- Cost
- € 439 (self-guided) $
- Duration
- 3 days/2 nights
- Start/End
- Palermo/Palermo
- 2009 Start Dates
- Every Friday
Experience the balance of biking western Sicily and time at the spa. If you only have a few days to add to your travel plans, this is a tempting self-guided short tour. Take your time cycling through gentle hills and the ancient Greek temples of Selinunte. Enjoy a bike loop in the Belice Valley which will introduce you to the ghost-town of Poggioreale. Escape at the spa with its thermal water pool and the option of several spa treatments.
Day 1 – Welcome to Sicily!
Arrival at Palermo Airport with private transfer to the Hotel Spa located close to Santa Margherita Belice. The small town of Donnafugata is described by Tomasi di Lampedusa in the novel The Leopard. Overnight stay: in Hotel & Spa close to Montevago. Dinner is on your own.
Day 2 – Loop ride to Selinunte (24 miles/40 km)
Enjoy a gentle bike loop to the ancient Greek site of Selinunte. This is one of the most important archaeological sites in southern Italy. Overnight in the same hotel with dinner included.
Day 3 – Rest day or bike ride and Departure (31 miles/50 km)
Relax at the spa or enjoy a bike loop of about 31 miles/50 kms. Lunch included before we end the tour. Private transfer to the Palermo Airport. Departure flights should be scheduled no earlier than late afternoon. Ciao!
Actual tour itinerary may vary slightly due to unforeseen circumstances.
Siciclando carefully chooses every aspect of a tour, including the accommodations.
Our choices are based on comfort and quality. We often choose hotels that are family-owned and operated because they provide a richer experience and because it is important to us to support the efforts of these individuals. We have developed relationships with many wonderful hotel operators. Here is a sample of the hotels on this tour.
Tour accommodations will be based on availability and the time of year. Once you have made your final payment for the tour, we will send you a confirmation letter that includes daily accommodations and contact information.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- This is an easy tour because of the length of the section. Since the hotel is also a spa, you can decide to ride just one day and take a very relaxing time at the thermal pool. You can get also a massage (optional) or any other services from the beauty center of your hotel.
In our opinion, this tour gives the possibility to enjoy the “Sicilian time”, biking slowly, looking a wonderful view, enjoing a massage or drinking the excellent sicilian wine. It’s a perfect way to come out from the stress of the everyday life and to feel deeply the magic atmosphere of ancient sicily.
- Travel notes
- The reference airport for this tour is Palermo, served by both Italian and international airlines.
- Books
-
- Salvatore Quasimodo, poet and writer: Ed è subito sera, Giorno dopo giorno, Dare e avere. Modica
- Gesualdo Bufalino, novelist Diceria dell’untore (the plague sower), Le menzogne della notte (Night’s lies). Comiso
- Jacopo da Lentini (sec XIII), poet. Lentini
- Vitaliano Brancati, novelist: Don Giovanni in Sicilia, Il Bell’Antonio, Paolo il caldo. Pachino
- Movies
-
- Divorce, italian style 1961, film director: Pietro Germi. This movie It won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
- Anni difficili 1948, film director Luigi Zampa, from the novel of Vitaliano Brancati, “II vecchio con gli stivali”
- Gente di rispetto 1975, film director Luigi Zampa, from the homonymous novel of Giuseppe Fava
- Kaos 1984, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, from several novels of Luigi Pirandello
- The star maker or best known as L’Uomo delle stelle 1995, Giuseppe Tornatore
- Self-guided tour price
- € 439 – currency converter
- Additional options and fees
-
- High season surcharge – € 60 (effective July 1– August 31)
- Private room – € 45,00
- Single traveller – € 65,00
- Included
-
- Transfer from Palermo Airport to hotel and back again
- Two nights in three-star hotels, based on double occupancy
- Three breakfasts and two dinners
- Bike rental – which includes one bike pannier per bike, helmets and a cycle computer.
- Detailed route information and maps
- Not included
-
- Admission to museums and archaeological sites
- Tickets for trains or any public transportation
- Wine or beverages
- Airfare
- Transfers to the starting point or from the finishing point unless specified; we can assist you in planning and arranging for any necessary shuttles
- Transport of bike case (for guests who bring their own bike)
- Personal expenses (laundry, personal supplies, phone calls, etc.)
- Gratuity
