Classical Sicily: Self-Launched Island Circuit

Fly into Catania (CTA) — the same airport the tour uses — and take the direct Interbus/SAIS coach or the train down to Syracuse (~1h, £5–7). Check into a hostel or guesthouse on or near Ortygia island so you can walk everywhere. Spend the late afternoon and evening wandering Ortygia: the Artemis Fountain in Piazza Archimede, the baroque Syracuse Cathedral built into the old Temple of Athena, and the seafront at Castello Maniace. Eat arancini and a cannolo standing up at a pasticceria — a fraction of a welcome-dinner bill.

🚌Catania airport → Syracuse by Interbus/SAIS coach (~£6) or train from Catania Centrale (~£5)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse on Ortygia (e.g. dorm £20–26, private room £40–55)

• →Ortygia Island evening walk
• →Artemis Fountain and Piazza Archimede
• →Syracuse Cathedral (ex-Temple of Athena)
• →Castello Maniace seafront
• →Arancini and cannolo tasting

Get to the Neapolis Archaeological Park early when it opens (entry ~£12, or a combined ticket with the Paolo Orsi museum). The Greek theatre, the Roman amphitheatre and the Ear of Dionysius are all self-explanatory with the on-site signage — skip the paid guide unless you want one. Back in town, grab a panino and take an afternoon bus towards Piazza Armerina (SAIS/Interbus via Catania or Enna; total ~3h, £9–12). Note this is the one clunky transport day of the tour — check the current timetable at the bus station the day before, as services are infrequent. Overnight in the old town of Piazza Armerina.

🚌Local bus to Neapolis park (~£1); Syracuse → Piazza Armerina bus via Catania/Enna (~£10)

🛏Simple B&B in Piazza Armerina old town (~£28–38)

• →Neapolis Archaeological Park: Greek Theatre, Roman Amphitheatre, Ear of Dionysius
• →Temple of Apollo ruins
• →Fonte Aretusa
• →Evening in Piazza Armerina old town

Be at the Villa Romana del Casale for opening (entry ~£10) — reviewers on the original tour called the mosaics the single highlight of the trip, and going early beats the coach groups. A local guide or audioguide is ~£5 and worth it. Walk or take a short local transfer out to the villa (~£1–2 each way from town). Then head to Agrigento by bus (SAIS/Interbus, ~2h, £8–10) and visit the Valley of the Temples in the late afternoon light (entry ~£12). A licensed guide at the site is ~£15 shared, or use the free app route. Continue by bus/train to Trapani in the evening (~2–2.5h, £9–12) for two nights — this replaces the tour's Marsala-area hotel.

🚌Local transfers to Villa Romana (~£3); Piazza Armerina → Agrigento (~£9); Agrigento → Trapani (~£10)

🛏Guesthouse or budget B&B in Trapani old town (~£30–40)

• →Villa Romana del Casale mosaics with audioguide
• →Valley of the Temples: Temple of Concord, Temple of Zeus, Temple of Hercules
• →Optional licensed guide at the Valley

Take the cable car up to Erice (€6 return, ~10 minutes — one of the tour's free-exploration stops, done independently and cheaply). Wander the cobbled medieval lanes, the Norman Castello di Venere courtyard, the Garden of Balio and Maria Grammatico's famous pastry shop for genovesi biscuits. Ride back down and catch an early-evening bus or train along the coast to Palermo (~2h, £7–9). Settle into a hostel or guesthouse in the historic centre near Quattro Canti, then eat street food — panelle, sfincione and pane e panelle from a friggitoria for under £6.

🚌Trapani–Erice cable car (~£5 return); Trapani → Palermo bus or train (~£8)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Palermo historic centre (~£20–30 dorm, £38–50 private)

• →Erice via cable car
• →Castello di Venere and Garden of Balio
• →Maria Grammatico pastry shop
• →Palermo street-food crawl

Take city bus 389 or the AMAT 389/AST route up to Monreale (~£1.20) in the morning for the cathedral's gold mosaics and the Arab-Norman cloisters (entry ~£7 for the cloister and terraces). Back in Palermo, book a Palatine Chapel + Palazzo dei Normanni ticket directly (~£15, timed entry — book online a day ahead), then self-guide the Palermo circuit on foot: Quattro Canti, Palermo Cathedral (roof access ~£8), the Fontana della Vergogna on Piazza Pretoria, and Teatro Massimo (guided interior tour ~£10). Optional extras: the Capuchin Catacombs (~£3) or the Botanical Gardens (~£6).

🚌Local city buses and walking (~£3)

🛏Same Palermo hostel or guesthouse

• →Monreale Cathedral mosaics and cloisters
• →Palatine Chapel and Palazzo dei Normanni
• →Quattro Canti, Palermo Cathedral, Teatro Massimo
• →Optional Capuchin Catacombs

Take an early train to Cefalù (~45–60 min, £5). See the Norman cathedral and swim off the town beach or the rocks below La Rocca, then — for the same Castle on the Rock climb the tour offers as optional — hike up La Rocca (~£5 entry, 20–30 min of steep steps, big views). Grab gelato and a granita, then continue by train via Messina to Taormina-Giardini (~2.5–3h total, £10–13). Base yourself in Giardini Naxos, which is cheaper than Taormina and the same base the tour uses.

🚌Train Palermo → Cefalù (~£5); Cefalù → Giardini Naxos via Messina (~£12)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Giardini Naxos (~£30–42)

• →Cefalù Cathedral
• →La Rocca climb
• →Swim at Cefalù town beach
• →Gelato stop

Book a direct Etna day trip from Taormina/Giardini Naxos with a local operator on GetYourGuide or Klook (~£45–60 including transport to Rifugio Sapienza at 1,900m and a guide around the Silvestri Craters). Add the cable car to 2,500m and the 4x4 to 2,900m on the day (~£55 extra, weather dependent) if you want the higher crater walk. Alternatively, get the public AST bus from Catania to Rifugio Sapienza and pay the cable car direct — cheaper but slower and less frequent. Back in the afternoon, take the local bus up to Taormina (~£2) and buy a ticket for the Greek Theatre (~£12, or the combined Ancient Theatre + Odeon route) — go late afternoon for the Etna-and-sea view.

🚌Shared Etna day-trip transport; local bus Giardini Naxos ↔ Taormina (~£4 return)

🛏Same Giardini Naxos guesthouse

• →Mount Etna: Rifugio Sapienza and Silvestri Craters
• →Optional cable car and 4x4 to 2,900m
• →Taormina Greek Theatre
• →Taormina old town and Villa Comunale gardens

Slow morning on the Giardini Naxos seafront — a swim, a last granita al limone, and the small Naxos archaeological park if you have time. Then take the train from Taormina-Giardini or the Interbus coach to Catania airport (~1h, £4–6), with plenty of buffer before your flight. Extra nights in Catania (cheap dorms ~£20) are an easy add-on if you want to see the Baroque centre and Pescheria market.

🚌Train or Interbus Giardini Naxos/Taormina → Catania airport (~£5)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Seafront swim
• →Naxos archaeological park
• →Granita and pastry breakfast