The 5 things to do in Agrigento

Visit Agrigento: what are the best things to do and see in this beautiful city located in African Sicily?

Agrigento (or Agrigento in Italian), located in the center of the southern coast of Sicily, is one of the most visited tourist sites of the Italian island, and for cause: it is in Agrigente that we find the famous valley of the Greek temples, the valle dei Templi . Agrigento is a city of 60,000 inhabitants, perched on the heights, and founded in 582 before our era by the city of Gela.

If the modern city does not have a great interest in itself, a passage in the old city and especially in the Temple Valley is essential. Enjoy it to discover the surroundings around the city, because the region has something to seduce: beaches, landscapes and small typical villages.

In August 2018, we decided to stop visiting the Temple Valley during our Sicily Tower. Here is our travel book, and a selection of things to do in Agrigento and its surroundings.

1. Temple Valley

Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the site is located below the modern city of Agrigento. It is an archaeological park composed of 12 temples built at the time of ancient Greece, from the 6th century to the 2nd century BC.

To visit the site, you have the choice between an archaeological museum ticket + Temple Valley, or a ticket to the valley of simple temples. There is absolutely water and what to cover your head in the summer because there can be more than 40°C and there is little shade.

Between June and September, go there in the morning, to have a beautiful natural light on the temples, and to avoid trampling in the crowd of tourists. Note that it is not really a valley, the site being erected on a promontory above the sea. You can admire the following doric temples: Temple of Hera and its columns (up to -450), the Temple of Concord (up to -440), the Temple of Heraclès (up to -500), the remains of the Temple of Zeus, of which there are only a few stones, the Temple of the Dioscures. Learn more about the Valley of the Temples and the ticket + audio guide.

2. The old town of Agrigento

If you don’t like walks and stairs, pass your path. The old town of Agrigente – whose maze of the enclosed streets looks like, on the map, a real coat of wool – is perched on the hills, but allows beautiful walks. Take a tour if you enjoy the old churches and paved alleys dating back to ancient times.

via Atenea is the main street crossing the historic center. The monastery of the Holy Spirit, the Cathedral of San Gerlando, the Church of St Mary of the Greeks and the Episcopal Palace are the most emblematic monuments of the historic centre.

3. Sciacca

Who says to visit Agrigento and Sicily also says to stop on the villages and beaches of the coast. Near Agrigento – to go or to return – the village of Sciacca is another immanquable of the African Sicily.

We did not go there, but the village has many historical monuments to visit: the cathedral, the castle Luna, the enchanted castle, the palace Steripinto or the church of Santa Margherita. Sciacca is famous for its thermal baths, where a mud bath can be taken at more than 50°C in the natural caves of San Calogero.

4. Scala dei Turchi

Here is the second most popular place for tourists to visit Sicily and Agrigento: the Turkish stairs, Scala dei Turchi Italian. Uncontournable, but unfortunately very frequent.

These majestic staircases of limestone lying in the sea are located in the village of Realmonte and are so contrasted (the maculated white joining the turquoise blue of the sea) that they offer a subject to the photographers. The place was inaccessible during our passage, so many people were there.

5. Zingarello

What to do in Agrigente if there are too many people to swim on the beaches? After visiting Scala dei Turchi or to find a pale copy, go to the village of Zingarello. It is the Scala dei Turchi less the limestone stairs and less mass tourism.

If the village does not pay a mine first, you arrive by crossing it, on a cliff overlooking the sea majesticly. Going to the end Viale Miramare , you can find a small free parking to access the beach below (you can also park at the top, on the cliff). This beach has the advantage of being frequented by the premises, and few tourists even come there in early August.

This should please you if you are looking for places that are not frequented and not limited to tourist guides. It should be noted that sunset is simply beautiful. In the evening, however, it may happen that the young people of the village come to have fun, to swim and/or to party on the beach.

How do I get to Agrigene?

Agrigento is located on the southern coast of Sicily and is connected to the rest of the island by a good network of roads and by rail. If you visit Sicily by car, and leave Palermo , you have to get out of the city, follow the A19 motorway towards Catania, exit at Villabate and continue on the National 121 for 118 Km until you reach your destination.

From Taormina, take the A18 motorway for Catania , continue on the A19 towards Palermo until the exit of Caltanissetta and finally continue on the National 640 to Agrigento. De Syracuse , you can follow the coastal route on the National 115 by Noto, Raguse and Gela until you reach Agrigento.

Agrigento is more or less equipped with Catania and Palermo by car (about 2h15 by car). So if you come to Sicily by air, the Palermo and Catania airports can both agree. See also the links you have for your dates to the airport Trapani . To find cheap flights to Sicily, you can search our partner's website Ulysses .

If you want to visit Sicily during a week or more, you should come with your own car or rent one on site. You can compare car rental prices in Sicily on the site Rentalcars .

Where to sleep in Agrigente?

Agrigento is located on the so-called "African Sicily" coast, so you will certainly want to swim and nature. To live a truly bucolic experience the ideal for you is perhaps to choose accommodation that offers beautiful views as well as a quiet and enduring setting, as you can find it on Airbnb For example.

If you are looking for a closer contact with the premises and the dynamism of Agrigento, you will not be disappointed by the old center . You can find a cheap hotel in agrigente by looking for this Compare hotels .

Photo credit: Flickr – Jean François – One day, a picture.