Syracuse, an ancient city in the south-east of Sicily, has beautiful buildings and a strong historical heritage. It is known worldwide for the role it played in Antiquity, considered at the time as one of the most beautiful cities of Ancient Greece.
The city has experienced and endured multiple wars, and therefore today offers a rich heritage for its visitors to explore.
To be completely honest, we clearly did not fall in love with this city... This doesn't mean that it is not a beautiful city or that we did not enjoy walking around, but we found it a bit dull, well damaged and and lacking vibrancy or much activity...
However, we did like the fact that Syracuse's historical center is located on a peninsula called the island of Ortygia (or island of Ortigia). It really delimits the historical center, and you feel like you're in a little cocoon (although very airy, thanks to the wind).
We only stayed in Syracuse for a few hours, just long enough to explore the old town. Maybe staying longer, especially in the evening, would make a difference... Let us know how you felt about this city in the comments, we’re curious to hear 😊.
If you want to book accommodation in Syracuse, check out the best offers below:
Shortly after crossing the bridge that takes you to the old town, you will be able to see the remains of the Temple of Apollo. An open-air monument that, over its lifetime, has undergone multiple transformations: originally a Byzantine church, it later became an Arab mosque, then the church “Normanna del Salvatore”, to finally be incorporated into a 16th century Spanish barracks. All these changes seriously damaged the building, which was only rediscovered in the 1860s and unveiled between 1933 and 1943.
Right next to these ruins is the Syracuse Market, which is supplied with fresh fish directly from the port, visible nearby.
Further on, as you head toward the tip of the island, you will come across Piazza del Duomo.
This large square brings together numerous monuments with beautiful facades, such as:
Before and after the Piazza del Duomo, you will be able to see beautiful fountains, such as the Fontaine of Diana (located Piazza Archimede), or the Arethusa Fountain, by the sea. This fountain represents the legend of the Greek nymph Arethusa, who, to escape Alpheus, the god of a river who was chasing her, threw herself into the sea off the Greek coast. She was transformed into a spring by the goddess Artemis and reappeared on the surface on the island of Ortygia.
This last fountain and its gardens are a great spot to watch the sunset.
At the very end of the island of Ortigia is the Maniace Castle Maniace, visible from the streets that border the island.
The castle can be visited for 2€, but is only open in the mornings. We didn’t visit it ourselves.
The Santuario Madonna delle Lacrim is an unique sanctuary located outside the old town, and visible from afar. We didn't go inside, but the building caught our attention while we were exploring the island of Ortygia.
In addition to exploring the city, you can of course opt for tours or activities like the ones below:
As for parking in Syracuse, we didn’t find any free parking, so we opted for the cheapest and closest one we found : the Parcheggio Molo Sant'Antonio, at €1.50 per hour. It is a large car park, you can pay by phone (via the app EasyPark), and it is located less than a 10-minutes walk from the historic center.
GPS coordinates of the car park: 37.0644, 15.2862.
If you want to rent a car locally, we recommend using DiscoverCars. It is a platform that compare many providers to offer the best deals! With DiscoverCars, there is no hidden fees, you pay the displayed price and rental conditions are really advantageous : unlimited mileage, partial coverage and theft protection included.
That’s our little tour of Syracuse. We have highlighted the city’s points of interest, in an attempt to be honest and objective.
We hope this will help you plan and envision your trip to Sicily.
If this city appeals to you, you can book your tickets here:
Feel free to share your experiences and tips for other travelers in the comments! 😉
In Sicily, as in the rest of Italy, there are ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone) in city centers. So be careful where you drive and park, because only certain license plates are allowed in these areas and everything is monitored by cameras. Unless you want to receive a fine of €200, we strongly advise you not to venture into there zones and park a little further from the historic center, even if it means walking a bit more.
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