15 Full-Day Tours in Sicily to Build a Day Around

1.Segesta, Erice and Salt Pans Full-Day Excursion from Palermo

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 1,791 reviews · 8 hours · from $82Our pick

Ride from Palermo in an air-conditioned van to Segesta, Nubia’s salt pans, and hilltop Erice. This is transport with free time, not a fully guided tour. Drivers such as Marco, Sergio, Enzo, and Rosario are praised for safe driving and helpful local advice.

“Marco is kind person. If you do not have a car during the travel, this will be one of the best option for traveling near Pallermo.”

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2.Etna and Alcantara Gorges Full-Day Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,766 reviews · 8 hours · from $105

Travel in a small SUV or minivan across Etna’s northern slopes, walk among the Sartorius Craters, enter the Grotta dei Ladroni lava tunnel, eat lunch at a local restaurant, then swim or stroll at the Alcantara Gorges. Guides such as Salvatore, Salvo, Ross, and Maya bring strong local knowledge.

“The experience was great…the food could be better! Salvo was a very good guide.”

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3.Mt. Etna and Taormina village full day tour from Catania

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,155 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $118Top rated

Spend about nine hours with EtnaTribe exploring Mount Etna’s volcanic trails, a lava cave, local honey and oil, and Taormina’s lanes and sea views. Guides such as Salvatore, Lorenzo, Carmelo, and Tommaso are praised for lively local insight. Cable cars, jeeps, and other Etna upgrades cost extra.

“Older people not so easy to go up the top of the mountain need a warning, otherwise a good experience in life”

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4.Full-Day Mount Etna and Taormina Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 644 reviews

Travel from Catania in a van with up to eight people, walk Etna’s lava fields and a volcanic cave, taste honey, wine, and local foods, then enjoy 1.5 hours in Taormina. Guides including Daria, Lorenzo, Salvo, and Carmelo lead the day in English, Italian, Spanish, French, or German.

“This was the highlight of our week in Sicily! Our guide, Daria, was excellent -- full of fascinating information, knowledgeable about not just Etna but everything Sicilian, and a safe and competent driver. No one in our group of 6 chose to take the expensive cable car up to higher ground -- we all wanted to stay with Daria. It was a fabulous day, and I would highly recommend this tour. PS: We are seniors but Daria made it so we had no trouble with the hiking, climbing or caving”

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5.Mount Etna and Taormina Full-Day Excursion from Palermo

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 457 reviews · from $130

Travel from Palermo to Mount Etna and Taormina in an air-conditioned minivan or coach with an Italian, English, or Spanish-speaking guide. Expect about six hours on the road, two hours at each main stop, and an extra fee for the Etna funicular and mountain transport.

“Absolutely brilliant, had lots of free time to explore”

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6.Full-Day Etna, Wine & Alcantara Canyons Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 390 reviews · from $116

Travel from Taormina in a small group with guides such as Roberto, Riccardo, Tony, or Daniele. Hike Etna’s extinct craters at 2,000 meters, enter a lava cave, enjoy a winery lunch and wine tasting, then see Alcantara Canyons from a panoramic viewpoint.

“Overall it was a wonderful adventure, specially with our guide Ricardo, he has so much info, and he is very friendly, the Hike was good but we faced some hard winds, some cant handled the wind and the guide helped them, its because of the weather. The lunch was great , we were a group of 8 people from different countries, the trip was comfortable we were back to Taormina at 5 pm.”

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7.Full Day Boat Tour San Vito Lo Capo to Castellammare del Golfo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 292 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $139

Join a small group of up to 12 for an eight-hour coastal cruise from San Vito Lo Capo. Swim at Cala Tonnarella dell'Uzzo, Cala del Leone, Cala Bianca, and Cala Rossa, visit Scopello and Castellammare del Golfo, and use the supplied snorkeling gear. Rosario, Mike, or Stefano may lead the boat.

“Great way to spend a day seeing the amazing coastline and learning about Sicily’s history. Extra kudos for pointing out where the new Indiana Jones had scenes filmed and for the delicious and plentiful fruit on board!”

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8.Full Day Taormina and Castelmola Tour with Messina Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 237 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $145

Travel from Messina or Giardini Naxos port to hilltop Castelmola and Taormina with guides such as Sabrina, Katia, Sara, or Mariarita. Walk Corso Umberto, enter the Greek-Roman Theater, enjoy Etna views, and have free time for food and shopping.

“This was a great private excursion off of the cruise ship. We were picked up the cruise terminal as planned and on time. Our guide Katia and driver Peppe were very friendly and we started our journey to Castleloma. We knew at the start of the day that rain was imminent and throughout the day they were to receive about 2” of rain. We were prepared for it and so was Katia and she provided full size umbrellas for our group of four. Casteloma was stunning, but heavy fog severely limited visibility which was a shame. We proceeded to Taormina and toured the area including the Greek/Roman theater. We had…”

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9.Full-Day Snorkeling Boat Tour with Lunch and Wine

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 196 reviews · from $124

Spend eight hours aboard a small motorsailer with Giuseppe and Michele, exploring Addaura, Mondello, and Capo Gallo. You’ll get snorkeling gear, marine life guidance, Sicilian lunch, water, and wine or juice, with plenty of time to swim or relax.

“Giuseppe and his crew were amazing! Very knowledgeable about the city and marine life. Food and wine were all local and delicious. Highly recommend!”

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10.Full Day Palermo Boat Tour with Palermo Experiences

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 156 reviews · 6 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $241

Spend six and a half hours along Palermo’s coast with Luca and Angela, stopping at Vergine Maria, Mondello, Capo Gallo, and Grotta della Regina. Snorkel gear, lunch, street food, Aperol Spritz, fresh water, and captain-filled cannoli are included on this shared boat outing.

“they did not have a minimum person requirement listed before I booked a solo tour. The boat also does not look like what is being advertised. It is not a yacht is more like a fishing boat. I ended up having to cancel my entire entire boat trip”

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11.Full-Day Etna and Wine Tour from Catania

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 150 reviews · from $133

Spend eight hours with a small group of up to eight, riding from Catania to Mount Etna, walking a nature path, visiting a helmeted lava cave, and tasting four wines with cheeses, cold cuts, pâté, and olive oil at a winery in Ragalna. Guides speak five languages.

“This was the best experience in Sicily we had. The road to the mount was good, accompanied by the history of Sicily and Etna, not boring at all! Upon arrival, we were given three options: 1. Go with cable car + bus + waking to the height of 2940m to see one of the craters (about 80€ per person) 2. Have a tour on Quad ATVs with a visit to a lava cave (50-70€ per person) 3. Stay with the guide and walk to a closer crater After that, you will go to a cave/closer crater anyway (depending on the option you chose). We chose option 1 and didn't regret:…”

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12.Agrigento and Piazza Armerina Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 140 reviews · from $135

Travel from Catania in a small group of up to eight with an English, Italian, or Spanish-speaking driver-guide. Visit Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples and Villa del Casale near Piazza Armerina, with site tickets and archaeological guides paid separately.

“Allesio was a wonderful tour guide and driver. He made sure we were comfortable and answered all of our questions. We had a very enjoyable and knowledgeable tour.”

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13.Segesta Erice and Salt Pans Full Day Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 106 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $81

Travel from Palermo by air-conditioned minivan to Segesta, medieval Erice, and the Trapani salt pans. Expect free time at each stop, historical commentary that may vary by host, and a €18.50 Segesta entrance fee. Guides such as Sergio, Michaele, Salvatore, and Emanuele have been praised for helpful service.

“This was a great way to see the sights but if you're expecting a guide you'll be disappointed. It is basically transport you're paying for. You don't get any information so do your research before you go. Once at Segesta make sure you go to the amphitheatre first as this will be better use of your limited time. There is a shuttle bus to take you to the top which you'll need to pay for along with your entrance fee. The shuttle bus goes on the hour and half hour. You can walk but it's steep and will take about 25 mins. Bus takes about 5 mins. It's well worth…”

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14.Full Day Private Boat Tour San Vito Lo Capo – Castellammare

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 101 reviews · 8 hours (approx.)

Spend eight hours aboard a private, restroom-equipped RIB from San Vito lo Capo. Captain Rosario or Stefano takes your group to Cala Tonnarella dell’Uzzo, Cala del Leone, Scopello, Cala Bianca, and Cala Rossa, with snorkeling gear, drinks, and time in Castellammare.

“Beautiful boat ride along the coast with multiple stops for swimming. Captain Rosario was very polite and informative, offering us wine, drinks and fruit. Restaurant he recommended in Castellammare was good and the kids had so much fun.”

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15.Full-Day Cruise to Favignana and Levanzo

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 85 reviews · from $61Best value

Spend eight hours at sea from Trapani, visiting Favignana and Levanzo with English or Italian guidance and an audio guide. You get two hours in Favignana, one hour in Levanzo, swimming stops, a Cala Rossa cruise, and lunch aboard the boat. The individual guide is not named.

“We were not able to find your boat or your ticket place. We tried and tried for a long time and walked up and down the Favignana cruise boat port. Finally we bought a ticket on another boat. Very disappointed!”

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