The island of Ortigia is the beautiful historic center of Syracuse. If you are planning to visit it, you may be wondering what you absolutely must see. Answering this question is really difficult because there are really many things to see in Ortigia since the island is a real open-air museum. But let’s pretend that you only have one day to visit Syracuse and we are “forced” to limit ourselves to the “main attractions” which are still many.
What to see in Ortigia
As I told you, Ortigia is an open-air museum, and you will realize it as soon as you cross the historic Umbertino Bridge that connects the city to the island. If you’re short on time, you can rent a bicycle and explore the entire perimeter of Ortigia in just over 20 minutes.
Once you arrive on the island the first thing to see is the Cathedral of Ortigia with its magnificent square surrounded by monuments and churches in Baroque style then I recommend you visit the mythical Arethusa Fountain and Maniace Castle. This little “tour” will take you about 3 hours and along the way you can see other fascinating monuments and glimpses of rare beauty.
If you still have time left, I recommend visiting the “Marina” waterfront and the historic Giudecca neighborhood, which still preserves the famous Jewish baths intact .
If you want to go “for sure,” I recommend booking a tour of Ortigia with a tour guide and don’t miss the Ortigia boat tour to admire the island from the sea, visit the sea caves and, in the summertime, indulge in a nice swim in the crystal clear waters.
Useful information
If you are looking for a complete list of the main tourist attractions you can also take a look at this Google link or you can visit the complete Ortigia itinerary on the municipality’s website. If, on the other hand, you need a map of Syracuse and Ortigia you can download it in pdf format by clicking on this link https://www.siracusaturismo.net/public/cartina_siracusa_1-1.pdf.
