Montalbano Tours from Catania, Syracuse or Taormina: Which Start Town?

The towns of Inspector Montalbano’s Sicily lie in the province of Ragusa, in the southeast corner of the island, and no big tourist base is next door. The day tours therefore start from the two cities that are not far: Catania, which has the airport, and Syracuse, to the east. Taormina is a common base too, but none of the listings plans a route from it. Palermo is on the other side of the island.

From Catania

Two day tours leave from Catania, and both are about eight hours.

Sicily Grand Tour’s locations tour picks you up at your hotel, unless it is in a pedestrian or street-market area, where a convenient meeting point is arranged. Its itinerary lists Catania and Aci Castello as pickup options and drives about an hour and a half to Ragusa, with an hour in Ragusa, an hour in Punta Secca and an hour at a third stop in the province, then about an hour and three quarters back. Lemontour’s tour also starts in Catania and spends more time on the road: about two hours to Punta Secca, 45 minutes on to Ragusa Ibla, 40 minutes to Scicli and 1 hour 45 minutes back, with an hour and a half guided in each of the three towns.

From Syracuse

Empeeria’s private trip is the one tour that starts in Syracuse, with pickup from your accommodation in an air-conditioned Mercedes. The listed legs are about 75 minutes to Ragusa Ibla, 45 minutes on to Punta Secca, 30 minutes to Scicli and an hour back, with the Castello di Donnafugata added. It is a private trip, from about $692 on the platform, so check how many people the price covers. A licensed tourist guide is not included.

From Taormina

Sicily Grand Tour’s description says pick-up is available in Catania or Taormina, but its itinerary lists Catania and Aci Castello, and the listing’s own notes say pickup outside Catania is on demand, subject to availability and an extra cost at taxi or ride-share fares. In other words, Taormina is possible by arrangement, not a standard start. Message the operator after booking, or choose the Catania start and take a train or bus to Catania the night before. A hotel in Catania avoids the extra charge.

From Palermo

Nothing on this site starts in Palermo. The towns are on the opposite side of the island, so a day trip would put most of the day on the road. If you are based in Palermo, plan the Montalbano trip as part of a move east, with a night in Catania or Syracuse.

Without a tour: bus and train

Rome2Rio estimates give a direct bus from Catania airport to Ragusa Bus Terminal in about 1 hour 45 minutes, running hourly, and a train from Ragusa to Scicli in about 33 minutes with several departures a day. A bus from Catania airport direct to Scicli takes about 2 hours 45 minutes, four times a day. These are aggregator estimates, so check the Azienda Siciliana Trasporti and Trenitalia timetables. We found no timetable for Punta Secca, so the house and the lighthouse are the part of the day that needs a car, a taxi or a tour.

How to choose

• You are in Catania and want the best-rated option: Sicily Grand Tour’s locations tour, 4.9 from 73 reviews.
• You want Scicli’s town hall named in the plan: Lemontour’s tour from Catania, 4.7 from 101 reviews.
• You are in Syracuse and want a private day: Empeeria’s trip, with only four reviews so far.

Compare the three side by side, or see what each town on the route offers.