Vendicari and Marzamemi from Syracuse: drive yourself, take a boat or book a tour?
Updated October 22, 2026 · 5 min read
If you can drive, go to Vendicari and Marzamemi by car: the reserve costs €3.50 to enter and the village costs nothing. If you cannot, the realistic choices are a three-hour boat cruise from Marzamemi at €55, a seven-hour van tour that adds Noto, or a private guided tour in the reserve. None of these tours is a substitute for the other, and none of them has many reviews except the boat.
What these two places are
Vendicari is a nature reserve on the coast south of Noto. Its entrances are near Eloro beach, Calamosche beach, the Vendicari tower and the Cittadella dei Maccari. The guided tour’s listing mentions more than 250 bird species, an old tuna factory (a tonnara) and an Aragonese tower. Swimming and walking are the point, not sightseeing.
Marzamemi is a former tuna-fishing village. Its tonnara dates from 1752, and the centre is Piazza Regina Margherita, which fills with restaurant tables in summer. The village is small, and you do not need more than a few hours for it.
The reserve: price and hours
The entrance fee is €3.50 for adults, €1.50 for reduced tickets and €7 for a family, with free entry for young children and for visitors with disabilities and their companion. In the summer season, April to October, the reserve opens from 7 am to 7:30 pm, with the ticket office closing at 6 pm. In winter it is 9:30 am to 4 pm. We found no official 2026 notice online, so confirm the fees and hours at the entrance, and bring a way to pay by card.
Calamosche, the best-known beach, is reached on foot from the car park, and the walk takes about 20 minutes. In warm weather take water and comfortable shoes. Parking can be charged, and the entrance you use depends on which beach you want, so decide that before you set off.
Option 1: drive yourself
This is the cheapest and most flexible way. The guided tour’s itinerary allows 45 minutes each way by van between Syracuse and the reserve, which is a useful guide for planning the day. A sensible order is Noto first, if you want it, then Vendicari, then Marzamemi for a late lunch, with the Noto, Modica and Ragusa guide for the first part. In Marzamemi, the Marzamemi Centro car park on Via Corrado Montoneri is about 350 metres on foot from the main square.
If you do not have a car, you can compare car hire for Syracuse. Check the excess and the deposit on the rental conditions before you pay. Ortigia is a limited-traffic zone, so ask your accommodation before you drive in with a hire car.
We could not find a public transport connection to the reserve entrances that we could rely on, so do not plan the day around buses without checking the current timetable.
Option 2: the boat from Marzamemi, and the tours compared
| Tour | Price | Length | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marzamemi–Portopalo boat cruise with aperitif | €55 | 3 hours | 4.5 stars, 151 reviews |
| Marzamemi and Noto audio-guided tour | €100 | 7 hours | 3.4 stars, 36 reviews |
| Vendicari Nature Reserve Guided Tour | €187 | 4 hours | 5.0 stars, 5 reviews |
The boat leaves from Marzamemi, not from Syracuse, so you still need to get there. The route passes Capo Passero and Portopalo with swim stops, and includes an aperitif with local products and a drink, and a diving mask. The booking page says the boat stops at Vendicari “depending on weather conditions and time available”, so treat it as a coastal cruise and not as a visit to the reserve.
The boat is nine metres long, has an awning for shade and no toilet, and baby strollers are not allowed. There is parking at the Marzamemi Yacht Club. One more point for families: ask about life jackets in children’s sizes before you book, because the listing does not say.
Option 3: the guided tours
The seven-hour van tour takes you to the ruins of the tonnara and Piazza Regina Margherita in Marzamemi, then to Noto for free time. It comes with an audio guide in six languages. Its rating, 3.4 from 36 reviews, is the weakest in the table, so read recent reviews before you book it.
The private guided tour of the reserve is a four-hour trip with a hiking guide. It includes the transfer, walking poles, birdwatching gear and the entrance ticket, and takes in the tonnara and the Aragonese tower with a swim. It is listed at €187, but check on the booking page how many people that price covers. The page lists people with mobility impairments as not suitable. It is the only tour in the table with a guide inside the reserve, and has only five reviews. A shorter mindfulness walk in the reserve costs €50, with three reviews.
Which one for whom
You drive: go yourself, early, and keep Marzamemi for the end of the day.
You do not drive and want the sea: the €55 boat cruise, plus a way to get to Marzamemi.
You want Marzamemi and Noto without driving: the €100 van tour, with the caveat about its rating.
You want a guide for the birds and the old tonnara: the private tour, after reading the booking page.
All day trips are on the day trips from Syracuse page, and boat trips closer to the city are covered in the guide to the Ortigia sea cave tours.
