Travel Italy: Vacation Packages, Tips, Tours of Italy

Experiencing the magical atmosphere of the Valley of the Temples at sunset or at night is a very unique experience.

For those who are interested in touring the Valley of the Temples in the evening, below’s the evening opening hours.

From June 28 to September 13, 2009
every day: 19:30 - 22:00
ticket office: 19:30 - 21:30

Admission fee: Euro 8,00 per person (free of charge for under 18 people from EU ).
(more info)

To enjoy the Temples when lighted at night, you can also try twilight tours. Here’s a link http://www.valleyofthetemples.com/night_opening_times.htm .

If your trip to Valley of the Temples starts from the archaeological sites of Eastern Sicily — Noto, Taormina, Siracusa — the bus is the option you should consider for your transfer needs.

First, many tourist places in the area are not served by rail, secondly the trains are very slow. An example: from Siracusa to Agrigento it will take 5 to 7 hours by train.

Travelers who plan to start their trip to Sicily from east, are flying into the airport of Catania — Fontanarossa airport.
From airport of Catania to Siracusa you have Interbus buses (http://www.interbus.it/) ; from airport of Catania to Agrigento, the city closest to the temples area, you have the bus service of SAIS Trasporti company (http://www.saistrasporti.it/).

Below we listed links to websites of bus companies you need for your transfer when visiting the archaeological sites of Eastern Sicily or when traveling from this area to Valley of the Temples.
- Interbus http://www.interbus.it/ ,
- SAIS Trasporti http://www.saistrasporti.it/ ,
- Etna Trasporti http://www.etnatrasporti.it/ ,
- AST http://www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it/ ,
and in the area of temples: Autolinee Lumia (http://www.autolineelumia.it/ ) and Autoservizi Salemi (http://www.autoservizisalemi.it/)

(See also “From Palermo’s Airport to Valley of the Temples“).

Most of those who plan to visit the Valley of the Temples in Sicily, usually opt to fly into Palermo and then from there travel to Agrigento, the city closest to the temples area.

If you opt for public transportation, you can take advantage of a direct bus running from Palermo’s airport to Agrigento. It will take around two and half hours (follow this link http://www.autolineesal.it/Punta.html for the timetable).

You also have other options: take the train or bus from “Falcone e Borsellino” airport to the city of Palermo (see schedule) , and then bus or train from Palermo to Agrigento (see train timetable.

From Agrigento you travel to the Valley of the Temples with most of regular city buses (1, 1/, 2, 2/, 3, 3/) leaving from Piazzale Rosselli.
In order to visit the Valley of the Temples, from Agrigento, you could also hire a car, or arrange for a private transfer with your hotel.

Easter celebrations in Sicily involve various rituals and processions throughout the Holy Week.
Those who are visiting Palermo during the Holy Week have a chance to attend singular Easter celebrations and festivals in cities and villages located in the surroundings.

We suggest a visit to the town of Gangi (view map). where devotees of the Madonna compete against those who venerate Jesus during the Holy Week. The peaceful competition consists of creating the best decorations in the streets of the town.

The town of Prizzi (view map) offers “The Dance of the Devils“, an Easter archaic festival of medieval origins. The festival represents the cosmic struggle between good and evil.
The re-enactments of the Dance of the Devils, with villagers performing the Dance of the Devils by wearing large and terrifying iron masks, reaches its climax on Easter Sunday when the forces of evil come to claim the town.

Also in Palermo many Easter rituals, ranging from re-enactments of the Last Supper to street processions dating back several centuries, span the whole of the Holy Week.

If you are visiting Sicily in the weeks preceding the Carnival, the town of Acireale it’s worth a trip. The oldest Carnival festival of Sicliy is held in this nice historic town.

If you visit Acireale in the three week-ends preceding the last day of Carnival, you’ll enjoy of unique parades featuring amazing carts and colourful masquerades as well as of folkloric performances, live concerts in the streets and many more attractions.

You’ll discover a very Sicilian carnival, different than other major festivals held accross the Peninsula.

- Where: Acireale - Sicily (See map).