Things to do in Agrigento
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Agrigento
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Late winter and spring, almond blossom, wildflowers and 20 to 26C in April and May, the connoisseur season.
Summer heat and peak crowds, evening park openings and San Leone at full tilt, early and sunset discipline essential.
Autumn sweet spot, warm sea into October, harvest in Menfi, golden light and lower prices from late September.
Winter quiet, local and cheap, temples atmospheric and near empty, many San Leone businesses closed.
What's on
- Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore Early to mid March each year
Almond Blossom Festival, folk groups, torch lighting at Concordia at sunset and the closing Sunday parade to the Valley.
- Sciacca Carnival February/March
Among Sicily oldest carnivals, giant satirical floats and Peppe Nappa burned on Shrove Tuesday.
- Festa di San Calogero first to second Sunday of July
A week of processions for Agrigento patron, devotees shower the statue with blessed loaves.
- FAI Autumn Days Usually a weekend in mid October
Heritage weekend, with special programming at the Kolymbethra garden.
Best things to do in Agrigento
Valley of the Temples
Seven Doric temples on a ridge below the city, with Concordia among the best preserved Greek temples anywhere.
Valley of the Temples at Sunset and After Dark
The same temples floodlit at sunset and after dark, quieter and more memorable once the day coaches leave.
Museo Archeologico Regionale Pietro Griffo
The finds from the valley explained, with an original full height telamon from the Temple of Zeus.
Giardino della Kolymbethra
A shaded citrus and olive garden inside the park, the natural reset between the east and west temples.
Via Atenea
The old town main street walk to the cathedral, past palazzi, churches and cafes in the evening passeggiata.
Casa Natale di Luigi Pirandello
Pirandello birthplace museum of manuscripts and family objects, with his burial pine a short walk away.
Scala dei Turchi
A white marl cliff staircasing into turquoise water, best seen from the viewpoint, the beach or a swim.
Farm Cultural Park
Derelict courtyards in Favara turned into galleries, gardens and cafes in a culture led regeneration project.
Where to stay in Agrigento
Valley / Via Panoramica dei Templi
first trip, temple-focused trip
Walk or shuttle to the park and wake to Concordia across the almond groves, with pool hotels facing the temples.
Old Town / Via Atenea
all-round base without a car
Sleep where dinner is, walk to restaurants and station buses, with the Valley a short bus or taxi ride away.
San Leone
beach base in summer, families and groups
Serviced beaches at the door, fish restaurants and summer nightlife, with the temples a short drive up the hill.
Villaggio Mose / lower modern Agrigento
price and parking with a car
Supermarkets, parking and a good value large hotel, but no street you will want to stroll in the evening.
Think twice about
- Villaggio Mose and station districts
Ugly, car dominated and deserted feeling at night. Charmless bases and poor late night walks, not a holiday base by accident.
- Agrigento Centrale / Bassa
Down in the valley bottom by the station, scarred by unfinished concrete and empty at night. Use for trains, sleep elsewhere.
- Favara
Fine as a day visit for Farm Cultural Park, but a hard pressed working town and not a sensible first trip holiday base.
- Porto Empedocle
Fine as a day visit, but a hard pressed working port town and not a sensible first trip holiday base.
Best restaurants in Agrigento
La Terrazza degli Dei
Dinner on a terrace inside the park facing floodlit Concordia and Juno, refined Sicilian cooking.
Il Re di Girgenti
The temple road institution for creative Sicilian cooking and local wines over the whole valley.
Sal8
The old town fine dining room, fish led with a signature chitarra with cheese, pepper and sea urchins.
Trattoria dei Templi
The classic temple road trattoria for pasta with wild fennel and grilled Porto Empedocle fish.
Pititto Ristorante
An intimate modern Sicilian room in the centre, strong on house antipasto and seafood platters.
Kalos
A small high scoring old town restaurant, a local leader for seafood and a romantic dinner.
Nuccio Ristorante
A small high scoring old town restaurant for Italian and seafood cooking with terrace tables.
La Posata di Federico II
Traditional Sicilian cooking with refined plating in a quiet intimate room, known for red shrimp with lardo.
Outdoor things to do in Agrigento
Verdura Resort
The only serious golf near Agrigento, two Kyle Phillips championship courses in olive groves by the sea.
Riserva Naturale Torre Salsa
Six kilometres of protected wild coast with dunes, empty sand and clear water and no facilities.
Eraclea Minoa
A long pine backed sandy beach under Capo Bianco, below the remains of a Greek colony.
Punta Bianca
A quiet white marl headland with clear water and no infrastructure, reached by a rough track.
San Leone Lungomare
Swimming, lidos, cycling and watersports along the San Leone seafront without needing a car.
Scala dei Turchi Boat Tour
A shared boat along the coast to the Scala with swim stops in front of the white cliffs and an aperitivo.
Torre Salsa Boat Tour
A private skippered dinghy west to Torre Salsa for swim stops in water unreachable from the road.
San Leone Diving and Snorkelling
Guided snorkelling and diving on the rocky stretches around San Leone and Punta Bianca on calm mornings.
Best hotels in Agrigento
Villa Athena Resort
The only hotel inside the archaeological park, with a private entrance and terraces facing Concordia.
Doric Eco Boutique Resort & Spa
An eco boutique resort with spa and infinity pool just outside the park, quieter and more spacious.
Hotel Foresteria Baglio della Luna
A historic baglio estate below the valley with a renowned restaurant and temple views from the tower.
Colleverde Park Hotel
A dependable park edge hotel with gardens, pool and temple views and good availability.
Hotel della Valle
A dependable park edge hotel with gardens and pool, the fallback when the top valley hotels are full.
Domus Terravecchia
A highly rated adults only palazzo B and B in the old town, with breakfast served in the room.
La Nuova Girgenti
A simple family run B and B in the old town, the credible cheap sleep with breakfast included.
Hotel Costazzurra Museum & Spa
An established San Leone pool and spa hotel a block or two from the sand, with temple shuttles.
Is Agrigento expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €85 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €155 a person |
| Splurge | €475 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Valley of the Temples: a few days ahead
- Valley of the Temples at Sunset and After Dark: a few days ahead
- Scala dei Turchi: a few days ahead
- MUDIA Museo Diocesano Agrigento: a few days ahead
- Verdura Resort: weeks ahead
- Scala dei Turchi Boat Tour: a few days ahead
- Torre Salsa Boat Tour: a few days ahead
- San Leone Diving and Snorkelling: a few days ahead
- Buy Valley tickets online in season, first Sunday free is a crowd trap.
- Villa Athena temple view rooms and Baglio and Doric book months ahead for spring, festival week and September.
- Terrazza degli Dei, Il Re di Girgenti, Kalos, Nuccio and Pititto dinners book days to weeks ahead in season.
- Check Scala access rules the week before and book any timed slot online, phone signal at the site is unreliable.
- Book MUDIA underground tours at least a day ahead.
Is Agrigento safe?
- Theft from cars at temple and beach car parks is the main risk, leave nothing visible.
- Heat illness in the park is the most common visitor problem, treat water and timing as safety.
- Heed sea conditions, flags and cliff closures at Scala and Punta Bianca, the marl is slippery.
- Obey the Macalube controlled access regime absolutely and never leave authorised paths.
- Emergency awareness is standard city awareness in festival crowds, tap water is drinkable.
Agrigento travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Day tripping from Palermo or Catania for a noon temple walk, the Valley is worth a night.
- The Valley at noon in July and August, carry water, a hat and use Kolymbethra as the shade break.
- Scala dei Turchi as an August beach day, see it early or from a boat then swim at Torre Salsa, Eraclea or Punta Bianca.
- Unnamed temple road restaurants trading only on a partial view near the park gates.
- Pre paying third parties for the Realmonte salt cathedral, which has been closed to visitors. Check it has reopened before paying anyone.
Getting around Agrigento: public transport and more
- Local bus links old town, park entrances and San Leone, and taxis cover the gaps without a car.
- You need a hire car or a booked tour for most excursions, Sciacca by bus is the main exception.
- Park at one park entrance and walk the ridge, using the shuttle linking entrances and the museum.
- Palermo airport is about 2h15 and Catania about 2h30 by road, intercity buses are the reliable no car arrival.
Who Agrigento suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | OK |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Agrigento your trip
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