The season for this holiday is:
01 March 2020 - 15 November 2020
This elegant 4-star hotel is stylishly decorated with the best of Sicilian furnishings, antiques and embroideries. The building has many other typically Sicilian features, such as locally-made floor tiles and marble-lined bathrooms. There are comfortable public rooms for relaxing, a library and a restaurant serving typical Sicilian fare.
The hotel is located in a quiet, residential side-street, and all the rooms face an internal courtyard for maximum quietness. It is only a few minutes’ walk from the shops in the newer part of the city, and a short bus or taxi ride from the older town, making it a great base for exploring.
Hotel Principe di Villafranca, 2 nights: 01 March 2020 - 15 November 2020
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Add on 2 nights | Single supplement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 28 Mar 2020 # | £120 | £64 |
| 29 Mar - 28 Jun 2020 | £194 | £76 |
| 29 Jun - 28 Aug 2020 # | £120 | £64 |
| 30 Aug - 1 Nov 2020 | £194 | £76 |
| 2 - 13 Nov 2020 # | £120 | £64 |
Includes accommodation and meals as described. No travel is included as it is assumed that you are travelling via the city as part of your main Inntravel holiday.
If you are flying via a different airport and would like us to arrange connecting travel, please contact us for a quotation.
Hotel Plaza Opéra, 2 nights: 01 March 2020 - 15 November 2020
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Add on 2 nights | Single supplement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 28 Mar 2020 # | £120 | £64 |
| 29 Mar - 28 Jun 2020 | £194 | £76 |
| 29 Jun - 28 Aug 2020 # | £120 | £64 |
| 30 Aug - 1 Nov 2020 | £194 | £76 |
| 2 - 13 Nov 2020 # | £120 | £64 |
Includes accommodation and meals as described. No travel is included as it is assumed that you are travelling via the city as part of your main Inntravel holiday.
If you are flying via a different airport and would like us to arrange connecting travel, please contact us for a quotation.
Hotel Tonic, 2 nights: 01 March 2020 - 15 November 2020
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Add on 2 nights | Single supplement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 28 Mar 2020 | £88 | £44 |
| 29 Mar - 5 Jun 2020 | £112 | £70 |
| 6 Jun - 5 Sep 2020 | £100 | £60 |
| 6 Sep - 24 Oct 2020 | £112 | £70 |
| 25 Oct - 2 Nov 2020 | £100 | £60 |
| 3 - 13 Nov 2020 | £88 | £44 |
Includes accommodation and meals as described. No travel is included as it is assumed that you are travelling via the city as part of your main Inntravel holiday.
If you are flying via a different airport and would like us to arrange connecting travel, please contact us for a quotation.
Room upgrades (£ per person per night)
| Hotel Principe di Villafranca, Palermo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe: 01 Mar - 29 Mar 2020 | £44 | |
| Deluxe: 30 Mar - 28 Jun 2020 | £32 | |
| Deluxe: 29 Jun - 30 Aug 2020 | £44 | |
| Deluxe: 31 Aug - 01 Nov 2020 | £32 | |
| Deluxe: 02 Nov - 15 Nov 2020 | £44 |
Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room
| Hotel Principe di Villafranca, Palermo (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Mar - 28 Mar 2020 # | £52 | £80 |
| 29 Mar - 28 Jun 2020 | £86 | £118 |
| 29 Jun - 29 Aug 2020 # | £52 | £80 |
| 30 Aug - 01 Nov 2020 | £86 | £118 |
| 02 Nov - 15 Nov 2020 # | £52 | £80 |
Room upgrades (£ per person per night)
| Hotel Plaza Opéra, Palermo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe: 01 Mar - 29 Mar 2020 | £52 | |
| Deluxe: 30 Mar - 28 Jun 2020 | £44 | |
| Deluxe: 29 Jun - 30 Aug 2020 | £52 | |
| Deluxe: 31 Aug - 01 Nov 2020 | £44 | |
| Deluxe: 02 Nov - 15 Nov 2020 | £52 | |
| Superior: 01 Mar - 29 Mar 2020 | £40 | |
| Superior: 30 Mar - 28 Jun 2020 | £30 | |
| Superior: 29 Jun - 30 Aug 2020 | £40 | |
| Superior: 31 Aug - 01 Nov 2020 | £30 | |
| Superior: 02 Nov - 15 Nov 2020 | £40 |
Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room
| Hotel Plaza Opéra, Palermo (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Mar - 28 Mar 2020 # | £52 | £80 |
| 29 Mar - 28 Jun 2020 | £86 | £118 |
| 29 Jun - 29 Aug 2020 # | £52 | £80 |
| 30 Aug - 01 Nov 2020 | £86 | £118 |
| 02 Nov - 15 Nov 2020 # | £52 | £80 |
Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room
| Hotel Tonic, Palermo (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Mar - 28 Mar 2020 | £40 | £60 |
| 29 Mar - 05 Jun 2020 | £50 | £80 |
| 06 Jun - 05 Sep 2020 | £45 | £70 |
| 06 Sep - 24 Oct 2020 | £50 | £80 |
| 25 Oct - 02 Nov 2020 | £45 | £70 |
| 03 Nov - 15 Nov 2020 | £40 | £60 |
Getting between Palermo airport and the city (35km):
| Public transport | Approx. duration | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Bus | 55 minutes | every 40 minutes |
| Other options | Approx. duration | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi | 45 minutes | 50€ |
If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?
We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >
For people staying at the Hotel Plaza Opera, there is an excellent restaurant about 3 minutes walk from the hotel, literally on the next street. It's called Enosteria Sicula and its address is Via Torrearsa, 3. We had a tasting menu with a wine selection and it was great, and the staff were very welcoming and helpful. Not cheap, but very good value for money.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our Palermo City add-on at the Hotel Plaza Opéra after their Mountains of Sicily walking holiday.
It was an enjoyable holiday, just a few uncomfortable moments on day 5. Hotels on the walking holiday were very varied but enjoyable in different ways. Everyone was friendly on the walking holiday, and the scenery and wild flowers were beautiful. Cefalu felt like a completely different aspect of the holiday but was equally lovely. Also really enjoyed walking Palermo.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our Palermo and Catania City add-ons after their Mountains of Sicily self-guided walking holiday.
The walk lived up to expectations, a magic world of ancient and rare trees. The giant holly trees were worth the climb. The penultimate day is a very long downhill but luckily we had good weather unlike the following days when the storms hit. Eastern Sicily fascinating. Villa del Casale so crowded you can barely see the mosaics. It is surrounded by tat and you are blasted with pop music which destroys the ambiance. Ragusa and Notto well worth a visit. The museum at Syracuse is wonderful especially the strongroom in the basement with jewellery and coins. The outdoor archaeological museum a little under-whelming, no directions, surly staff and nothing to aid the imagination. A visit we particularly enjoyed was to Scicli where they film Inspector Montalbano. A beautiful small town full of churches and palaces and without masses of tourists. When we went they had an open day when schoolchildren showed us around. Best visited from Relais Cavalonga.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers had a 3-night stay at the Hotel Pricipe di Villafranca, in Palermo, before undertaking our Mountains of Sicily walking holiday and before going on to do our Treasures of Eastern Sicily Slowmotion journey.
For people staying at the Hotel Plaza Opera, there is an excellent restaurant about 3 minutes walk from the hotel, literally on the next street. It's called Enosteria Sicula and its address is Via Torrearsa, 3. We had a tasting menu with a wine selection and it was great, and the staff were very welcoming and helpful. Not cheap, but very good value for money.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our Palermo City add-on at the Hotel Plaza Opéra after their Mountains of Sicily walking holiday.
It was an enjoyable holiday, just a few uncomfortable moments on day 5. Hotels on the walking holiday were very varied but enjoyable in different ways. Everyone was friendly on the walking holiday, and the scenery and wild flowers were beautiful. Cefalu felt like a completely different aspect of the holiday but was equally lovely. Also really enjoyed walking Palermo.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our Palermo and Catania City add-ons after their Mountains of Sicily self-guided walking holiday.
The walk lived up to expectations, a magic world of ancient and rare trees. The giant holly trees were worth the climb. The penultimate day is a very long downhill but luckily we had good weather unlike the following days when the storms hit. Eastern Sicily fascinating. Villa del Casale so crowded you can barely see the mosaics. It is surrounded by tat and you are blasted with pop music which destroys the ambiance. Ragusa and Notto well worth a visit. The museum at Syracuse is wonderful especially the strongroom in the basement with jewellery and coins. The outdoor archaeological museum a little under-whelming, no directions, surly staff and nothing to aid the imagination. A visit we particularly enjoyed was to Scicli where they film Inspector Montalbano. A beautiful small town full of churches and palaces and without masses of tourists. When we went they had an open day when schoolchildren showed us around. Best visited from Relais Cavalonga.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers had a 3-night stay at the Hotel Pricipe di Villafranca, in Palermo, before undertaking our Mountains of Sicily walking holiday and before going on to do our Treasures of Eastern Sicily Slowmotion journey.
I walked miles and miles each of the 5 days we were there, and loved every aspect of the city. Got the hang of it after a few days. I would highly recommend these 2 restaurants: Libreria Dante on Via Maqueda at the Quattro Conti, and the Antica Focacceria San Francesco, Piazza San Francesco, on Via Alessandro Paternostro. Libreria Dante is smaller, charmingly chaotic, you share tables, and there are none outside so it can get pretty warm in there, and cheaper, but the food is fantastic and really good value. The Antica Focacceria is an institution, with lots of tables outside in the square, it seemed to be frequented by native Palermitans as well as tourists - I was given a small spleen burger to taste, absolutely delicious despite its name in English.
We thoroughly enjoyed our two full days in Palermo and managed to visit most of the recommended sights - we took a taxi out to Monreale to see the cathedral which was stunning. Scopello was a real contrast - a tiny village by the sea and close to the Nature Reserve. A good place to relax for a couple of days. We walked in the Nature Reserve and visited San Vito lo Capo and enjoyed lunch on the vast beach.
En route to Florio, we stopped off at Segesta which was well worthwhile although the parking, ticketing and bus arrangements could be better! We thought the area around Florio was a bit "down at heel" but we were happy with our stay at Baglio Donna Franca. From there we visited Erice which was busy but interesting. We took the funicular up to Erice and parked the car at the bottom. (We had a problem with the Parking Attendant on our return and he managed to take 25 Euros from us - it was partly our own fault but it left a bad taste!) Slightly disappointingly, we only spent a short time in Trapani as we were pestered on two or three occasions by men demanding money as we attempted to park the car and ended up parking around by the port. We had a quick look at Nubia and the saltpans and windmills.
En route to Menfi, we stopped to see Selinunte which, again, was something not to be missed. We had a good lunch by the beach at Marinella. Il Vigneto (once we found it!) was an extremely comfortable final base and we enjoyed our time there. We made a day trip to Agrigento to view The Valley of the Temples, another must-see place. We walked the beach at Porto Palo and had dinner twice at "Da Vittorio"
British Airways performed well and our flights in and out of Palermo were on time. The weather was kind to us - a thunderstorm on the evening we arrived and one wet afternoon.....otherwise it was blue skies and sunshine....and it was very warm!
Overall, we were very happy with our trip. Thank you for organising it for us.
This is a holiday we totally enjoyed and the variety of locations and hotels enriched our experience and understanding of western Sicily. We will always remember Palermo for the street food, and mosaics in the Cappella Palantina Chapel. Monreale Cathedral a short journey away was also sensational. The island of San Pantaleo with its beautiful Phoenician artefacts and the unique atmosphere of the nearby salt pans and windmills at Stagnone. Greek temples at Segesta and Selinunte had a profound impact that was quite unexpected. The stay on Marettimo in the Egadi Islands gave a wonderful calm to finish our holiday. The trip around the island on a little boat is a must. Sicilian wine and fish are amazing.