Valley of the Temples and Villa Romana del Casale Day Trip from Taormina

guide is so nice and explain well valley of temple and romana del Casale. It is hot day but take a rest get to something drink , something to eat

The valley of the temples is quite far from Taormina, and the site itself is extremely crowded, not making for a great experience. The entry into the site was also inefficient, with most people giving the guide the entry fee and others buying their own ticket. The latter took time, as did the security check to get in. The guides were informative but did not have the time for personal engagement. The Villa Romana is, however, incredible, and perhaps because we arrived later than scheduled it was less crowded than it could have been. Still, it was a walk through.

Yes, this is a long day, but so worth it! The Valley of the Temples is breathtaking. Our guide there was a wonderful historian and we learned so much. Lunch was great and then on to Villa Romana. Admittedly I am a mosaic artist, so this was very special for me! However, anyone would be awed by it's magnificence!

So a long, tedious journey with guide speaking English, German and Italian. By the time we'd registered the English was starting, we fell asleep and missed any info. Only reasonable way for us to get there though. Got to see 3 of the temples -which were magnificent (and we've seen a few) - with a local guide who did her best to sound enthusiastic having clearly done the same old spiel time after time and day after day. But we spent most of the time queuing for entrance tickets! With quite a few coach loads of people going through security then trying to get tickets and not losing group members in baking sun, things got a bit tetchy! Couldn't a group ticket have been sorted? Best photo was of how many people can shelter from scorching sun under an ancient olive tree ha ha. Visit for lunch was good, we had plenty of time. Then on to the Roman Villa. At this point it absolutely chucked it down. Longish walk to villa from coach in rain. Not actually long but we got very wet so felt long. Nearly didn't bother as we'd lost the will and just wanted coffee but glad we did. It was sensational. We've never seen so many magnificent mosaics, ( and we've seen a few) room after room!! Try to leave time for excellent coffee and hot chocolate in little cafe/booth near shops near coach park. Tedious journey back but glad we went.

We took tours everyday of our 9 days in Sicily. Most private except 3 operated by SAT. This is the only tour I regret going on. Our bus was about 2/3 German and 1/3 English. German was definitely the focus by the tour guide on the bus, English explanations were an after thought. They aren't allowed to use microphones at the Temples so it was very hard to hear the guide. The Temples themselves are incredible. Educate yourself on them beforehand and explore on your own. The Villa Romana was miserable. You see this on your own. However, there are other tour groups in there with a guide who block the small, elevated path above the mosaics. This is not the fault of SAT. Lunch is at the very small and rather depressing harbor near Agrigento. Most people went to the lunch place suggested by the guide. We did our own thing at a different restaurant. It was a very long day and most time is spent on the bus. Sal, the driver, is outstanding though.

Long drive but well worth it. Valley of Temples were amazing and guide very informative. The mosaics in Villa Romana were breathtaking and far superior to any others I have seen. Both venues are must-sees when in Sicily. The tour was well organised, punctual and the guides very helpful. The only downside was the lunch which was really poor quality and value. Although this was optional there seemed to be no other choice. It would have been helpful if we had been given a menu and prices in advance or been given other options for lunch.