Syracuse, located on the south coast of Sicily, is often a must for tourists visiting the island. It mixes a blend of old and new, has some amazing attractions and activities, and is fairly cheap. We spent a few days there and present to you our guide on how you should spend a day when in town.

The town of Syracuse is not the largest on Sicily. home to about 120,000 residents, the gorgeous seaside commune of Syracuse is a perfect place to spend a few days. The first thing to understand about Syracuse is that it is a city split in half - the actual town of Syracuse lying on the mainland, while the touristy island of Ortiaga lies about 100m off the coast, connected to Syracuse by a series of bridges. Most of the best things to do in Syracuse are on this island, which houses cafés, restaurants, hotels and some very cool attractions.

Start your day off right with a coffee at the Monkey Café. they are located about two streets away from Ortiaga, and serve up very cheap coffee, very good food, and will do it with a smile. They are located at Corso Umberto I, 48, and are open from 7:30 am to 10 pm every day of the week. After you’ve received your necessary dose of caffeine, lets tick off a few tourist attractions. We’ll spend the morning getting our fill of archaeological sites. The main Archaeological Site in Syracuse is located in the western quadrant of the city, about 2km away from Ortiaga at Via del Teatro Greco, 96100. You can walk it in about 20 minutes from the Monkey cafe, or just hail a cab, which will cost you around 8 euro. The park contains an amazing Greek theatre constructed in about 470 BC, the amazing ear of Dionysius cave and the Roman Ampitheatre, which was constructed close by to the older Greek theatre in the third century, AD. You can access al three sites for the price of one by buying admission to the Archaeological Park, which is 10 euros. For more information, head here.

After spending your morning in the Archaeological Park, get a taxi back to Ortiaga. While the town of Syracuse has a few interesting things to check out, such as the Archaeological Museum, the Catacombs and the Church of Saint Lucia, all located about 5 minutes from each other in the new town, my money is on spending your precious time on Ortiaga. Ortiaga is beautiful, intriguing, and very worth a few hours. Get a taxi back to Ortiaga and get prepared to walk - the island is largely free of many cars, so you’ll be walking. Spend the next hour or so wandering the streets and alleyways of Ortiaga. I’d recommend heading to The ruins of the Temple of Apollo straight up. They are located at Largo XXV Luglio, which is right in the centre of Ortiaga. The ruins are smack bang in the middle of a street, and are free to check out. It’s a pretty col spot to view, made even better by the fact that you can do it at your leisure free of charge. After checking out the Temple, head to Fonte Aretusa (Largo Aretusa, 96100 Siracusa), another free attraction on Ortiaga. Fonte Aretusa is a beautiful and historic fountain that sits by the sea on a small plaza. You can see little fish swimming through the fountain, which, legend has it, the Nymph Arethusa was born in antiquity. Interestingly enough, this fountain is also one of the few places in Europe that the papyrus plant grows, which is definitely worth seeing.

After this, I’m going to recommend that you get some lunch. My pick on where to eat in Syracuse is documented further over here, and I’d suggest that you head to Osteria Mariano - they are open for lunch every day of the week from 12 pm to 3pm excpet tuesdays. Everything on the menu is good, fairly priced, and very, very tasty. My personal pick is to go for the squid ink linguine - just wear a napkin, as tasty as it is, it will definitely ruin your clothes should you spill it, I should know. Find Osteria Mariano down a little alleway at Vicolo Zuccalà, 9, 96100. Definitely the best Osteria in town.

After lunch, head further out onto the island of Ortiaga. Right on the southern most tip of Ortiaga sits Castello Maniace, which was built between 1232 and 1240. originally used as a fortress, the castle was later converted to a prison, and is now open to the public to explore. To enter will cost you 10 euro, which is definitely worth it - you could easily spend the entire afternoon exploring the fortress, dungeons and upper keep. the views out over the Ionian sea will be excellent, and it’s pretty easy to image being a general nervously awaiting the next fleet of pirates, Byzantines and Normans coming to lay claim to the island - an absolute must in Ortiaga.

After you’ve spent time exploring Castle Maniace, I’m going to suggest you opt for Apperitive hour. While Syracuse is filed with a range of amazing pubs, bars and cafés that will likely meet your needs, I think that only one reigns supreme. Montalto Pub, located at Via Dei Mergulensi, 5, is relaxed, cheaper than the others, and a favourite with the locals. We spent a few hours here playing cars and sipping negronis. They have an awesome selection of local craft beer, and serve up an excellent apperitivo with your drink. For more ideas on food and drink in Syracuse, head here.

Having hopefully worked up a bit of an appetite, walk your way back through town. While Ortiaga is full to bursting with amazing food options, the best meal in town is located at a food truck, Paninoteca da Antonio e Daniele, located at Riva Forte Gallo, 2. For around 4 euros you can get the best sandwich in town, have a beer and watch the sun set over the harbour. it’s the most scenic location in town, but gets very popular. Try and get here around 6 pm to avoid the long lines - this spot is a favourite with locals, and is packed every night of the week. we wrote another post about it over here. After dinner, head for a wine at Odore Divino, located at Via Luigi Greco Cassia, 11, a 2 minutes walk from Paninoteca da Antonia e Daniele. Odore Divino has an awesome wine list without the price gouge that you’ll experience elsewhere in town. Go there, get some local wine before heading to bed - they al taste good. If you can, try and get something from the Etna region - some very, very tasty wine coming from there.

And there you have it - arguably a perfect day in Syracuse! Any questions, comments or ideas on how to improve it, hit us up in the comments!