Noto, Modica and Ragusa from Syracuse: tour or rental car?
Updated October 22, 2026 · 5 min read
You can see all three towns in one day, but only with a tour or a car. For one town, the train to Noto is enough. The €101.50 van tour from Syracuse covers Noto, Ragusa and Modica in eight hours and is the easiest way to do all three. A hire car is the better answer if you want to stop where you like. Public transport works for Noto and starts to hurt after that.
The three towns
Noto, Modica and Ragusa are Baroque towns in the south-east of Sicily, and the van tour’s booking page calls the landscape around them UNESCO-listed. They were rebuilt in the Baroque style after the earthquake of 1693. They are different from each other: Noto is the stage set of golden stone and grand staircases, Modica is a town on steep slopes known for its chocolate, and Ragusa, with its old part, Ragusa Ibla, sits on a hill above a valley.
How far, in practice
Noto is the nearest. Public sources put the train from Syracuse at roughly 35 to 40 minutes and the bus at about an hour. The walk from the station up to the old town is long and uphill, so factor that in.
Modica and Ragusa are further, and the connections between them take much longer than the distances suggest. A day that covers all three by road adds up to well over 150 km of driving. That is why a day trip works best with someone else at the wheel, or with a car you can park in each town.
The tours
| Tour | Price | Length | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car/Van Tour to Noto, Ragusa and Modica | €101.50 per person | 8 hours | 4.7 stars, 263 reviews |
| 8-hour tour of the Baroque cities Noto, Modica, Ragusa and Ortigia | €390 per group of up to 4 | 1 day | 4.6 stars, 49 reviews |
| Marzamemi and Noto audio-guided tour | €100 per person | 7 hours | 3.4 stars, 36 reviews |
The €101.50 van tour leaves from Syracuse and is the most reviewed way to see the three towns. It is the one to pick if you are a couple or travelling alone and you do not want to drive.
The private tour costs €390 for the whole group, up to four people. For four people that is €97.50 each, less than the €101.50 you pay per seat on the group tour, and you set the pace. For two people it is €195 each, which is a lot more. It also lists Ortigia, so check the booking page to see how the day is divided. It has fewer reviews than the van tour.
The Marzamemi and Noto tour covers two stops, not three, in seven hours. Its rating is 3.4 from 36 reviews, so it is the one to read the recent reviews on before you commit.
Doing it yourself
With a hire car you pay for the car, fuel and parking, and you get the freedom to leave a town when you have had enough. Noto is the easy one; Modica and Ragusa are hilly, with narrow streets, so ask your accommodation or the town’s tourist office where the limited-traffic zones are. If you want to compare options, you can compare car hire for Syracuse. Check the excess and the deposit on the rental conditions before you pay, and do not assume that the car insurance included covers everything.
If you take the train to Noto, you lose the other two towns, but you also lose the driving. For many people, one town done calmly is a better day than three done in a hurry.
Which one for whom
First time in Sicily, three towns in one day, no driving: the €101.50 van tour.
Four people together, flexible day: the €390 private tour, if the booking page confirms the stops you want.
One town, no car: the train to Noto, and the old town on foot.
You like to stop and linger: a hire car, and an early start.
You prefer boats: the boat tours around Ortigia cost a fraction of this and take an hour.
More trips outside the city are listed under day trips from Syracuse.
