With the Ortygia classic shared group tour you will discover the history and monuments of Syracuse's old town center. This walking tour lasts about 2 hours. The walk will start at the ancient Apollo temple, one of the main monuments of the Greek age of Syracuse. Then you will visit piazza Duomo, the central part of the town. This square is impressive for its size, for the luminosity thanks to the local limestone and for the baroque architecture. Our guide will tell you about the main buldings in piazza Duomo and the you will visit the cathedral's interiors. This church was built upon the ancient Athena temple and has architectural details which are unique in the world. After the cathedral the tour continues with Santa Lucia alla Badia church. After these churches the tour continues and arrives to the seaside, the great harbour and the legendary Aretusa fountain, famous for its papyrus plants. The guide will tell you about the legend of Alpheus and Aretusa. The Ortygia tour is a roundtrip, walking back to the starting point you will still visit the Diana foutain and the Giudecca district.
N.B. A dress code is required to enter in place of worship: no shorts or sleeveless tops are allowed, shoulders must be covered. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
The visit of the interiors of the cathedral is not possible on the occasion of marriages or funerals. In this case the guide will explain the church from outside.
Itinerary
info the tour takes place with min. 6 participants | A dress code is required to enter in place of worship: no shorts or sleeveless tops are allowed, shoulders must be covered. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements | The visit of the interiors of the churches is not possible on the occasion of marriages or funerals. In this case the guide will explain the church from outside and there could be small changes in the itinerary
The admission fee to enter inside the churches is not included. Tickets must be purchased at the entrance of the buildings. Usually the tour includes the visit of the interiors of the cathedral (€ 2 p.p). The entrance to St. Lucy's church is free.
Cancelling the booking within 48 hours before the tour no cancellation fee is required and you will be full refund. Cancelling between 24 and 48 hours prior the starting time of the tour, 50% of the cost will be retained as cancellation fee. No refund is possible cancelling less than 24 hours prior the starting time or in case of 'no show'. The tours run will all weather conditions, rain or shine.
For further information please have a look at the terms and conditions of the shared group walking tours.
For further information please send an e-mail to info@hermes-sicily.com
We usually answer within 24/48 hours.
If you are interested in a guided tour of Ortygia in other days or times as scheduled or if you are traveling in a large group or also if you want a tailored itineary with the visit of additional monuments, please consider the booking of a private tour. Private tours are available all around the year and it's possible to choose the preferred day and starting time and among single itinerary, half-day tour and full-day tour. Further information about our Ortygia private walking tours are available on this page.
Below you can find some of our other group tours.
Group tour of the Neapolis archaeological park with visit of the most important monuments of the ancient Greek Syracuse
DetailsDiscover the splendid Ortygia at sunset: we will visit the cathedral square, Aretusa fountain and Maniace castle
DetailsGroup tour to discover Noto, an Unesco world heritage: from the 'Corso', the main street to via Nicolaci with visit of the main churches
Details