Palermo City Add-On

Walking through the mountains of the Madonie National Park was a wonderful experience to see nature largely undisturbed by humans. May is a great time to visit when it is green and the flowers are bright and colourful.  We also loved seeing the abundance of butterflies, lizards as well as farm animals and were lucky to sight wild boar and deer.  Staying in the mountain towns is a fabulous way to experience authentic Sicilian life away from mass tourism. Despite many speaking little English; the Sicilians we met were all friendly and welcoming. We also enjoyed discovering the history of Sicily with the mix of Mediterranean with North African influence in the architecture and cuisine. Part of the National Park is also a Geopark and we enjoyed visiting museums to see a wealth of excavations and artefacts.

 We also added a 2 day add-on to Palermo which we would thoroughly recommend. Although dirty and dilapidated in parts, although there is currently a lot of renovations going on, this is more than compensated by the huge variety of architectural styles of the buildings,the multitude of historical sites and churches to visit and the vibrancy of the street markets. The resplendant Cathedral offering rooftop walks with vast views over Palermo and the surrounding mountains and its surrounding grounds should not be missed.  The harbourside and the Botanical Gardens are all well worth visiting and a welcome escape from the bustle of the city.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: This customer did our self-guided walking holiday 'The Mountains of Sicily (7 nights) followed by our city add-on in Palermo

We love to travel and enjoy walking and finding local restaurants to eat in. Find out about the local customs. This holiday we enjoyed all, except for the staff in Hotel Plaza Opera. As we are now almost 80, we thought some of the walks quite difficult.We had to keep two eyes looking at the ground instead of the lovely scenery. WE did manage to stop and take some photos.  The natural Reserve Zingaro was special but we only managed to complete approx. half the walk just over the 7 Klm instead of 14. We did not get to the cave.

We did manage to complete the remainder of the suggested walks.

A big thumbs up from us for our first Inntravel walking holiday. We usually travel independently so it was wonderful to be able to switch off and enjoy how well and efficiently everything was organised. The walks were all really enjoyable and very manageable in the mid 20s temperatures. (We took loads of water with us as there are few, if any, opportunities to top up en route. We found the walking instructions extremely good and very accurate and had no problems route-finding. Some of the highlights for us - walking through stunning wildflower meadows around Erice followed by the best ice cream at Gelateria Liparoti; from Favignana, visiting The Impossible Garden and a day on Levanzo, plus enjoying excellent cocktails and pizza at the waterfront bar at Hotel Tempo del Mare and delicious dinner at Scaliddre Ristorante; glorious walking in the Zingaro Nature Reserve followed by wonderful wine and tapas at La Bottega di Beppe in Scopello; lastly, an interesting day exploring Palermo and two great places to eat very close to Principe di Villafranca - Sapurito and fabulous wine bar, Enoteca Picone.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk Wonders of Western Sicily with our Palermo City add-on

Travelling to Western Sicily in early May, we were fortunate to find good, mild walking weather and only 1 day of heavy rain (when paths became very muddy). After an early flight, we arrived in Erice mid morning and completed our first day's walk that afternoon. Searching for an option for the next day, Antonio from Hotel Elimo proposed ebiking to San Vito Lo Capo where we had lunch overlooking the beach. We followed the GPX route on our phones, and enjoyed some spectacular scenery on the way (note: there are a few busy sections of road, especially coming back into Trapani). Eating options in Erice are limited, so book early; the Osteria di Venere was very good, especially the gooey pistachio pudding! The next day we had excellent views of the islands walking down to Trapani, but we would advise against walking through the modern town which is uninteresting. Favignana and Levanzo provided some delightful walking although you may be better off on a bicycle (like so many others) on Favignana. We particularly enjoyed the Giardino dell' Impossibile as much for the history of the quarry as for the plants. Don't miss the fresh tuna sandwiches from the van by the beach at Bue Marino! As we had booked an exta night in Scopello we were able to choose when to visit Segesta and walk in the Zingaro reserve depending on the weather, thereby avoiding muddy paths. Both were worthwhile days, and we especially enjoyed the spectacular views from the high path in the Zingaro - go early because the lower route is busy on the return when crowds head to the beaches for the afternoon.

Two days Palermo to finish our trip gave us plenty of time to explore the city and take in the historical sights. Remember to sample ice cream served in a brioche. Our holiday itinerary together with our connections worked very well, and we enjoyed the varied accommodation in the different towns. Some of the walking instructions were not precise (on the way down to Trapani, and on Levanzo) but without causing any significant issue. Overall, this was a very enjoyable holiday that we would recommend.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk Wonders of Western Sicily with our Palermo City add-on

This was our first holiday with Inntravel and it will not be our last. We were provided with comprehensive background information on Sicily and the details for walking were excellent. It was good to experience 3 different locations all seamlessly accessed by taxi/ferry.  Our final stop in Palermo was also very interesting and the guided walking tour invaluable. We can recommend a small but delightful restaurant near our hotel called Sapurito, Via Principe di Villafranca 42, where the service was very friendly and the food amazing, at prices no more than comparable restaurants. We were blessed with excellent weather, maybe even a little too warm for the beginning of October, but certainly no complaints there.

INNTRVEL NOTE: This customer combined our self-guided walking holiday 'Wonders of Western Sicily' with a city add-on in Palermo.

The churches in Palermo were stunning. Bus and train journey fron Ragusa to Palermo was fascinating 

INNTRAVEL NOTE: This customer did our Journey 'Baroque Riches of Sicily' followed by our city add-on in Palermo

We loved all the walks and the variety of experience, from exploring the cobbled streets of the beautifully preserved hilltop town of Erice to joining the Sicilians on holiday on Favignana and getting away from it all on Levanzo and in the Zingaro nature reserve. Fitting in a visit to Segesta is a must, and make sure you get to the Grotta del Genovese on Levanzo, where there is real art dating to 12,000 BC. The additional two days in Palermo to end with were brilliant. It's such a lively city today and the blending of Italian, Greek, Byzantine, Arab and Norman cultures that is so evident in so many palaces, churches and monuments is simply breathtaking.

Excellent walks, varied routes and good walking notes.  Would recommend the Palermo add-on if not visited previously.  Marettimo was the highlight and would recommend the Il Veliero restaurant highly.  Also La Trattoria in Scopello.  Temperature in mid October (25c - 28c) was perfect for walking. 

We had a great holiday. So many good things happened, difficult to choose. In October there was a surprising lot of butterflies (European Swallowtail, Humming bird hawk moth included) and Mediterranean plants in flower. The sea was clean and warm everywhere, lots of swimming. Palermo is a little bit difficult to get your head around, the red hop on hop off bus was a big help. Your ticket lasts 24 hours so start one afternoon, and do it again or use a different loop next morning. Don't miss a stop off at the Orta Botanica gardens, and its lovely quiet shaded cafe. In Catania the streets beside the fish market are full of great fish restaurants. There is a law in Italy that menus must be on view outside. At 1930 the deserted restaurants suddenly fill up. The same thing happens in the restaurant district at Palermo, about four blocks south west of hotel Tonic. All the street markets were great, fish, vegetables, street food. All the hilltop towns were highlights. Strong recommendation: buy a local SIM card.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our rail journey Baroque Riches of Sicily with our walk Wonders of Western Sicily and our Palermo City add-on

The team bent over backwards in helping us develop our bespoke holiday, they were obviously knowledgeable on the ins and outs of Sicily and were friendly and easy to get in contact with whether by phone or email. The actual arrangements made (stays in Scopello, Ragusa and Palermo with a hire car and tailored holiday notes) were all great in practice once we were there.