Planning a Trip

Getting There -- From other major cities in Sicily, Syracuse can be reached by train, although many visitors find the bus faster. By train, Syracuse is 1 1/2 hours from Catania, 2 hours from Taormina, and 5 hours from Palermo. Usually you must transfer in Catania. For information, call tel. 892021. Trains arrive in Syracuse at the station on Via Francesco Crispi, centrally located between the Archaeological Park and Ortygia. The nearest airport is at Catania.

From Catania, 18 Interbus buses per day make the 1 1/4-hour trip to Syracuse. The one-way fare is 5€ ($6). Call tel. 0931-66710 in Syracuse, or tel. 095-7461333 in Catania, for schedules.

By car from Taormina, continue south along A18 and then on E45, past Catania. Allow at least 1 1/2 hours.

Visitor Information -- The tourist office is at Via San Sebastiano 43 (tel. 0931-481232), open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 1:30pm and 3 to 6pm, Saturday 8:30am to 1:30pm. There's another office in the historic center at Via della Maestranza 33 (tel. 0931-65201), open Monday to Friday 8:15am to 2pm and 2:30 to 5:30pm, Saturday 8:15am to 2pm.

Special Events -- Some of the most memorable cultural events in Sicily are staged in May and June, when actors from the Instituto Nazionale del Dramma Antico present classical plays by Aeschylus, Euripides, and their contemporaries. The setting is the ancient Teatro Greco (Greek Theater) in the Archaeological Park. Tickets cost 28€ to 60€ ($34-$72). For information, contact INDA, Corso Gelone 103, 96100 Siracusa (tel. 0931-67415).

City Layout -- The chief attraction, Isola di Ortygia, is linked to mainland Syracuse by a bridge, Ponte Umbertino. The city's main street, Corso Umberto, runs from this bridge directly to the train station and crosses Piazza Marconi, a square from which most of the buses depart. Another main street is Via Montedoro, which runs parallel to and to the immediate north of Corso Umberto.

Other than Ortygia, Syracuse's grand attraction is the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis. To get to this garden of ruins from the heart of Syracuse, head north along Corso Gelone.

If you'd like to drive along the boulevard fronting the Ionian Sea, head up the Dionisio Grande for panoramic scenery. This route will also take you to the Latomia dei Cappuccini, one of the most ancient of the limestone quarries that supplied blocks of limestone for the construction of the major buildings and monuments of Syracuse.

Off Via Cavour is Piazza del Duomo, one of the city's most elegant squares. A 5th-century temple that the Greeks dedicated to Athena became in time a Christian cathedral, or duomo.

From Piazza del Duomo, Via Picherali heads southwest to the sea and the Fountain of Arethusa, a freshwater spring beloved by the ancient Greeks, who claimed that this was where the nymph Arethusa was turned into a fountain.

The oldest street in town, Via della Maestranza, is a sightseeing attraction in its own right. It passes the island's most aristocratic residences, mostly baroque in style. The two most interesting palaces, which can be admired from the outside, are Palazzo Interlandi Pizzuti, at no. 10, and Palazzo Impellizzeri, at no 17.

On the southernmost tip of Ortygia rises Castello Maniace, named in honor of George Maniakes, the Byzantine who, with aid from Norman soldiers, captured the city from the Muslims. Rebuilt by Frederick II in 1239, this castle is now a military barracks and is off-limits to the public. You can sail by the castle, however, if you take a boat tour.

Getting Around -- Syracuse is served by a network of buses following circular routes, which means that many places will be quite a ways from a bus stop. Buses leave from the center of Syracuse for Piazza della Posta, which lies across the bridge on Ortygia Island. The best place to catch a bus in Syracuse proper is Piazza Marconi (also called Foro Siracusano). The most frequented routes are nos. 21 to 23, which also stop at the rail depot.

Sometimes it's better to call a taxi (tel. 0931-69722). The fare from the train station to Ortygia is about 10€ ($12).