Noto, Sicily | Best Things to Do on a Quick Visit & Walking Tour

Noto is a small Sicilian city famous for its Baroque architecture, UNESCO-listed city center, and long list of churches. Visiting the churches, climbing the bell towers, and photographing the beautiful buildings top the list of things to do in Noto.

The medieval town was destroyed in the 1693 earthquake. The remains of this town can still be seen at Noto Antica, which is located 8 km north of Noto. Following the earthquake, the entire town was rebuilt at its present-day site. The city was designed as a grid and built in a Baroque style, which gives it a very striking appearance.

Noto has the nickname “Stone Garden.” Many buildings were built with soft tufa stone, which has an orange golden hue in the sunlight. This city literally glows in the afternoon.

A visit here is relatively quick and a half of a day is really all you need to see the best of Noto. In this guide, we cover the best things to do in Noto, plus an efficient walking tour that makes it very easy to visit this city.

Best Things to Do in Noto

This list of things to do in Noto is listed geographically, in the same order of our walking route, which is listed in the next section.

The churches are free to enter (with the exception of the Cathedral) although one or two may request a donation at the entrance. Each church has optional things to do, such as a bell tower climb or visit to a crypt, which will have a small fee. It is best to have cash as they did not accept credit cards. These fees were typically 2 to 3 euros per person.

There is a combination ticket that includes all of the “optional experiences,” which is worth it if you plan to do everything we mention. This combination ticket is also sold at the churches in Noto.

1. Porto Reale o Ferdinandea

This gate marks the entrance into the historic city center. There are a few cafes here if you want to get a snack, espresso, or something else to drink before heading into town.

Go through the gate to enter Noto. Most of the top things to do in Noto are located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the main street that runs through the city center.

2. San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata

This is the first of many churches to visit in Noto. The highlight for us was simply seeing it and photographing it from street level. You can climb the 42 steps to go inside of the church, which is very simple inside. We did pay a small donation here.

San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata Noto

San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata Interior

Inside San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata

3. Chiesa di Santa Chiara

The Church of Santa Chiara was completed in 1758 and underwent a major renovation in 2006. The church is free to enter.

For a small fee, you can climb to a terrace on top of the church. Tim counted 34 steps to the first terrace (for decent views of Noto) and 60 steps to the upper terrace. From the upper terrace, you get a great view of the Noto Cathedral.

Inside the Church of Santa Chiara

If you only want to do one bell tower climb, we recommend skipping this one and choosing between the Church of San Carlo al Corso and the Church of Montevergini instead.

The view from the terrace in front of the Church of San Salvatore offers a very similar view as from the upper terrace of Chiesa di Santa Chiara, plus it is free to visit.

4. The Church of San Salvatore

This church is located across the street from the Church of Santa Chiara and next to the Noto Cathedral.

It is worth climbing the steps up to the terrace in front of this church, as you get another great view of the Noto Cathedral.

The view from the terrace in front of the Church of San Salvatore

5. The Noto Cathedral

The Noto Cathedral is the main attraction along Corso Vittorio Emanuele. This Baroque cathedral was completed in 1776. Its dome collapsed in 1996 but has been completely rebuilt. Outside, it is a beautiful display of Baroque architecture. Inside it is rather plain. There is a small fee, cash only, to enter the cathedral.

Noto Cathedral

6. Palazzo Ducezio

Directly across from the Noto Cathedral is Palazzo Ducezio, the Town Hall of Noto. Inside you can see the Hall of Mirrors and get another view of the Noto Cathedral. The exterior is more impressive than the interior, so this is a place you can skip and save your euros, and some time, if you are on a quick visit to Noto.

Palazzo Ducezio

7. Church of San Carlo al Corso

The highlight of visiting this small church is its views from the bell tower.

You will climb 60 steps up a narrow, spiral, stone staircase to the first terrace. This staircase has two-way traffic, so expect traffic jams during peak visitation hours. From the first terrace, you get a very nice view of the Noto Cathedral and Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

View from the lower terrace

To get to the upper terrace, it is a shorter climb up the narrow, spiral staircase and from here you are treated to views up and down the main thoroughfare of Noto.

View from the upper terrace

Another view from the Church of San Carlo al Corso

8. Church of San Domenico

This church is gorgeous on the outside. Inside, it is rather plain (we paid a small donation to enter). You have the option to pay a few more euros to visit the crypt, which is small and contains two crypts with the remains of human bones. If you have seen other crypts, this one is not worth it, in our opinion.

Church of San Domenico

9. Nicolaci Palace

Now we leave Corso Vittorio Emanuele and head up into the side streets. Nicolaci Palace is located on Via Corrado Nicolaci. As you walk up this street, you will also get a fantastic view of the Church of Montevergini.

The highlight here is seeing the Baroque balconies on the outside of the palazzo.

Nicolaci Palace

Church of Montevergini

Via Corrado Nicolaci

PRO TRAVEL TIP: Most of these churches open at 9 or 10 am and close at 7 to 8 pm. You can get updated hours before you go on Google, although these are not always accurate. The hours can change on holidays.

10. Church of Montevergini

This church sits at the top of Via Corrado Nicolaci. It is only worth visiting this church to climb its bell tower.

You will first climb 43 steps up a rickety metal spiral staircase to a room that overlooks the interior of the church. From here, it is another 43 steps to the outdoor terrace, this time on an uneven, stone, narrow spiral staircase. I liked the view from here, as it is gives you a different perspective over the city.

Noto Flower Festival: On the third Sunday of May, Via Nicolaci is decorated with millions of flower petals. This tradition dates back to the 17^th century to celebrate Corpus Christi.

11. The Painted Steps in Noto

There are two painted staircases to see and photograph in Noto. These are a short walk from the Church of Montevergini. These are marked on our map below and on Google are called Scalinata Mariannina Coffa and Via Fratelli Bandiera. Note, the artwork on these steps changes frequently, so what you see may be different from what is on our photos.

Scalinata Mariannina Coffa

Via Fratelli Bandiera

Noto Walking Tour & Map

The churches, palaces, and painted steps all make a great loop through Noto. These are all marked on our map below.

How Long Does it Take: This walking tour takes 2 to 4 hours, depending on how many places you plan to visit. You will walk approximately 1.6 km/1 mile.

How to Use This Map: Click the icons on the map to get more information about each point of interest. To take this map with you, click the star next to the title of the map which adds it to your Google account. Next, within your Google Maps app, select ‘Saved’ and then select ‘Maps’. This map title will now appear in your list.

The walking route starts at Porto Reale. From this gate, walk along Corso Vittoria Emanuele, visiting the churches and palaces that are of interest to you. Along this road, there are also small souvenir shops and cafes where you can grab a bite to eat.

After visiting the Church of San Domenico, you will backtrack down Corso Vittorio Emanuele a short distance, before visiting the side streets of Noto.

Once finished the walking tour, return to your car or sit down to lunch or dinner in Noto. We have recommended restaurants listed later in this guide.

Things to Do Near Noto

Since it takes about half of a day to visit Noto, you can combine Noto with Noto Antica, Ragusa, Modica, or the beaches near Noto. Noto makes a great day trip from Syracuse and Catania.

Noto Antica

The medieval town of Noto was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1693. The town was then relocated and rebuilt at its current location.

The remains of the medieval town, called Noto Antica, are located 8 km north of Noto. If you have a car, you can drive out to Noto Antica to see what remains of the town.

We did this and do not think it is worth it, especially if you have limited time. What you will see are the remains of the medieval wall and gate, a small portion of the castle, and some tombs. The area is neglected and there is very little signage indicating what you are looking at or where exactly to go. We spent about an hour here, walking in either direction along the road, to see if we were missing something, but it appears the main sights are located close to the parking area.

Parking is here on Google, which is a small parking lot that sits next to the medieval walls. Noto Antica is free to visit. It is a 25-minute drive from Noto.

Beaches Near Noto

Noto makes a good home base for visiting the beaches on the southeastern coast of Sicily. In the Vendicari Nature Reserve, Spiaggia di Calamosche and Spiaggia Marianellii are the two popular beaches to visit. Also near Noto are Fontane Bianche, San Lorenzo beach, Avola Beach, and Spiaggia Isola delle Correnti (located at the southernmost point of Sicily).

Modica & Ragusa

Modica and Ragusa are two beautiful cities that are well worth a visit. These are also rather small with a short to-do list, so you can either visit them together on a day trip from Noto, or combine one of them with Noto. It takes 45 minutes to drive to Modica and an hour to drive to Ragusa.

Modica

Ragusa

These two cities share a lot of similarities, as they are built on a steep hill, so you’ll do a lot of hill and stair climbing. But they are beautiful cities and lots of fun to explore. Modica is famous for its chocolate and reminded us of Matera. Ragusa is famous for its viewpoints, churches, and picturesque streets to explore.

Is it possible to visit Noto, Modica, and Ragusa in one day? Yes, it is possible, but you will have to move extremely quickly and expect to have a long day. Since you will be visiting three cities, you will have to choose a few key sites to visit in each of them, spending 2 to 3 hours in each city.

We think it is better to split these three cities up into two days. This can either be done as two day trips from Syracuse/Ortigia or Catania, or you can do what we did, spending one to two nights in Modica, Noto, or Ragusa. We picked Modica just because we liked the hotel here, staying in Itria Modica, which gets near perfect reviews and has rooms with a stunning view of Modica Alta.

WHAT WE DID; OUR SOUTHEAST SICILY ITINERARY: We spent one day in Syracuse and Ortigia. On the following morning, we left Syracuse, drove to Noto and spent the morning in Noto. From Noto, we spent about an hour at Noto Antica, and then we drove to Modica, checked into our hotel, and spent the afternoon in Modica. On the following day, we visited Ragusa on a day trip from Modica. From Modica, we traveled west to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento.

Syracuse & Ortigia

Syracuse is a coastal town in southeast Sicily. It is famous for its Greek and Roman history, Greek theater, Roman amphitheater, and Temple of Apollo.

Ortigia is the small island in Syracuse that is a delight to wander through and explore.

It takes a day to visit the historical sights and Ortigia and it is well worth it on a trip through Sicily, as it is one of the best places to see ancient Greek archaeological sites.

Roman Amphitheater in Syracuse

Ortigia

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How to Get to Noto

The best way to get to Noto is by car. If you do not have a car, you can get to Noto by train or you can join a tour. There are numerous tour options that leave from Taormina, Catania, and Syracuse. These tours typically combine Noto with Ortigia, Modica, and/or Ragusa.

Leaving from Catania, this is one of the most popular tours of Noto. It also includes Syracuse and Ortigia.

If you will be staying in Syracuse, this tour also includes Modica and Ragusa.

And if you will be staying in Taormina, this small group tour visits Noto and Syracuse.

Tours of Noto

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Parking in Noto

Tim did a lot of research on parking before our trip. Car break-ins and theft is an issue in Sicily and since we visited Noto with luggage in our car, we wanted to park in a lot that was as safe as possible.

There are two parking lots we recommend and these sit side-by-side, just a short walk from the city center: Parcheggio Citta di Noto and Parcheggio Centrale-Arluma. Both are gated, paid parking lots. Make sure you have cash because the parking machine did not accept credit cards.

We parked at Parcheggio Citta di Noto and our car and our luggage were fine. We never saw any evidence of break-ins during our visit to Sicily (broken windows or broken glass on the ground), but it is an issue that is mentioned in a lot of forums. With that being said, do not leave bags on the back or front seats of cars, as this could make your car a target.

From these parking lots, it is a 5-minute walk to Porto Reale, the starting point of our walking tour of Noto.

Where to Eat in Noto

Rosticceria Palermitana Arancina Planet gets great reviews for its sandwiches and arancini. I Borboni Noto serves pizza and also gets very good reviews. Our top recommendation is Ristorante Dammuso, which has an excellent location in the city center and serves Sicilian food.

Where to Stay

To visit Noto, you can stay in Noto, or visit it from Syracuse/Ortigia, Modica, or Ragusa.

In the city of Noto, we recommend:

Filinona B&B (a bed and breakfast that gets fantastic reviews and is located in the historic city center)

Villa Ambra B&B (a B&B located just outside of the city and it also gets exceptional reviews)

Embrace Sicily Guest House (spacious rooms in a highly-rated boutique hotel in Noto)

Casa Ruiz Suites (a 4-star hotel in the heart of the city).

If you like the idea of staying in a boutique hotel with rooftop views of the Noto Cathedral, take a look at Gagliardi Boutique Hotel.

We stayed at Itria Modica, which is located in Modica, a 40-minute drive from Noto. This small, boutique hotel is perched on a hilltop overlooking Modica. The views from the rooms are incredible. There is an outdoor pool and the service is fantastic. We would not hesitate to stay here again on a future trip to Sicily.

The Itria Modica

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Noto famous for?

Noto is famous for its Baroque architecture and collection of churches and cathedrals. This city was completely rebuilt in a new location after the original, medieval town was destroyed by the 1693 earthquake.

Is Noto worth visiting?

With its beautiful Baroque architecture, long list of churches to visit, multiple bell towers to climb, and small, compact historic city center, Noto is worth the visit on a trip to southeastern Sicily. With its short list of things to do, it can be combined with Modica and/or Ragusa.