Sicily & Malta - An Island Affair by Luxuria

Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 • Depart to France

  Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to northern France for an overnight stay.

• Day 2 • France to Italy

  Continue to our hotel in northern Italy for an overnight stay.

• Day 3 • Rapallo

  We leave our hotel today and head towards Genoa. En route, we pause to enjoy some free time in the picturesque town of Rapallo on the Italian Riviera. We continue to Genoa where we board the overnight ferry to Sicily.

• Day 4 • Travel to Palermo

  We continue our journey across the Tyrrhenian Sea to Sicily for an early evening arrival into Palermo and to our overnight hotel in the Palermo area.

• Day 5 • Palermo with Guided Sightseeing Tour

  Follow in ancient footsteps today on our included city tour of Palermo. We will be able to spot monuments such as the Real Palace and the Palatina Chappelle, the magnificent Cathedral of Palermo, Piazza Bologni and The Quattro Canti. Visit of the Capo Market, one of the most vibrant and lively open air markets of Palermo, as well as the picturesque Piazza Pretoria, where you can admire the famous fountain 'Fountain of Shame'. There are lots of local treasures to discover during our free time, including the cloister of the convent of Santa Caterina, home to one of the best pastry shops in Palermo. Here, you will find sweets made according to the historic recipes of the nuns of the convent. We continue onwards to the Giardini Naxos area for a three-night stay.

• Day 6 • Taormina with Guided Walking Tour & Castelmola with Wine Tasting

  Today we visit the legendary Taormina. This historic tourist resort, perched on the cliffs of Mount Tauro, offers breathtaking panoramic views of Naxos Bay, Mount Etna, and even nearby Calabria. Our included walking tour explores the main street, Corso Umberto and visits the Greek Theatre, famous for the panoramic location and acclaimed for its acoustics. After some free time to stroll through the narrow streets of Taormina, enjoy the stunning views and shop in the artisan boutiques. We travel onwards to the Isola Bella area and have free time for lunch. In the afternoon, we will get even closer to the peak of Monte Tauro reaching Castelmola, a tiny, beautiful village with narrow streets and a couple of beautiful little squares. One of typical products of this part of Sicily is almond wine, which we will taste, accompanied by almond pastries, in one of the historical cafes of Castelmola.

• Day 7 • Mount Etna with Wine Tasting

  After breakfast, we journey to Mount Etna – the highest active volcano in Europe. With its lava-crusted slopes, it dominates a major part of the west coast of Sicily. Its impressive profile, interrupted with countless craters and lava caves, chestnuts and coniferous forests, desert landscapes, and its peak, often covered with a white snow cap, gives fertile land, where the best grapevines and fruit and olive trees flourish. At almost 2000 metres of altitude, you will reach and explore the black landscape of the extinct Silvestri Craters. At lunch time, we visit a local winery, laying on the Eastern slopes of Etna and embedded in a privileged position between the sea and the volcano. Here, we enjoy tasters of different delicacies, cooked according to old traditional recipes. Their wine press is one of the oldest and biggest in the region, and we will taste a couple of delicious, local wines!

• Day 8 • Syracuse with Guided Sightseeing Tour & Archaeological Park of Neapolis with Guided Tour

  After breakfast, we will head to Syracuse, the largest and most powerful ancient Greek colony, with its spectacular monuments. We will explore Ortigia, the romantic old town of Syracuse with its narrow streets, where the cathedral, built on ruins of the antique Minerva Temple, and the Arethusa Fountain are located, and connected to the rest of the city by small bridges. In the afternoon, we have a guided visit of the Archaeological Park of Neapolis, an area of 35 hectares that preserves the most important ancient monuments in the heart of the modern city of Syracuse. Inside the Archaeological Park, there is a beautiful garden with lemons and pomegranates, the 'Latomie del Paradiso'. It is thought that the mathematical genius Archimedes is buried inside the Neapolis. After the visit, we continue onwards to Pozzallo and board the ferry to Malta. On arrival in Malta, we travel to our hotel for a four-night stay.

• Day 9 • Free Time in Malta

  Enjoy a relaxing day at leisure in Malta.

• Day 10 • Free Time or Gozo

  After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore the island or, for those who have pre-booked, you will venture on our optional excursion to Gozo. We travel to the west of Malta for a ferry crossing, disembarking in Mġarr, the main port of Gozo. Upon arrival, we will head to Dwejra Bay, an impressive natural site which features the Fungus Rock. This huge cylindrical rock is isolated at the entrance of the bay and an Inland Sea that links to the open sea through a natural opening. We will then travel onto Rabat to visit its Citadel and to Xlendi, one of Gozo’s typical and picturesque fishing villages.

• Day 11 • Malta Island Discovery

  After breakfast, we set off on our island discovery of Malta! First, we will focus on the three old cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua. The main stop is in Vittoriosa, which was the first home of the Knights of St. John before Valletta was built and where the Great Siege of 1565 took place. The highlight of this trip is a short cruise on a 'Dghajsa', which is the authentic Maltese Gondola in their original state. We will wind our way through the channel of Vittoriosa and Senglea. This afternoon, we explore the southern part of Malta. On the way, we will pass through the village of Zurrieq before arriving at the Blue Grotto. If you choose, a short boat trip will enable you to see the underwater flora in these grottos up close (a small charge is payable locally and this is weather permitting). We also visit Hagar Qim Temples – a group of three temples that have a high level of preservation. The final stop will be to the picturesque fishing village of Marsaxlokk, where one can admire the waterfront lined with the colourful Maltese 'luzzu' painted in the traditional reds, blue and yellow.

• Day 12 • Valletta with Guided Sightseeing Tour

  After breakfast, we enjoy an included guided tour through the bustling streets of Malta’s capital city of Valletta. We will visit the Upper Barracca Gardens which offer a breathtaking view of the Grand Harbour, followed by a walk around the beautiful streets of Valletta. Take the chance to admire some of the magnificent buildings and monuments that have stood throughout all these years of history. This afternoon, we travel to the port to board of our ferry to Pozzallo. On arrival in Pozzallo, we transfer to our overnight hotel.

• Day 13 • Catania with Guided Sightseeing Tour

  After breakfast, we discover the second largest city on the island, Catania. As many of the buildings and paving is made of lava stone, Catania is often called the “Black Daughter of Etna". Over the centuries, the town fell victim to Etna's eruptions more than once, but has been rebuilt each time. A valuable fresco in the cathedral shows how the tongue of lava reaches the city, but is stopped at the last moment by the patron saint of Catania, Saint Agata. A particularly well-known attraction is the Catania fish market – one of the largest and most worth seeing in all of southern Italy. After our walking tour, we travel to Palermo port and board the ferry for our return to Genoa.

• Day 14 • Genoa

  We continue our crossing, arriving into Genoa and journeying onwards to our overnight hotel.

• Day 15 • Genoa to Paris

  Head to the Paris or Reims area for an overnight stay.

• Day 16 • Your Journey Ends

  Today your journey ends and you return home.