Visit Bologna: the complete guide
European Capital of Culture, city of music, seat of the oldest university in the world: Bologna is...
27.06.2022
Private tour 
Cycling
Tasting Palermo by bike
SicilyDifficulty path:Easy
Private tour · CyclingDuration: 5 daysCode: bg015
from 600 €per person (10 pax/On Request)
Highlights
Welcome to Sicily, sunny and iridescent land.
Here lush green and undulating hills alternate with entire valleys covered with vineyards and olive trees, and where more than 1000 kilometers of coastline are washed by crystal clear waters and there is a magnificent setting of all different islands.
Cycling from Palermo, we will discover an extraordinary artistic and architectural heritage, a vociferous and sensual town, the limpid sea of Mondello, the bilingual community of Piana degli Albanesi. We will satisfy the eyes with art and awaken the seven senses intoxicating them with the scents and the flavors of this land: a cultural and gastronomic experience like no other.
Here lush green and undulating hills alternate with entire valleys covered with vineyards and olive trees, and where more than 1000 kilometers of coastline are washed by crystal clear waters and there is a magnificent setting of all different islands.
Cycling from Palermo, we will discover an extraordinary artistic and architectural heritage, a vociferous and sensual town, the limpid sea of Mondello, the bilingual community of Piana degli Albanesi. We will satisfy the eyes with art and awaken the seven senses intoxicating them with the scents and the flavors of this land: a cultural and gastronomic experience like no other.
PRIVATE TOUR:
choose your date and travel with your own group, always accompanied by one expert local tour leader.
-
The coloured traditional Markets of Palermo
-
Ancient Community and Handicraft in the Mountains
-
Cycling in the beautiful Palermo
-
The Beaches where the locals use to go
-
Sicilian Street Food
-
Superb Sweet local Wines
Program
Day1
Welcome to Palermo
Individual arrive, accommodation and meeting with the tour leader.
After a short briefing we will reach the Vucciria market that changes its appearance in the late afternoon to get prepared for the vibrant nightlife.
We will go to the Taverna Azzurra of Zio Totò, in the heart of the city’s most popular market, to taste sweet Sicilian wines like Marsala, Zibibbo and Passito di Pantelleria.
Dinner included in a restaurant in the old town to enjoy the typical Sicilian cuisine made of recipes full of contrasts and paradoxes, with dishes that bring to the table all the peoples who have passed through this land, with a wealth of colours and flavours obtained by skillfully blending simple and sometimes poor ingredients.
Day2
Palermo by bike
about 20km
Today we will spend the whole day cycling in Palermo to get to know its customs and habits.
The 3 markets Vuccirìa (this name comes from the word Bucceria, from the French boucherie, which means butcher), Capo and Ballarò (famous for selling delicious fruits that come from the Palermo countryside) are the places where we will see any kind of things: fish, meat and seasonable vegetables that become street food at any time.
Markets need to be visited at slow pace, taking time to taste any food you come across, like Palermo sfincione, panelle, potato croquettes, boiled potatoes, thistles, olives, cedars, bread with spleen, quarume and carcagnòlo: we will have plenty of choice to experience Palermo at the table and on the street.
For lunch we will treat ourselves with a picnic in town, within the Botanical Garden of Palermo, where biodiversity ranges from tropical forest to deserts, and the silence will make you forget being in a populated and bustling city.
Dinner recommended at one of the local pizzeria in Palermo, where authenticity is genuine.
Day3
Palermo and the sea
about 40km
Riding our bikes we will leave Palermo, along the slopes of the Natural Reserve of Monte Pellegrino (1,050 mt) that encompasses the entire carbonate massif of the mount and the Real Tenuta della Favorita. We will then get to Mondello, famous for its sites of historical interest and for the numerous Liberty style villas that make of its seafront promenade one of the gems of Art Nouveau in Europe.
Chance to take a dip in Mondello, the beautiful beach of Palermo people. In Mondello we will taste a just boiled octopus with plenty of lemon juice in one of the many restaurants right by the beach, as it wants the tradition of Palermo.
From Mondello we will reach the seaside village of Sferracavallo to enjoy an excellent seafood lunch at the water’s edge: pasta with clams or with sea urchins, grilled fish, peppered mussels and chilled white house wine!
The afternoon return in town will allow us to walk the Liberty Avenue, the main street of Palermo once surrounded by Art Nouveau buildings of which today only a few buildings, submerged by the city’s buildings, still survive.
Day4
Monreale and Piana degli Albanesi
about 30km
After breakfast a private transfer will take us to the bilingual community of Piana degli Albanesi, Hora and Arbëreshëvet in arbëreshë: here on the mountains of Palermo, we will taste the famous cannoli accompanied by a sweet wine and we will learn about the unique Sicilian gold artisans from the Byzantine tradition.
From Piana degli Albanesi we will follow slightly downhill the panoramic old railway that crosses the whole Conca d’Oro up to Monreale.
After visiting the Cathedral, we will meet Marilù Monte, President of the Slow Food Presidium "White Plums of Monreale" that will guide us to the knowledge and tasting of typical products of Monreale: bread and biscuits, a delicacy known throughout the province of Palermo.
Dinner included to discover the best Trapani Kus Kus in Palermo.
Day5
Goodbye!
Greetings, kisses and…sweet hugs!!
If you still have time, we really recommend you the last sin of gluttony reaching the Marsicano Pastry, amazing food and wine museum supporter of the project AddioPizzo, against the Mafia. Eat your fill and then dispose of it all with one last stroll in the center.
Tour programme variations
Due to organizational reasons, weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during the holiday.
What's included
Our offer includes
- 4 nights with breakfast in shared double/twin room
- 2 dinners day 1 & 4
- English Speaking locale guide during excursions and dinners
- Private transfer day 4
Not included
- Transfer IN and Transfer OUT
- Other meals and drinks
- Bike rental
- Entrance fees and tips
- Hotel tourist taxes
- Insurance and what's listed as Included
Departures and prices
Low Season05/01/2023 => 26/03/2023
Standard600 € /p
Mid Season27/03/2023 => 24/06/2023
Standard650 € /p
High Season25/06/2023 => 04/09/2023
Standard750 € /p
Mid Season05/09/2023 => 25/10/2023
Standard650 € /p
Low Season26/10/2023 => 16/12/2023
Standard600 € /p
Supplements per person
Trek bike
Standard60 € /p
E-bike
Standard100 € /p
Transfer Palermo Apt-Palermo (min 2 pax)
Standard42 € /p
Single room
Standard230 € /p
Other Information
Grade
This tour is available to anyone with a minimum of habit to cycle.
Daily mileage varies from 20 to 40 kilometres a day, with scheduled stops for visits and refreshments. The route is focused on typical food and wine of the Palermo area. The bike will be a way to dispose of the good food and enjoy the many landscapes that this land offers. There will also be cultural moments and the opportunity, if possible, for a good swim in the clear Sicilian sea.
Accomodations & Meals
- 4 nights in the Locanda Sette Fate B&B.
All rooms are ensuite.
In case of limited availability we choose an alternative position with similar characteristics. Alternative details will be noted in the updated service list.
4 breakfasts, 2 dinners included. All other meals are not included.
Private Tour
Holiday designed for small prearranged groups of friends, families and colleagues (quotation is per person and based on a group of 10 pax).
→ Departures every day on request.
Just choose the date and your own group and ask for a customised quote.
Price per person
The price varies according to the services requested and the number of people.
Support
You will be accompanied during the excursions and dinners by one of our expert tour leader, coordinator of the group and passionate about travel, nature and the territory visited. He/she will support you, becoming a travel companion and trying to meet the needs of the group, while being attentive to individual requests.
He/she will help make your vacation authentic, relaxing and fun.
Travel documents
A few days before departure you will receive by email the documentation containing the latest information relating to your holiday.
Arrival and Departure
Getting there
Palermo is easily reachable by train, bus, car and by air.
BY TRAIN. Trenitalia connects the main Italian cities with the capital of Sicily. From Milan it takes from 15 to 20 hours of travel, with 1 or two changes; from Rome about 11/12 hours with direct line. On www.viaggiatreno.it you can find update informations about train routes.
BY AIR. Palermo Airport Falcone e Borsellino is well connected to the most important Italian and foreign cities.
The airport is about 35km from the city and is well connected with the bus service of the Prestia e Comandè bus lines. More information at the following link. The train service to and from the airport has also been reactivated, for information and timetables refer to the Trenitalia website.
BY BUS. Palermo is also accessible by bus. Here some of the major operating companies: Marinobus, Baltour & Flixbus, Sais autolinee, Buscenter.
BY CAR. To get to Palermo by car, there are convenient maritime connections departing from Naples, Livorno, Genoa, Tunis. Instead, crossing the Strait of Messina, take the A20 Messina-Palermo, a very suggestive but very busy route.
→ If you prefer to travel in total comfort, you can book a private transfer on the days of arrival and departure.