Where to stay
Stay on the island of Ortigia itself, book early, and pick something with free cancellation.
Last checked 27 October 2026
Stay on Ortigia, not on the mainland.
Everything during the week starts on the island, and you’ll walk home from dinner. We’re about 200, and Ortigia is small: book a free-cancellation room by March 2027. The island has roughly 900 flats on Airbnb plus a few hundred hotel rooms, so there’s room for everyone who books early. By June it gets patchy, and late bookers end up over the bridge in Umbertino, 5 to 15 minutes’ walk away. The trade-offs: high prices, small historic rooms, stairs, some late-night noise, and no cars.
Ortigia or mainland Syracuse? OrtigiaSyracuse
Ortigia is the old town of Syracuse, a small island joined to the city by two bridges. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other. The sea is on every side, you can swim off the rocks in the morning, and the evenings happen in its squares.
The mainland districts just over the bridges (Umbertino, Borgata Santa Lucia) are cheaper and easier for parking, 10 to 20 minutes on foot from Piazza Duomo, but it’s an ordinary city, not the old town.
Be honest with yourself about:
- Noise. The bar streets around Piazza Duomo, the Temple of Apollo and the market are busy until 1 or 2 am. Light sleepers should ask for a room on an inner courtyard.
- Stairs. Most rooms are in 17th to 19th-century palazzi. “Third floor, no lift” is common.
- Price. August is the most expensive time of the year.
Hotels on the island
August rates aren’t published yet. These are planning ranges per room per night for late August, based on 2025–26 prices; check live rates for your dates.
| Hotel | Per night | What it’s like |
|---|---|---|
| Ortea Palace | €450–800 | 1920s post office turned luxury hotel, spa and indoor pool |
| Grand Hotel des Étrangers | €450–750 | Five stars on the harbour, with the Clou rooftop bar |
| Lume | €500+ | A small, stylish house with very few rooms |
| Grand Hotel Ortigia | €300–550 | Classic five-star facing the harbour, rooftop restaurant |
| Algilà Ortigia Charme | €250–450 | Two Baroque palazzi on the seafront; superb reviews, family suites |
| Charme Hotel Henry’s House | €250–400 | Family-run 17th-century palazzo on the sea |
| Maniace Boutique Hotel | €220–400 | Opened 2024, 21 rooms and a historic garden |
| Palazzo Artemide | €200–350 | 19th-century hotel near the Duomo, cocktail bar |
| Palazzo Gilistro | €150–260 | 11 rooms, roof terrace, great breakfasts |
| Hotel Livingston | €150–280 | 16 rooms near the seafront |
| Hotel Gutkowski | €130–220 | Simple, minimalist villa on the sea, roof terrace |
| Domus Mariae | €130–220 | Three stars on the eastern seafront |
For a beach-resort feel, Musciara (private beach facing Ortigia) and Minareto sit just off the island; you’ll need a taxi in the evenings.
Flats on Airbnb and Booking.com
Which part of the island:
- Around Piazza Duomo and the western seafront. The prettiest and most central, also the busiest and dearest.
- The Giudecca (old Jewish quarter, south-east). Quieter lanes, still five minutes from everything. Good for sleep.
- Near the market and the Temple of Apollo (north). Handy for the bridges and parking, lively bars at night.
- The eastern seafront. Sea views and the swimming decks; wind and waves rather than bar noise.
- La Graziella (north-east). The old fishermen’s quarter: cheaper, more worn, more local.
Before you book, check:
- Air conditioning in every bedroom. Late-August nights stay in the low 20s.
- Which floor, and whether there’s a lift.
- A water tank. Parts of Ortigia went without running water for days in May and July 2026. Hotels have their own tanks; for a flat, ask the host: “Do you have a water tank (serbatoio) and pump (autoclave) for outages?”
- Whether the bedroom faces a bar street or a courtyard.
- Free cancellation until at least 30 days before.
- Recent reviews from July to September. Winter reviews say nothing about heat, noise or water.
Coming as a family or a group of friends? Several palazzi rent out whole floors or buildings with four to eight bedrooms. Split between friends, that can cost less per head than a hotel, and you get a terrace for your own aperitivo.
Tourist tax
Syracuse charges 4% of the nightly rate, up to €5 per person per night, for at most seven nights. It’s paid at the property, sometimes in cash.
To be confirmed We may arrange a block of hotel rooms at a group rate. If we do, we’ll post it here. Until then, book something refundable.