you around an hour and a half to reach Taormina. I’ve also traveled between the two by train and found this equally enjoyable. A bunch of routes operate daily, and the journey usually takes two hours.
Once you touch down at the train station in Taormina, you can reach the town center by bus, cable car, or on foot.
The first thing I always do when I arrive is take a stroll by the restaurants, cafes, and shops that line the Corso Umberto, Taormina’s vibrant pedestrian street. I love the hustle and bustle that takes over this place from dusk until dawn.
After fueling up on breakfast, be sure to stop by some of my favorite spots in Taormina, including the Greek-Roman ruins of the Teatro Antico and the peaceful gardens of Villa Comunale.
Before the last train departs, squeeze in a stop at the Duomo di Taormina, a gorgeous Medieval stone church with a unique, majestic vaulted interior that enchants me every time.
Ognina, Arenella, and Fontane Bianche
Although Syracuse sits along the edge of the Ionian Sea, its beaches aren’t too plentiful. Whenever I’m in town and need to escape the city’s heat, I flock south to towns like Arenella, Ognina, and Fontane Bianche, each perched within a 30-minute drive of Syracuse.
If you’re ever wondering what to do in Syracuse when the scorching summer temperatures become too much, make a day trip to one or all these coastal hideaways. Chances are, you’ll find many Sicilians like myself doing the very same! Buses connect each spot for car-free travelers, but if you’ve secured a rental for your stay, you can hop between the three beaches at your own pace.
Arenella is the closest of the three to Syracuse and boasts a lengthy golden stretch of sand and crystal-clear waters enclosed by craggy rocks, sure to blow you away like it still does to me.
If you’re after a quieter escape, I recommend Ognina, it gets fewer crowds than the others, but it’s much stonier, so beware. One of its main draws for me is that it’s an ideal swimming spot. The water is so clean and clear, attracting many snorkelers and scuba divers throughout the week.
Despite the ever-expanding crowds, the powdery white Fontane Bianche beach is my long-time favorite of the three. The inviting, shallow waters are the perfect place to cool off on a summer’s day.
Noto, Modica, and Ragusa
Are you somewhat of an architecture aficionado? If so, an adventure to the nearby cities of Noto, Modica, and Ragusa is a must.
Famed for their remarkable baroque and gothic structures, you can easily combine all three into the ultimate Syracuse day trip for you.
Numerous tour operators in Syracuse offer guided excursions that take you to all three of these three spots, which is a practical way to explore each city without a car. This will likely be your best option unless you’ve got a rental vehicle, as opting for buses can add quite a lot of time to the journey.
For those who aren’t interested in tours but are also without a car, I suggest sticking to just one of the three cities for a more relaxed outing.
If you were to ask me what to see in Syracuse outside of the city itself, Noto would be at the top of my list. Sicily is no longer a well-kept secret among visitors, yet Noto retains its unspoiled charm, best seen through architectural marvels like the Noto Cathedral and the Nicolaci Palace.
Modica is further west, and its magnificent Duomo of San Giorgio is the city’s crown jewel. Close by Modica is the hilltop city of Ragusa, which is adorned with gothic masterpieces like Santa Maria delle Scale, a 13th-century church.
Agrigento Valley of the Temples
Travel back to the glory days of ancient Greece at the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Over 200 km away in southwest Sicily, you’ll need to sacrifice one day in Syracuse to see the remains of Akragas, a once-great Greek city.
Covering such a distance by public transport isn’t exactly doable, leaving you to choose between joining a tour or driving there yourself. Both are excellent options, and I’ve visited the site both with and without a tour.
In my experience, the self-guided option is slightly more favorable, as discovering the grounds in a large group can be tiresome and a little rushed.
Sicily has an impressive roster of archaeological sites, but none have astounded me like this expansive collection of ruins. The quintessentially Greek pillared Doric temples are spread out over more than 1,000 acres, and it took me almost three hours to make my way around.
Boat Trip to Ortigia
Already checked out the top Syracuse attractions and points of interest? Why not take the seas and unearth Sicily’s lush coastline from an entirely new perspective with a boat tour to Ortigia?
Many boat trips here center around Ortigia, the dreamy island that lies in the south of Syracuse city. Home to many of Syracuse’s most revered landmarks, such as Castello Maniace and the Temple of Apollo, Ortigia is impossibly picturesque and historically significant.
I’ve ventured out into the surrounding seas more times than I can count, yet I never tire of sailing under arched bridges, cruising past ancient structures, and discovering the wonders of the Ionian Sea.
If the idea of spending an entire day out at sea sounds like too much, you’ll find that many of the boat tours running from Syracuse are half-day expeditions. This also makes it a fantastic option if you’re hoping to pack in a day trip but are working off a tight schedule.
Uncover Eastern Sicily With the Finest Day Trips From Syracuse
History, culture, and untouched nature encircle this corner of Sicily, so why limit yourself to just one city?
As a proud Sicilian, I always encourage visitors to branch out of the key hotspots and explore the island’s lesser-visited gems. For most travelers, the most convenient way to do that is to set off on a day tour from well-connected hubs like the seafront city of Syracuse (Siracusa).
If you’ve been searching for spontaneous day trip ideas or are keen to make the most of a weekend in Syracuse, this line-up of spectacular destinations will open you up to a whole other side of my beloved home turf.