From Taormina: Palermo & Cefalù Day Trip - Sicily's UNESCO Gems

It was nice to see, but Palermo is not the most exciting part of Sicily. Good tour and easy way to get around. Highlight was the Godfather reference.

Important to know and I don’t think it’s listed anywhere, the tour’s primary language is German, English is secondary and I felt we missed out on a lot of commentary. There wasn’t any downtime given in Palermo. We were rushed through the market, only to stop at almost every vegetable vendor instead of being given a chance to wander and purchase items. The restaurant in Palermo was not great. We were served cold lasagna. We were given 90 mins in Cerafù. After coming from Palermo, this village was underwhelming. If you’re looking for a quality introduction tour to Palermo, I’d advise to look elsewhere.

I had a dream ponderous time in Palermo and Cefalu, however the free time was only 1.5hours… which really turns to be 45minutes or an hour depending on where it spent and the time it takes to get back. It’s just not enough time, especially in Cefalu when there complete freedom without a tour (which was great) but the walk to and from the drop off takes a decent amount of time from that anyway! I think it should be a longer amount of free time! The tour itself was great and the SAT guide as well as the Palermo guide did an excellent job and catered to many languages (at least 4) … but that did consume more time which was fine but worth nothing.

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. From Taormina we drove through the beautiful landscapes of central Sicily past Enna. We had a toilet stop on the way, after just over 3 hrs we arrived in Palermo. Guide Renate was very informative and did a bustour first, then a walking tour visiting a couple of important sites and churches and a local market. After lunch in a nice outdoor restaurant we were brought to Cefalu, and saw the historic town and the beach.

OK if you don't mind a route march through the busy streets of Palermo at speed in 30°c. We passed through one of the local markets with lots of lovely fresh produce on display. The tour guide walked through it so quickly we were unable to stop to look at anything. Accused of being late for the pickup in Cefalu. Yes, we were last on the bus but with a few minutes to spare. Even the others on the bus agreed that we were not late. If you can get to Palermo yourself, either by car or public transport I would do that instead of going on an arranged tour. Very disappointed.

We were happy to get on this tour after booking the night before - the company we had originally booked with cancelled at short notice and we were scrambling to find another company. (And it seems the CbyS company had messed others around too) With SAT not a problem, they could pick us up near our hotel in Giardini Naxos and we could then pay on the bus. Hurrah! The guide was excellent and we felt that we were in good hands the entire day (our guide also spoke German which was a bonus). The tour itself is long bus stretches and the time in Palermo seemed relatively short but it was good to see another part of Sicily. We particularly enjoyed Cefalu.

It was a long day but very interesting and informative. The guide and the local guide in Palermo were excellent as was the driver.

We booked this trip but when we were on walking tour of Palermo with female guide We all went into Cathedral we were advised to meet back at a point in courtyard at 12.10 We arrived out at 12.05 and met 3 other guests waiting approx 10 mins In the meantime 6 further guests arrived by the allotted time but no sign of guide or balance of group . After waiting for 30 mins we luckily found our own way as a group back to meeting point and had to rush our meal with no time to wander around and spend money in Palermo This was brought to attention of main guide as he was ushering us to the bus when we were attempting to pay our bills without any reaction

This was our first excursion in Sicily and we knew it would be a very long day! We were surprised to see how dirty the city was but did not detract from the beautiful churches we saw.Afrer reading other Trip Advisor reviews we opted not to eat at Restaurante 59 but had a wonder meal in restaurant Basil opposite the opera house. It took a while to navigate the steps to get food but the locals were friendly and guided us through. You must pay first and then go to the window to order your pasta--it will be the pasta for the day. I had homemade raviolis and my husband the best spaghetti with clams sauce. The best we have had thus far! Cefalu was very pretty seaside town. I wish I had put my swim suite on and gone swimming instead of seeing another church. As it turned out I did go in for a dip up to my knees-just rolled up my shorts. This was a good taste of both areas- I do not have the desire to go back to Palermo but would think about spending a few days in Chefalu!

Our day started out promptly at 6.45am from Taormina bus terminal, easy to find. Our driver Roberto and tour guide Santo were a great team: a good driver and a well-informed guide who spoke fluent English, French and German. The drive across Sicily is a complete contrast from Mount Etna and different towns, at the start, to rolling fields, plains, olive groves, orange and lemon orchards and fields of artichokes before arriving in Palermo. Santo at all times kept us well informed of the history of Sicily and we stopped for coffee and a comfort break after 90 minutes. The tour of Palermo was well organized, although we did end up in the middle of a local demonstration with flag waving, speeches and banners, all very safe and well behaved such lovely people. Santo new all there was to know about the history of various places of interest and spent his time with the group and answering different individual questions. The market place walk through was a great way to see Sicilian life up close and try some of the local produce. Restaurant 59 across from Teatro Massimo was perfect for our lunch before the return taking in Cafalu with its beautiful church in the square and a walk around the town and its narrow streets onto the beach. No hesitation in recommending the very good SAT tours company for whatever trip you decide to do.