Ortigia on your own: cathedral, Arethusa spring and market
Updated October 22, 2026 · 5 min read
Ortigia is small enough to walk alone in half a day, and most of what you will remember costs little or nothing: the cathedral square, the Arethusa spring and the streets between them. A guide is worth paying for if you want the stories behind the stones, and a food tour is worth it if the market is the reason you came. Otherwise, take this route and keep the money.
One walk, in this order
Ortigia is the old island at the heart of Syracuse, joined to the mainland by short bridges. It is easy to get lost, which is part of the charm, and impossible to lose for long: the sea is never far.
Piazza Duomo first. The cathedral stands on a wide, pale square, and its walls are the point. The Baroque front is a later addition, and the sides still show the columns of an ancient Greek temple built into the building. The walking tours that start here all name the Temple of Apollo and the cathedral square among their stops, which tells you where to put your first hour. The cathedral is a working church, so dress for it, and check the opening hours locally, because they change with services.
Then the Arethusa spring. A short walk away, at the edge of the island, the freshwater spring of Arethusa is a pool where papyrus grows. Both €25 walks include it, and for good reason: it is a small place with a big story, and it sits on the water, so the view is a bonus. It is in the open air.
Then the Castello Maniace. At the southern tip, a long walk along the sea from the spring, stands the castle. You can see it from the boat tours too, from the water, which is a different view. If you have already booked a boat tour around Ortigia, you can skip going inside.
The market
Ortigia has a food market, and it is a morning event, so plan to go before lunch. It is the obvious place on the island to buy fruit, cheese, bread and fish for a picnic, and to watch Sicilian shopping at its loudest.
If you only want to look and taste a little, the market rewards a short visit with no guide. If you want to understand what you are looking at, one of the tours below covers it.
When a guide earns the money
| Tour | Price | Length | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortigia Classic Group Walking Tour | €25 per person | 2 hours | 4.6 stars, 441 reviews |
| Highlights of Ortigia Guided Walking Tour | €25 per person | 2 hours | 4.3 stars, 229 reviews |
| Street Food Walking Tour in Ortigia with Tastings | €62.10 per person | 3 hours | 4.9 stars, 414 reviews |
| The Authentic Ortigia Street Food Tour by Hidden Syracuse | €69 per person | 3 hours | 5.0 stars, 238 reviews |
| Private 2-Hour Tuk Tuk Tour | €170 per group of up to 4 | 2 to 8 hours | 4.9 stars, 453 reviews |
The two €25 walks cover the same ground as this route: the narrow streets, the cathedral square and the Arethusa spring. The Classic tour has more reviews and a higher rating, and its booking page adds the Castello Maniace. Both start at the Temple of Apollo. Either one gives you the history you will not get from a signpost.
The food tours are a different product. The €62.10 tour lists local cheeses, arancino, fried fish and granita or cannolo as tastings. The €69 tour lists seven tastings, among them fresh mozzarella and arancini. Both are rated 4.9 or higher by hundreds of people. Take one if you want to eat your way around Ortigia and would rather not choose where.
The tuk-tuk is priced per group, not per person: €170 for up to four people. For a family of four who do not want to walk in July, that is €42.50 each. For a couple, it is the most expensive way to see the island.
What to skip
The hop-on hop-off bus costs €10, but its rating is low: 3.1 stars from 227 reviews. For an island you can cross on foot, you do not need it.
A morning that works
On your own: market first, while it is lively, then Piazza Duomo, then the Arethusa spring, then a long lunch.
With a guide: a €25 walk in the morning, and the afternoon free.
For food: one of the food tours, and no lunch.
If you want the ancient city too: Ortigia is the old town. The large ancient Greek and Roman sites are on the mainland, in the Neapolis Archaeological Park.
More walking options are on the Ortigia walking tours page, and the tastings are collected under food and wine tours in Syracuse.
