Sicily · HISTORICAL TOURS
17 reviewed
This is the shortlist we would send a friend, the 15 historical tours worth booking, each with its price, its verdict, and the one thing to know before you commit.
A 3-hour Palermo Old Town walk that mixes classic street food tastings with key historic sights, guided in English.
“Food was ample and a nice experience. Fabrizio was knowledgable, passionate, and humorous. Three hours is a good length of time for a food and history tour.”
A guided walk through Palermo’s UNESCO core, from Piazza Pretoria to the Martorana mosaics and inside Palermo Cathedral, with a sweet stop.
“Informative tour with Jade who was a friendly, knowledgeable guide”
A 3-hour guided walk through Palermo’s cathedral, Teatro Massimo, baroque squares, and the Capo market with Sicilian street food in Italian.
“Grazie a Fabrizio abbiamo trascorso una bella mattinata in giro per Palermo, scoprendo storia e curiosità di una città che merita di essere conosciuta. Un’esperienza che consiglierei e che ci ha dato tanti spunti anche su cosa fare nei prossimi giorni di vacanza qui.”
A 3-hour guided walk of Palermo’s old core and Ballarò market. Taste arancini, pizza, juice, and cannoli with Domenico.
“Dominic was great! He was extremely knowledgeable on all of the history. He has an amazing sense of humor and had everyone laughing and having a great time!”
A 3-hour walk with an Italian guide through Palermo’s Norman cathedral, baroque squares, Capo markets, and street-food tastings for $34.76.
“Guida molto preparata e cortese, percorso e spiegazioni eccellenti. Sarebbe bello includere almeno un'altro ingresso nei luoghi visitati esternamente”
Hop-on Palermo historic-center train tour with 24-hour ticket, multilingual audio, Arab-Norman sights, markets, and Teatro Massimo views.
“la guida disponibile per ogni richiesta e informazione. potete utilizzare il trenino più volte lo stesso giorno”
Catania to Syracuse and Noto by guided van: Neapolis ruins, Ortigia alleys, and Noto’s Sicilian Baroque. 8 hours, €-style value.
“Sylvia is a wonderful guide. She makes this tour so interesting and shares a lot of valuable information. She has a wonderful sense of humour which makes the day entertaining and enjoyable. We were given plenty of time to view the sites and flexibility to make choices. My only critical suggestion would be the guide stay with the group when they are buying the tickets for the Syracuse Nature site. It can be a bit confusing if you don’t speak the language and her assistance would have been helpful. Overall I would highly recommend this trip.”
Private 3-hour Palermo walk by Palermo Wonders: markets, UNESCO palaces, cathedral interior, baroque churches. English.
“We had the opportunity of spending the day with Maurico exploring the heart of Palermo, and truly unforgettable. Maurico brought history to life with stories and insights that made each stop not just a destination, but a vivid experience.We began at the Mercato del Capo, where the sounds, scents, and flavors of the market were complemented by Maurico’s stories about local food traditions and culture. At the Cathedral of Palermo, he helped us appreciate the layered history. Truly, a blend of Norman, Moorish, Gothic, and Baroque influences reflecting Sicily’s rich past. Wandering through the Quattro Canti (Four Corners), we see the perfect symmetry and the symbolic representation of Palermo's ...”
Two-hour Palermo walk with a local guide: Teatro Massimo, the Capo market and street food, plus the Arab-Norman Cathedral.
“Maurizio truly loved his job, and you can feel. The tour lasted 3 hours and it was impossible not to pay attention. He told us a lot of amazing details as about the city’s history and present. He is not a dry tour guide type - he shared his opinion about the city’s politics and taught me how to haggle with local merchants properly.”
A 1.5-hour Cefalù walking tour with Ambra’s legends, top viewpoints, and seasonal Sicilian street food, priced at $37.
“Ambra was brilliant - it was a fantastic personal-feeling tour where we learnt so much about history, legend and culture of Cefalù”
A 3-hour private Palermo walk covering the Cathedral, Teatro Massimo, Quattro Canti, Fontana Pretoria, Capo Market, and street food.
“Great tour with a local guide. Federico recommended fantastic canoli where nuns make the original recipe and where locals eat and have coffee. Wonderful!”
Owner-led tour at Cantine Mothia in Marsala, inside a 19th-century baglio, ending with a Sicilian wine tasting and bites.
“An excellent tour that gave us a great insight into the history of Marsala wine and wine production in the Trapani district. Marialena was a knowledgeable and friendly guide who switched fluently between Italian and English. The tour was relaxed and all our questions were answered fully and patiently. The tasting session at the end of the tour covered 5 different wines, a bonus over the 4 advertised in the programme. A highly recommended excursion for anyone visiting the Trapani and Marsala areas.”
Palermo historic-center bike tour in English with street-food tastings and sea-front stops. Small group, about 3 hours, great value.
“I loved the tour and my guide. My only complaint is that I had to pay for 2 people, even though I was solo. It was still worth it.”
Palermo by bike in 3 hours with a local guide. See major sights, ride mostly flat streets, then snack on classic street food.
“The tour and Elena our guide was wonderful. Loved to hear all about the history of Palermo. Would def recommend this tour.”
A 3-hour Palermo street food and history walk through Arab markets, Norman-Arab monuments, and classic fried bites, ending near Quattro Canti.
“Excellent food and history tour. Fabrizio was very knowledgeable, friendly and learnt all our names very quickly.”
