Is this an escorted or independent tour?

Escorted. Great Rail Journeys provides a UK Tour Manager for the entire 12 days. All guided tours, excursions, and transfers between hotels are arranged.

What is the physical activity level?

Moderate. Most days involve city walking tours and standard sightseeing. Day 8 on Mount Etna includes an optional walk to the Silvestri Craters.

What meals are included?

Breakfast every day, three lunches (at Alberobello restaurant, Gambino Winery, and the Valley of the Temples Agriturismo), and four dinners (Days 1, 4, 5, 6).

When does the tour run?

Two departures are listed: September 2026 and October 2026.

Great Rail Journeys · Escorted tour

Highlights of Southern Italy & Sicily

Great Rail Journeys' 12-day escorted tour journeys through southern Italy and Sicily, revealing layers of history from Roman times to the medieval and Renaissance eras. Starting in Sorrento, on the Bay of Naples, you take a short train to Pompeii to explore the world's best-preserved Roman city, then cruise the Amalfi Coast to picturesque Positano and Amalfi. After travelling by train inland to Matera, you visit the UNESCO World Heritage cave dwellings (the Sassi) and the distinctive trulli houses of Alberobello. A flight carries you into Sicily, where you base yourself in the seaside resort of Giardini Naxos and later in Palermo. The Circumetnea Railway takes you around Mount Etna's base through lava fields; you visit Taormina's ancient Greek theatre, explore Monreale's cathedral with its golden mosaics, and spend a full day walking among the temples and ruins of the Valley of the Temples. A UK Tour Manager accompanies the group throughout, handling all logistics, transfers, and guided excursions. Four-star hotels, daily breakfast, and three included lunches and four dinners round out the journey.

Price history

Across 3 checks, this price has fallen £100 since 4 Jul, to £3,499.

Each point is a day we checked this operator's own page, not a weekly average, and the line holds flat between checks rather than guessing at movement we did not see. 1 of 3 point is a live read of the operator's page. Hollow points are values shown when the trip was first listed here and never confirmed with the operator.

What to know before you look closer

The single supplement (GBP 4,599) is GBP 1,000 above half the double-occupancy rate; confirm availability and final allocation at booking.
Day 7 in Giardini Naxos includes breakfast only; dinner is independent that evening.
The tour mixes substantial rail legs (Sorrento to Pompeii, Salerno to Matera, Paola to Taormina, Adrano to Randazzo on the Circumetnea) with significant coach travel and one domestic flight (Naples to Sicily); rail comprises roughly one-quarter of the journey.

Day by day

Day 1overnight: Sorrento
Journey to Sorrento
Fly from London Heathrow to Naples, then transfer to Sorrento overlooking the Bay of Naples, for the first dinner at the hotel.
Day 2railovernight: Sorrento
A trip back in time to Roman Pompeii
Short train journey to Pompeii for a guided tour of the preserved Roman city, including its villas, temples, baths, markets and amphitheatre, with free time in Sorrento afterwards.
Day 3overnight: Sorrento
Full-day cruise along the Amalfi Coast
Boat cruise from Sorrento to Amalfi, with free time to visit the Duomo di Sant'Andrea, then on to the cliffside town of Positano.
Day 4railovernight: Matera
To Matera, the 'jewel of Basilicata'
Train from Salerno to Matera, then free time to explore the UNESCO World Heritage 'Sassi' cave dwellings.
Day 5overnight: Matera
Discovering characterful Alberobello
Coach to Alberobello for a traditional lunch hosted by local guide Mimmo Palmisano, followed by a guided tour of the town's conical 'trulli' houses.
Day 6railovernight: Giardini Naxos
Southern Italian landscapes to Sicily
Coach to Paola, then train to Taormina-Giardini station, continuing to the resort town of Giardini Naxos on Sicily's eastern coast.
Day 7overnight: Giardini Naxos
A day at leisure in Giardini Naxos
Free day, with the option of a boat tour to the marine park of Isola Bella or a visit to the archaeological park of ancient Naxos.
Day 8railovernight: Giardini Naxos
Mount Etna and the Circumetnea Railway
Visit Rifugio di Sapienza and the Silvestri Craters, then ride the Circumetnea Railway from Adrano to Randazzo around the base of Mount Etna, followed by a wine tasting and two-course lunch at Gambino Winery.
Day 9railovernight: Palermo
Sicilian charm in Taormina and Palermo
Guided tour of Taormina, including its 3rd-century BC Greek theatre, then train from Messina Centrale to Palermo.
Day 10overnight: Palermo
The sights and flavours of Palermo and Monreale
Tour of Palermo's Palatine Chapel and Capo Market for a street-food tasting, then an afternoon visit to Monreale's 11th-century UNESCO World Heritage cathedral.
Day 11overnight: Palermo
Into the Valley of the Temples
Full-day excursion to the Valley of the Temples with a local guide, followed by a four-course lunch at a nearby Agriturismo.
Day 12
Homeward bound
Transfer to Palermo's airport for the flight back to London Heathrow.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 2Guided tour of Pompeii by short train from Sorrento, walking the remarkably preserved streets, villas, temples, and amphitheatre buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Day 3Boat cruise along the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento, visiting Amalfi's cathedral and the pastel-coloured hillside village of Positano.
Day 5Guided tour of Alberobello's UNESCO World Heritage cone-shaped trulli houses dating to the 14th century, followed by traditional lunch at a family restaurant.
Day 8Day on Mount Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage site, including the narrow-gauge Circumetnea Railway from Adrano to Randazzo through lava fields, plus wine tasting and lunch at Gambino Winery.
Day 11Full-day excursion to the Valley of the Temples in southern Sicily, a UNESCO World Heritage site with eight temples of Greek gods and ancient ruins, followed by four-course lunch at a local Agriturismo.

Included

Expertise of a UK Tour Manager from start to finish
11 nights' 4-Star hotel accommodation
Standard Class rail travel
All rail, cruise and coach travel throughout the tour
Flights from London Heathrow to Naples, Palermo to London Heathrow
Breakfast each day, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
Group luggage transfers between all hotels
All guided tours and excursions

Not included

Cancellation & Travel Insurance

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Questions travellers ask

Is this an escorted or independent tour?: Escorted. Great Rail Journeys provides a UK Tour Manager for the entire 12 days. All guided tours, excursions, and transfers between hotels are arranged.
What is the physical activity level?: Moderate. Most days involve city walking tours and standard sightseeing. Day 8 on Mount Etna includes an optional walk to the Silvestri Craters.
What meals are included?: Breakfast every day, three lunches (at Alberobello restaurant, Gambino Winery, and the Valley of the Temples Agriturismo), and four dinners (Days 1, 4, 5, 6).
When does the tour run?: Two departures are listed: September 2026 and October 2026.